Electromagnetic finite element analysis for designing high frequency inductive position sensors

We used a commercial electromagnetic finite element analysis program to assess the performance of a noncontact inductive position sensor. The sensor's primary and secondary coils are laid on a printed circuit board, and are constructed in between a conductive target and a ground plane. It was found that the higher the conductivity of the target, the better the performance. Other simulation results, such as linearity, temperature effect, and contamination errors were also reported, and were used in design.