Hall Sensor Layout for Fault-Tolerant Rotor Position Sensing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing rotor location sensing apparatuses in motors are prone to failure, requiring replacement due to single sensor failures, and suffer from low signal resolution and space constraints, necessitating additional complex structures and separate installations.
Innovation Solution
A rotor location sensing apparatus with a second sensor disposed at a specific angle relative to the first sensor on the same substrate, allowing for continued operation even with failed sensors and increased signal resolution without additional structures, utilizing equations to calculate optimal sensor positions and extending sensing capabilities on existing printed circuit boards.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a single sensor is used for rotor location sensing, then the device complexity is reduced, but the reliability deteriorates because the entire apparatus must be replaced when one sensor fails
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple sensor functions into a single integrated sensor unit. The sensor unit includes multiple sensing elements (first sensor and second sensor) that are integrated into one component, allowing the system to detect rotor location through multiple channels while maintaining a unified sensor structure. This integration improves reliability by providing redundancy without significantly increasing device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The sensor unit is segmented into multiple functional sensing elements (first sensor and second sensor) that can operate independently. Each sensor element can detect rotor location information, and if one element fails, the other can continue to provide sensing capability. This segmentation allows the system to maintain reliability while keeping the overall device structure compact and manageable.
2Measurement precision
If additional sensors are added to increase signal resolution, then the measurement precision is improved, but the device complexity and space requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple sensing functions into a single sensor unit that contains both the first sensor and second sensor. This integrated approach allows the system to achieve higher measurement precision through multiple sensing channels while avoiding the need for separate substrate designs and complex wiring arrangements that would result from using completely separate sensor units.
Solution Approach 2:
The sensor unit is designed as a multi-functional component that performs multiple sensing tasks simultaneously. The first sensor and second sensor within the unit can detect different aspects of rotor location, providing both redundancy and enhanced resolution capabilities from a single universal sensor component rather than requiring multiple specialized sensors.
3Measurement precision
If sensors are installed in separate regions for alignment, then the measurement precision is improved, but the device complexity and installation difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
By combining multiple sensors into a single integrated sensor unit, the patent eliminates the need for separate installation regions and complex alignment procedures. The unified sensor unit can be installed as one component, significantly simplifying the installation process while maintaining the precision benefits of having multiple sensing elements working together.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables continued rotor location sensing with failed sensors and enhanced signal resolution by strategically placing additional sensors on existing PCBs, ensuring motor functionality and precision without additional structural requirements.
Implementation Method 1
The sensor grasps a present location of the rotor by sensing a magnetic force of the sensing magnet installed to be rotatable in conjunction with the rotor
Data Source
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AI summary
An embodiment provides an apparatus for sensing rotor location, the apparatus comprising a sensing magnet including at least one magnet and a substrate arranged above the sensing magnet and a first sensor and a second sensor disposed on a same track having a circular shape on the basis of a center of the sensing magnet, wherein each of the first sensor and the second sensor includes a plurality of Hall sensors disposed apart from each other by a first angle along a circumference on the circular shaped track, and wherein the first sensor and the second sensor are disposed apart from each other by a second angle different from the first angle along the circumference on the circular shaped track .