Using the redundancy of the magnetic field for magnetic scanning applications

In this work, we show how the complexity of magnetic sensors for scanning applications can be reduced about one dimension by utilizing the redundancy of the magnetic field. This means a three-dimensional magnetic field can be scanned with a two-dimensional sensor, and a two-dimensional magnetic field with a one-dimensional sensor. For this purpose, the fact is used that the magnetic field is purely solenoidal and that the curl of the magnetic induction in air can be assumed to be zero. After an explanation of the basic principal of the reconstruction of one field component, the performance of the method is analyzed with a two-and three-dimensional example where the magnetic field is computed analytically. Finally, results of a real measurement example are presented which are in excellent agreement with the theoretical considerations and which demonstrate the practical applicability of the method. (C) 2013 AIP Publishing LLC.