DEFORMATION DETECTION SENSOR

• US 20080083285A1
• Filed: 10/05/2007
• Published: 04/10/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/10/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Eguchi, Yoshimasa, Kamei, Takahiro
• Granted Patent: US 7,543,503 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 73/765
• CPC Class Codes: G01L 1/16 using properties of piezoelectric devices

Abstract

A deformation detection sensor including: a piezoelectric element which generates an output signal due to a deformation; a reference signal input device which inputs a reference signal of a predetermined cycle to the piezoelectric element; a first signal extraction device which extracts a first output signal due to the deformation of the piezoelectric element out of an output signal from the piezoelectric element; a second signal extraction device which extracts a second output signal due to the reference signal out of the output signal from the piezoelectric element; a first evaluation device which evaluates the first output signal extracted by the first signal extraction device; and a second evaluation device which evaluates the second output signal extracted by the second signal extraction device.

Claims

1. A deformation detection sensor comprising:

a piezoelectric element which generates an output signal due to a deformation;

a reference signal input device which inputs a reference signal of a predetermined cycle to the piezoelectric element;

a first signal extraction device which extracts a first output signal due to the deformation of the piezoelectric element out of an output signal from the piezoelectric element;

a second signal extraction device which extracts a second output signal due to the reference signal out of the output signal from the piezoelectric element;

a first evaluation device which evaluates the first output signal extracted by the first signal extraction device; and

a second evaluation device which evaluates the second output signal extracted by the second signal extraction device.

2. The deformation detection sensor according to claim 1, further comprising a correction device which corrects an evaluation result obtained by the first evaluation device based on an evaluation result obtained by the second evaluation device.

3. The deformation detection sensor according to claim 1, wherein the second evaluation device evaluates a capacitance or a dielectric constant of the piezoelectric element.

4. The deformation detection sensor according to claim 1, wherein the second evaluation device evaluates a temperature of the piezoelectric element.

5. The deformation detection sensor according to claim 4, further comprising a deformation quantity evaluation device which evaluates a deformation quantity of the piezoelectric element, based on the temperature of the piezoelectric element obtained by the second evaluation device and the deformation of the piezoelectric element obtained by the first evaluation device.

6. The deformation detection sensor according to claim 1, wherein:

the reference signal is higher than the first output signal in frequency;

the first signal extraction device includes a low pass filter;

the second signal extraction device includes a band pass filter or a detection filter; and

a passband used in the first signal extraction device and a passband used in the second signal extraction device are separate to each other.