Apparatus for determining the angular position of a rotating member using reference and position elements that generate opposite polarity bipolar signals

Claim 2

Apparatus for determining the angular position of a rotating member, said member having a reference element and a plurality of position elements, the structure of said reference element being different from the structure of said position elements, said elements being angular spaced about said rotating member in the direction of rotation said apparatus comprising: sensor means responsive to the relative structure of the reference and position elements for generating a bipolar reference signal each time said reference element moves past a reference point and for generating a bipolar position signal each time one of said position elements moves past said reference point, each of said bipolar reference and position signals comprising an alternating positive and negative pulse, the order of occurrence of said positive and negative pulses of said bipolar reference signal being opposite to that of the bipolar position signals; discriminator means responsive to the order of said positive and negative pulses of said bipolar reference and said bipolar position signals for distinguishing between said bipolar reference and said bipolar position signals and, for generating a unipolar reference signal or a unipolar position signal each time said sensor means generates one of said bipolar reference or one of said bipolar position signals, respectively; signal generating means responsive to said unipolar reference and unipolar position signals for generating an output signal indicative of the angular position of said rotating member relative to said reference point.

Claim 3

The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said signal generating means comprises a binary counter having a clock and a reset input and wherein said discriminator means applies said unipolar position signals to said clock input and said unipolar reference signals to said reset input.

Claim 4

The apparatus of claim 2 further including means for automatically correcting errors in the operation of said discriminator means if said discriminator means applies said unipolar reference signal to said clock input of said counter and/or said unipolar position signals to said reset input of said counter.

Claim 5

The apparatus of claim 2 wherein said discriminator means comprises: first gate means; second gate means; rectifier means responsive to said bipolar signals generated by said sensor means for applying a unipolar signal to one of said first or second gate means each time a positive portion of either said bipolar reference or bipolar position signals is generated by said sensor means whereby, due to the reverse order of said positive and negative pulses of said bipolar reference and position signals, the unipolar signal applied to said one of said first or second gate means when a positive portion of said bipolar reference signal is generated by said sensor means is from the opposite portions of the bipolar cycle with respect to said unipolar signal applied to said one of said first or second gate means when a positive portion of said bipolar position signal is generated by said sensor means; said rectifier means also for applying a unipolar signal to the other of said first or second gate means each time a negative portion of either said bipolar reference or said bipolar position signals is generated by said sensor means whereby, due to the reverse order of said positive and negative pulses of said bipolar reference and position signals, the unipolar signal applied to said other of said first and second gate means when a negative portion of said bipolar reference signal is generated by said sensor means is from the opposite portions of the bipolar cycle with respect to the unipolar signal applied to said other of said first and second gate means when a negative portion of said bipolar position signal is generated by said sensor means; means for gating said first and second gate means in such a manner that only said unipolar reference signals of said unipolar position signals appears at the output of said first gate means and only the other of said unipolar reference signals or said unipolar position signals appears at the output of said second gate means.

Claim 6

The apparatus of claim 4 wherein said gating means gates only those unipolar signals applied to said first and second gate means during the same half of the cycle of said bipolar reference and bipolar position signals generated by said sensor means the particular half cycle being different in the two gates.

Claim 7

The apparatus according to claim 5 further including means for correcting the operation of said gating means whenever said gating means gates said unipolar signals applied to said first and second gate means during the other half of said cycle of said bipolar reference and bipolar position signals generated by said sensor means.