Method for localising patterns in a signal of a position sensor, and position sensor or position measuring device using the method

In the method and the device described here for operating an electromagnetic, in particular magnetostrictive, or acoustic position measuring device (10) having at least one position sensor (44), at least one position encoder (20) and a waveguide (14), said position measuring device having a control device for triggering an interrogation pulse in the waveguide (14) and an evaluation unit for evaluating a wave form (400-450) recorded by the position sensor (44), wherein the time between the triggering of the interrogation pulse and the point in time at which the wave form (400-450) recorded by the position sensor (44) is recorded is measured to determine the position of the position encoder (20) via the relationship between distance and time, it is in particular provided that position recognition is implemented by means of the position encoder (20) by localising patterns in the wave form (400-450) recorded by the position sensor (44), wherein the localisation of such patterns is implemented on the basis of correlation observations and wherein a cross-correlation pattern characterising the position encoder (20) is transformed into another pattern that enables autonomous position recognition of the position encoder (20) by means of machine learning.