1. A sensor arrangement for capturing a torque which acts on a shaft having a combination of a sensor unit with a sleeve on which at least one sliding element and at least a first magnetic-field-sensitive sensor are arranged, and a magnetic flux unit with two magnetic-flux-conducting rings wherein the sensor unit and the magnetic flux unit are rotated relative to one another when the shaft rotates, and wherein the at least one magnetic-field-sensitive sensor captures a magnetic flux which is conducted by the rings, wherein, with the at least one magnetic-field-sensitive sensor, a magnetic field which changes during a rotational movement is detected and is converted into a signal which is dependent on the torque, wherein the at least one sliding element made of plastic is arranged between the magnetic-flux-conducting rings and slides radially between the magnetic-flux-conducting rings.
2. The sensor arrangement as claimed in claim 1, in which the at least one sliding element is mounted in a direct, sliding and self-guiding fashion between the magnetic-flux-conducting rings of the magnetic flux unit.
3. The sensor arrangement as claimed in claim 1, in which the at least one first magnetic-field-sensitive sensor of the sensor unit is arranged between the magnetic-flux-conducting rings.
4. The sensor arrangement as claimed in claim 1, in which the magnetic-flux-conducting rings are arranged on a bearing element of the magnetic flux unit wherein at least one of the magnetic-flux-conducting rings is at least partially encapsulated by injection molding with plastic.
5. The sensor arrangement as claimed in claim 1, in which a bearing play is provided in the axial and radial direction between at least one component of the sensor unit and at least one further component of the sensor arrangement which can rotate with respect to the sensor unit.
6. The sensor arrangement as claimed in claim 1, which sensor arrangement comprises a locking ring which is rotated relative to the sensor unit when the shaft rotates, wherein the sleeve of the sensor unit is arranged between the locking ring and one of the magnetic-flux-conducting rings of the magnetic flux unit.
7. The sensor arrangement as claimed in claim 6, in which the locking ring has an index element with which revolutions of the shaft is counted by the at least one magnetic field sensitive sensor of the sensor unit.
8. The sensor arrangement as claimed in claim 1, in which a gear is arranged on the sensor unit, and an opposing gear is arranged on the magnetic flux unit, wherein teeth of the gear and of the opposing gear mesh with one another and rotate when the shaft rotates, wherein a rotational angle of the shaft can be determined by means of a rotation of the gear.
9. The sensor arrangement as claimed in claim 8, wherein the gear and the opposing gear are small bevel gears.
10. The sensor arrangement as claimed in claim 8, wherein the gear and the opposing gear are crown gears.
11. The sensor arrangement as claimed in claim 1, in which at least one printed circuit board (8, 70), on which the at least one first magnetic-field-sensitive sensor is arranged, is arranged on the sensor unit.
12. The sensor arrangement as claimed in claim 1, in which the at least one sliding element is mounted in a self-guiding fashion between the magnetic-flux-conducting rings of the magnetic flux unit.
13. The sensor arrangement as claimed in claim 1, in which bearing play is provided in the axial direction between at least one component of the sensor unit and at least one further component of the sensor arrangement which can rotate with respect to the sensor unit.
14. The sensor arrangement as claimed in claim 1, in which bearing play is provided in the radial direction between at least one component of the sensor unit and at least one further component of the sensor arrangement which can rotate with respect to the sensor unit.
15. A method for capturing a torque which acts on a shaft which method is carried out using a sensor arrangement which comprises a sensor unit with a sleeve on which at least one sliding element and at least a first magnetic-field-sensitive sensor are arranged, and a magnetic flux unit with two magnetic-flux-conducting rings wherein the sensor unit and the magnetic flux unit are rotated relative to one another when the shaft rotates, and wherein a magnetic flux which is conducted by the rings is captured by the at least one magnetic-field-sensitive sensor, wherein, with the at least one magnetic-field-sensitive sensor, a magnetic field which changes during a rotational movement is detected and is converted into a signal which is dependent on the torque, characterized in that the at least one sliding element made of plastic is arranged between the magnetic-flux-conducting rings and slides radially between the magnetic-flux-conducting rings.
16. The sensor arrangement as claimed in claim 1, in which the at least one sliding element is mounted in a direct, sliding fashion between the magnetic-flux-conducting rings of the magnetic flux unit.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A switching amplifier, comprising:
an input gain control stage which receives a digital input signal wherein the input gain control stage monitors the digital input signal and a supply voltage used to drive the switching amplifier and adjusts a gain of the digital input signal in response to a change in the supply voltage or the digital input signal, or both, to reduce distortion of an output signal;
a delta-sigma stage coupled to the input gain control stage wherein the delta-sigma stage filters the digital input signal and quantizes the filtered digital input signal by using a delta-sigma modulation technique;
a pulse width modulation stage coupled to the delta-sigma stage wherein the delta-sigma stage controls the pulse width modulation stage to generate the output signal; and
an output stage coupled to the pulse width modulation stage wherein the output stage receives the output signal.
2. The switching amplifier according to claim 1, wherein the input gain control stage maintains the digital input signal at a level to prevent clipping of the output signal.
3. The switching amplifier according to claim 1, further comprising an analog-to-digital converter to convert the supply voltage to digital value is processed to adjust the gain of the digital input signal.
4. The switching amplifier according to claim 3, wherein the gain is set to a predetermined value when the supply voltage is at a nominal value and the gain is to be reduced when the supply voltage decreases from the nominal value.
5. The switching amplifier according to claim 3, wherein the gain is set to a predetermined value when the supply voltage is at the nominal value and the gain is to be reduced when the supply voltage decreases to a lower voltage value from a full value and a signal level of the digital input signal approaches the lower voltage value.
6. The switching amplifier according to claim 4, wherein the predetermined value of the gain is set to unity at the nominal value of the supply voltage.
7. The switching amplifier according to claim 1, wherein the input gain control stage separates the monitoring of the digital input signal at different frequency bands and adjusts the gain across the different frequency bands.
8. The switching amplifier according to claim 3, wherein the delta-sigma stage further comprises a filter and a quantizer to form a delta-sigma modulator stage to filter and quantize the digital input signal and wherein a divider and a multiplier are utilized to compensate for slow changes in the supply voltage, the digital value of the supply voltage being coupled to the divider and the multiplier to control the adjustment of the divider and the multiplier in response to the supply voltage.
9. A method of implementing a switching amplifier, comprising:
receiving, by an input gain control stage, a digital input signal;
monitoring, by the input gain control stage, the digital input signal and a supply voltage used to drive the switching amplifier;
adjusting, by the input gain control stage, again of the digital input signal in response to a change in the supply voltage or the digital input signal, or both, to reduce distortion of an output signal,
filtering, by a delta-sigma stage, the digital input signal;
quantizing, by the delta-sigma stage, the filtered digital input signal by using a delta-sigma modulation technique;
controlling, by the delta-sigma stage, the pulse width modulation stage to generate the output signal; and
outputting, by an output stage, the output signal.
10. The method according to claim 9, further comprising:
maintaining, by the input gain control stage, the digital input signal at a level to prevent clipping of the output signal.
11. The method according to claim 9, further comprising:
converting, by an analog-to-digital converter, the supply voltage to a digital value wherein the converting is processed to adjust the gain of the digital input signal.
12. The method according to claim 11, further comprising:
setting the gain to a predetermined value when the supply voltage is at a nominal value; and
reducing the gain when the supply voltage decreases from the nominal value.
13. The method according to claim 12, further comprising:
setting the gain to a predetermined value when the supply voltage is at the nominal value; and
reducing the gain when the supply voltage decreases to a lower voltage value from a full value and a signal level of the digital input signal approaches the lower voltage value.
14. The method according to claim 12, further comprising:
setting the predetermined value of the gain to unity at the nominal value of the supply voltage.
15. The method according to claim 9, further comprising:
separating, by the input gain control stage, the monitoring of the digital input signal at different frequency bands; and
adjusting, by the input gain control stage, the gain across the different frequency bands.
16. The method according to claim 11, further comprising:
forming a delta-sigma modulator stage with a filter and a quantizer to filter and quantize the digital input signal; and
utilizing a divider and a multiplier to compensate for slow changes in the supply voltage, the digital value of the supply voltage being coupled to the divider and the multiplier to control the adjustment of the divider and the multiplier in response to the supply voltage.