Pedal Sensor Device Using Magnetic Field Detection
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing pedal actuation systems require expensive force sensors and rotation angle sensors, which are costly and pose safety risks when installed in the vehicle interior, necessitating a more cost-effective and safer solution for measuring pedal actuation.
Innovation Solution
A sensor device that detects the position and orientation of an input rod using non-contact methods such as magnetic or electric field interactions, or optical detection, eliminating the need for direct force and rotation angle sensors, and can be implemented using inexpensive sensors like Hall or AMR/GMR sensors, reducing production costs and installation space requirements.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a force sensor is attached to the pedal to measure actuation force, then measurement accuracy is improved, but production costs and installation effort increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces mechanical force sensors with a magnetic field-based detection system. A magnet is attached to the input rod, and a Hall sensor detects the magnetic field position to determine rod displacement. This substitution eliminates the need for direct mechanical contact sensors, reducing production costs while maintaining measurement capability through magnetic field interaction.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a magnet as an intermediary element attached to the input rod. This magnet serves as a mediator that translates mechanical displacement into detectable magnetic field changes, allowing the Hall sensor to indirectly measure rod position without direct mechanical contact. This intermediary approach simplifies the sensing system and reduces costs.
2Measurement precision
If a conventional sensor for measuring pedal rotation angle is installed in the vehicle interior, then measurement capability is improved, but safety risk increases due to potential driver injury
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces conventional mechanical rotation angle sensors installed in the vehicle interior with a magnetic field-based detection system. The Hall sensor can be positioned outside the immediate pedal mechanism, detecting magnetic field changes from a magnet on the input rod. This eliminates the need for sensors directly in the driver's path, reducing injury risk while maintaining angle measurement capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The magnet attached to the input rod serves as an intermediary that enables remote detection of pedal position. By using magnetic field interaction, the system can measure rotation angle without requiring a sensor physically present in the vehicle interior near the pedal, thereby eliminating the safety hazard of exposed sensing components.
3Measurement precision
If expensive force sensors and rotation angle sensors are used, then measurement accuracy is improved, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the functions of force sensing and rotation angle sensing into a single magnetic field-based detection system. By attaching a magnet to the input rod and using a Hall sensor to detect magnetic field position, the system simultaneously captures information about both force application and pedal position, eliminating the need for separate force sensors and angle sensors.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent substitutes complex mechanical sensor systems with a simpler magnetic field-based detection approach. The Hall sensor and magnet combination provides a more straightforward implementation that eliminates the complexity of mechanical force sensors and rotation encoders, reducing both device complexity and cost while maintaining measurement precision.
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
This solution provides a cost-effective and safer means to measure pedal actuation, reducing production costs and eliminating the risk of injury from internal sensors, while enabling efficient integration of pedal-controlled systems into vehicles.
Implementation Method 1
The sensor device (8) is designed to determine at least one variable with regard to a position and/or a change in position of the input rod (10), which has been set into the rotational movement, in relation to a predefined spatial direction
Implementation Method 2
The sensor device according to the invention and the corresponding method can be implemented using a single inexpensive sensor, such as a Hall sensor, a GMR sensor or an AMR sensor
Implementation Method 3
The non-contact interaction can be understood, for example, as an interaction of a magnetic field and/or an electric field of a component comprised by the input rod with the sensor device
Implementation Method 4
The sensor device can also have an optical detector, by means of which a light beam reflected on the input rod can be detected at an impact position
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
The invention relates to a sensor arrangement (8) for a pedal (12), which arrangement is designed to determine at least one actuating variable concerning actuation (15) of the pedal (12) by a user of a device which can be actuated by means of the pedal (12), and to emit information (28) corresponding to the at least one actuating variable determined, the sensor arrangement (8) further being designed to determine as the at least one actuating variable at least one variable concerning a position (sy) and/or a position variation of an input rod (10) which is disposed on the pedal (12) and can be displaced by the actuation (15) of the pedal (12) at least in a sense of rotation (14) in relation to a predetermined spatial direction (22). The invention also relates to a method for preparing information (28) concerning actuation of a pedal (12).