Analytical tool for optimization of position sensors based on eddy currents effect

Andreia Faria; Luís Marques; Luís Vale; Carlos Ferreira; Filipe Alves; Jorge Cabral

doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2022.e11920

Analytical tool for optimization of position sensors based on eddy currents effect

Heliyon. 2022 Nov 26;8(12):e11920. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2022.e11920. eCollection 2022 Dec.

Authors

Andreia Faria¹, Luís Marques², Luís Vale¹, Carlos Ferreira^{1

3}, Filipe Alves⁴, Jorge Cabral^{1

3}

Affiliations

¹ ALGORITMI Center-University of Minho, Guimarães, Portugal.
² Centre of Physics of Minho and Porto Universities, Braga, Portugal.
³ CEiiA-Centro de Engenharia e Desenvolvimento, Porto Portugal.
⁴ Integrated Micro and Nanotechnologies, International Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory, Braga Portugal.

Abstract

This paper proposes an open-source tool for a fast and precise calculation of the inductance of planar coils in the presence of conductive targets. This tool, based on Grover equations, is versatile to any coil and target geometries. The performance of this tool has been validated by comparing the analytical results with experimental data and Finite Element Model (FEM) simulations. When compared with the experimental measurements, the developed analytical model and the FEM simulation retrieved similar results, with differences below 4%. The proposed tool, in addition to requiring less computing resources, is significantly faster than FEM simulations. This shows the effectiveness of the proposed approach for the analytical calculation of the inductance of planar coils in the presence of conductive plates. It combines accuracy, versatility, speed, and no need for high computational resources.

Keywords: Analytical tool; Eddy current; Finite element method; Mutual-inductance; Planar coil; Target.