Sensorless Crankshaft Position Detection From Generator Rotor Angle

The patent replaces mechanical inductive pickup sensors with an optical detection system that uses light sources, photodetectors, and coded disks to determine crankshaft position. This substitution eliminates the limitations of inductive sensors while maintaining cost-effectiveness through the use of optical components.

The patent introduces coded disks with specific patterns (such as transparent and opaque segments) as intermediaries between the crankshaft and the photodetectors. These coded disks convert mechanical position information into optical signals that can be accurately detected and processed to determine precise crankshaft position.

The patent replaces Hall Effect sensors with an optical detection system using light sources and photodetectors. This substitution eliminates the reliability issues associated with Hall Effect sensors while maintaining high measurement precision through optical encoding methods.

The optical system uses self-contained light sources and photodetectors that do not require external power connections or complex circuitry like Hall Effect sensors. The system is inherently more reliable as it eliminates common failure points associated with electronic sensors.

The patent uses periodic optical patterns on coded disks that rotate with the crankshaft. These patterns create periodic light signals that are detected by photodetectors, allowing precise position determination even at high rotational speeds through the regular, predictable nature of the optical encoding.

The patent transitions from single-point mechanical sensing to multi-point optical detection using coded disks with radial and circumferential patterns. This dimensional expansion in the detection approach enables high-speed position measurement by capturing position information across multiple spatial dimensions simultaneously.