WO2025144302A1

WO2025144302A1 - Magnetically based meter for measuring angle or linear motion in rotary axis systems

Info

Publication number: WO2025144302A1
Application number: PCT/TR2024/051650
Authority: WO
Inventors: Erhan Ilhan Konukseven; Eren KOC; Muhammet YIGITER
Original assignee: Proted Protez Ortezve Rehabilitasyon LS
Current assignee: Proted Protez Ortezve Rehabilitasyon LS
Priority date: 2023-12-31
Filing date: 2024-12-19
Publication date: 2025-07-03
Anticipated expiration: 2026-06-30
Also published as: TR2023020012A2

Abstract

The invention relates to a magnetic based protractor or movement distance meter that enables the electronic angle tracking of angular moving mechanical systems or the electronic linear movement distance tracking of linear moving mechanical systems.

Description

MAGNETICALLY BASED METER FOR MEASURING ANGLE OR LINEAR MOTION IN ROTARY AXIS SYSTEMS

Technical Field

The invention relates to a magnetic based angle and distance meter that allows the flexible strip magnet to measure the angle in rotary axis systems or to measure the distance in linear movements by providing the changing magnetic field angle measurement formed on the sensor with the direct angle mounting .

State of the Art

Magnetic sensors convert magnetically encoded information into electrical signals for processing by electronic circuits . Magnetic sensors are solid-state devices that are becoming increasingly popular because they can be used in many di f ferent applications , such as position, speed, or directional movement . It is also a popular sensor choice for electronic designers because of its contactless , wear- free operations , low-maintenance , robust designs , and the immunity of sealed salon ef fect devices to vibration, dust, and water .

One of the main uses of magnetic sensors is in automotive systems for sensing position, distance , and speed . For example , it can be used in systems such as the angular position of the crankshaft for the ignition angle of the spark plugs , the position of the car seats and seat belts for airbag control , or wheel speed detection for the anti-lock brake system (ABS ) , etc . Magnetic sensors are designed to respond to a wide range of positive and negative magnetic fields in a variety of di f ferent applications . A type of magnet sensor that is a function of the magnetic field intensity around the output signal is called a Hall Ef fect Sensor .

In order to measure the angle in systems with a rotary axis , magnetic sensors can be applied in many systems due to their ergonomic structure . Examples of such applications include reading the j oint angle of the knee j oints with microprocessors .

Knee prostheses with microprocessors are designed for a safe and comfortable walk . These prostheses are more useful than conventional systems and have become the first choice of amputee patients today . Knee prostheses with microprocessors predict walking phases with the help of various sensors . In this way, they use the propulsion system they have according to the phase they predict to support the walk .

The knee j oint angle sensor plays an important role in predicting the walking phase . When product solutions such as incremental encoder, absolute encoder and linear potentiometer are examined to read the angle , installation problems and high costs have emerged as a disadvantage .

Patent application CN218943610U discloses an arti ficial knee j oint . It is understood from the description set of the patent application numbered CN218943610U that a slot mechanism is described to shi ft the sensor to maintain its position against the magnet .

Patent application KR101889656B1 discloses an arti ficial femoral limb with detection tools . It is understood that said embodiment has a detection tool operated by approaching or moving the sensor to the gaussian area .

Systems that are involved in the ordinary state of the art and used to detect angles for the j oints detailed above require the creation of mechanically complex systems . The complexity of the systems can cause the angle detection mechanisms to take up much more space .

I f the application is made to systems such as knee j oints , the total si ze of the detection mechanism and the area it covers can create an important handicap in terms of system design and application ergonomics .

Also , the complexity of the detection mechanism to be used increases production costs as it will lead to manufacturing di f ficulties . Again, the complexity of the structure may cause an increase in maintenance and operating costs .

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

The obj ect of the invention is to create a magnetic based angle or movement distance meter that allows the flexible strip magnet to measure the angle in rotary axis systems by providing the changing magnetic field angle measurement formed on the sensor with the direct angle mounting .

The protractor of the invention is operated by measuring the changing magnetic field created by at least one flexible strip magnet on at least one sensor . Thanks to the simple embodiment created, it has been possible to create minimal systems to measure angles in environments with area and si ze problems .

For example , an important si ze advantage is provided by making the embodiment of the invention in environments where the application area is limited such as the knee j oint .

Since knee prostheses with microprocessors need to have di f ferent electronic controllers in their structure , the total structure of the knee prosthesis increases signi ficantly . Again, the necessity of fitting di f ferent electronic components to the prosthesis structure causes a decrease in the area that can be used for the angle meter used . Since the increase in this area used for angle measurement systems will cause a signi ficant increase in the total structure of the knee prosthesis , it will prevent the knee prosthesis from being designed ergonomically . However, the use of the structurally much smaller protractor of the invention will provide an important design advantage in terms of designing ergonomic knee prostheses .

Again, thanks to the simple structure of the protractor subj ect to the invention, the application and maintenance costs can be signi ficantly reduced .

Description of the Figures

Figure 1 . An exploded view of the protractor,

Figure 2 . A view of the magnetic field created by the angled assembly of the magnetic element on the sensor,

Figure 3 . A table showing sensor output data using rotation angle/ linear displacement taken from the angle sensor,

Figure 4 . A schematic view of specially polari zed linear magnet samples ,

Figure 5 . A schematic view of the front-back polari zed use of the magnetic element ,

Figure 6 . A perspective view of the knee j oint , Description of References in Figures

1. Magnetic element

2. Body

3. Sensor

4. Placement channel

5. The knee j oint rotation axis

6. Connection point of the foot direction prosthesis

7. Connection point of the drive system to the knee j oint

8. Connection point of the socket to the prosthesis

Description of the Invention

The invention relates to a magnetic based protractor or movement distance meter that enables the electronic angle tracking of angular moving mechanical systems or the tracking of linear movements of linear moving mechanical systems .

The protractor basically comprises at least one magnetic element ( 1 ) formed in flexible structure and strip form and at least one sensor ( 3 ) associated with the magnetic element ( 1 ) that can detect magnetic field changes in the case of angular movement .

The magnetic element ( 1 ) is in the form of a magnet according to one of the preferred embodiments of the invention . In this embodiment , the magnet can be used by placing it in a shell . According to Figure 1 , the shell is shown as the body ( 2 ) .

The magnetic element ( 1 ) is formed in the form of a flexible strip and is associated with the mechanical system at an angle .

According to Figure 1 , the magnetic element ( 1 ) is placed in the body (2) in which at least one placement channel (4) is formed in its structure. More specifically, the magnetic element (1) is placed at an angle to the placement channel (4) formed in the body (2) .

Within this embodiment, at least one part of the section of the placement channel (4) and/or the body (2) is formed in a circular form and the magnetic element (1) is designed in the form of an arc in accordance with this structure.

In this embodiment, the magnetic element (1) in the form of a strip and a flexible natural magnet can be used by easily placing it in a body (2) .

In order to operate the protractor subject to the invention, it will be sufficient to magnetically associate the sensor (3) and magnetic element (1) .

According to Figure 1, the sensor (3) is positioned outside the circularly formed body (2) . Different embodiments of the invention can also be operated by positioning the sensor (3) in the body ( 2 ) .

In this embodiment, the circular movement of the assembly provided creates a variable magnetic field on the sensor (3) . The sensor (3) measuring the changing magnetic field can make precise angular measurement.

The sensor (3) described in the invention can be any magnetic field sensor. Hall effect and magnetic field sensors are examples of this. If the inclined shell is flattened, the position measurement of linear moving systems can be made.

An example of linear moving systems is linear actuators. The protractor may also be used for electronic angle tracking of microprocessor-controlled knee prostheses in one of the preferred embodiments of the invention .

As described above , the us and assembly of the protractor created by combining severa simple components can provide a very simple solution . In this way, it can predict an advantageous structure in terms of both production and operating costs .

It is not possible to use incremental and absolute encoder models with the same usage area in some mechanical designs in terms of assembly relations . Applications such as microprocessor knee prosthesis design are an important example of this situation . Since the protractor subj ect to the invention is quite simple , compact and has a monolithic structure , it can be easily applied in many applications where other encoder models cannot be used . Sensor output data using ( rotation angle/ linear displacement ) taken from the angle sensor ( 3 ) is given in the table presented in Figure 3 .

In order to create the protractor or linear movement distance of the invention, sensors ( 3 ) that can be of di f ferent structures that can measure the magnetic field can be used alone or together .

At this point , it is possible to use any sensor ( 3 ) that can accurately detect the magnetic field created by the magnetic element ( 1 ) .

Figure 4 shows the magnetic element ( 1 ) mounted linearly by specially polari zing instead of placing a direct angle strip magnetic element in the body ( 2 ) . Within this application, the magnetic element formed in the form of a strip and mounted linearly to the body can be placed in the body at an angle to the sensor (3) or at an angle to the sensor.

Thanks to this positioning, the solution can be provided by changing the position or polarization of the linearly configured magnetic element (1) in the body compared to the sensor (3) without the need to configure the magnetic element (1) as an angled strip.

Figure 4 shows applications regarding the right-left polarization of the magnetic element (1) in order to create special polarization situations.

Figure 5 shows the front and back polarized state of the magnetic element (1) instead of the right and left. By using this application, it will be possible to create a changing magnetic field on the magnetic sensor (3) .

It is possible to create different embodiments by changing the gauss value of the magnetic element (1) used within the invention. For example, when the gauss value of the magnetic element (1) is increased, it is possible to increase the mechanical gap between the sensor magnets.

Figure 6 shows the example of the application of the protractor for electronic angle tracking of microprocessor- controlled knee prostheses.

In this application, the angle meter is associated with the knee joint rotation axis (5) , which is the axis where the joint angle sensor should take a reading. In this embodiment, the knee joint can be connected to the foot direction prosthesis components from the connection point of the foot direction prosthesis (6) and to the socket over the connection point of the socket to the prosthesis (8) .

Within this application, the knee joint is equipped with the connection point of the drive system to the knee joint (7) .

Claims

1. A magnetic based protractor or movement distance meter for electronic angle tracking of angularly moving mechanical systems or for tracking linear movements of linearly moving mechanical systems, characterized in that it comprises at least one magnetic element (1) formed in flexible structure and strip form and at least one sensor (3) associated with the magnetic element (1) that can detect magnetic field changes in the case of angular movement.

2. The magnetic based protractor or movement distance meter according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises a magnetic element (1) formed in the form of a magnet.

3. The magnetic based protractor or movement distance meter according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises a magnetic element (1) formed in the form of a flexible strip and angularly associated with the mechanical system.

4. The magnetic based protractor or movement distance meter according to claim 3, characterized in that it comprises a magnetic element (1) placed at an angle to at least one channel (4) in the body (2) in which at least one placement channel (4) is formed.

5. The magnetic based protractor or movement distance meter according to claim 4, characterized in that at least one part of the section of the placement channel (4) and/or the body (2) is formed in a circular form and the magnetic element (1) is designed in the form of an arc in accordance with this embodiment.

6. The magnetic based protractor or movement distance meter according to claim 5, characterized in that it comprises a sensor (3) positioned outside and/or inside the circularly formed body (2) .

7. The magnetic based protractor or movement distance meter according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises sensors (3) which may be of different structures, either alone or together.

8. The magnetic based protractor or movement distance meter according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises a magnetic element (1) linearly mounted in a body (2) with angular polarization or positioned at an angle relative to the sensor.

9. The magnetic based protractor or movement distance meter according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises a magnetic element (1) positioned in the body (2) with left and right polarization.

10. The magnetic based protractor or movement distance meter according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises a magnetic element (1) positioned inside the body (2) with front and back polarization.

11. The magnetic based protractor or movement distance meter according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the protractor is used for electronic angle tracking of microprocessor-controlled knee prostheses.

12. The magnetic based angle meter according to claim 11, characterized in that the joint angle sensor (3) is associated with the knee joint rotation axis (5) , which is the axis on which the reading is to be taken.