NON-CONTACT FLUXGATE POSITION SENSOR FOR MONITORING THE STATE OF THE VALVE
The aim of the study is to develop a non-contact fluxgate position sensor to control the open / closed state of the valve. There are many examples of the use in modern technology of elements or devices that interact with a magnetic field. One of the most urgent tasks is to use the influence of the magnetic field as a means of control or as a component of the control environment. The use of magneto-optical sensors for monitoring the functioning of technical objects is due to their non-contact measurement method, the ability to measure not only magnetic, but also various other physical quantities, the relative simplicity, reliability and low cost of the design of the sensitive element, flexibility in use, operation in low-temperature and high-temperature environments. One of the sensors of this type is a fluxgate magnetic field converter. Valves of various pneumohydraulic systems are an example of the object of introduction of a fluxgate sensor. The essence of the task is to create a non-contact limit switch of the valve spool, signaling the closed or open state of the valve and transmitting this information to the control system. It is proposed to divide this task into stages and their sequential implementation. First, a search and analysis of existing solutions that implement the position sensor using the fluxgate control method is carried out to improve the design being developed. Next, the initial design of the sensitive element of the fluxgate transducer is developed, according to the initial design, a geometric 3D model of the sensitive element is created, and the proposed material of the constituent elements of the sensor is selected. With the help of numerical methods of computer simulation, the operation of the sensor is simulated and its output characteristic is determined under various operating modes. According to the design characteristics, the optimal design and configuration of the sensor's sensing element is selected and calculated. As a result of the simulation, assembly and working drawings of the sensor are developed. The proposed method for solving the problem is characterized by the complexity of studying nonlinear magnetic systems and their modeling. The results of this study can be recommended for the development of magneto-optical sensors of this or another type and for the study of materials with nonlinear magnetic properties.