A TORQUE MONITORING SYSTEM FOR A ROTABLE SHAFT

• US 20170110993A1
• Filed: 06/16/2015
• Published: 04/20/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/16/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hottinger Bruel & Kjaer Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Lord Corporation (Parker-Hannifin Corporation)
• Inventors: TONN, Jeffrey, HAMEL, Michael, O'NEIL, Daniel
• Granted Patent: US 10,498,264 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 59/14 Inputs being a function of torque or torque demand
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 59/16 Dynamometric measurement of torque
• CPC Class Codes: G01L 3/108 involving resistance strain gauges
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 11/24 Devices for sensing torque, or actuated thereby H02K11/27 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 11/30 Structural association with control circuits or drive circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H02P 6/08 Arrangements for controlling the speed or torque of a single motor H02P6/10, H02P6/28 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/72 for local intradevice communication

Abstract

A torque monitoring system includes a rotatable measurement interface and a stationary data receiver. The measurement interface is configured to be attached to a rotatable shaft. The measurement interface includes a strain gauge, a processor, and a near field communication (NFC) transceiver coil. The stationary data receiver is stationary with respect to the rotating shaft. The stationary data receiver includes a processor and an NFC transceiver coil. The rotatable measurement interface receives operating power via its NFC transceiver coil that is derived from a radio signal wirelessly transmitted by the NFC transceiver coil in the stationary data receiver. The processor in the rotatable measurement interface is configured to receive strain gauge signals from the strain gauge indicative of torque on the rotatable shaft and wirelessly transmit digital data indicative of the strain gauge signals through the NFC transceiver coils to the processor in the stationary data receiver.

Claims

1. A torque monitoring system, comprising:

a rotatable measurement interface configured to be attached to a rotatable shaft to rotate with the shaft, the measurement interface including a strain gauge, a processor, a near field communication (NFC) transceiver coil; and

a stationary data receiver contained in a housing and stationary with respect to the rotating shaft, the stationary data receiver including a processor and an NFC transceiver coil;

wherein the rotatable measurement interface receives operating power via its NFC transceiver coil that is derived from a radio signal wirelessly transmitted by the NFC transceiver coil in the stationary data receiver; and

wherein the processor in the rotatable measurement interface is configured to receive strain gauge signals from the strain gauge indicative of torque on the rotatable shaft and wirelessly transmit digital data indicative of the strain gauge signals through the NFC transceiver coils to the processor in the stationary data receiver.

2. The torque monitoring system of claim 1 wherein the rotatable measurement interface also includes a switched reactance element to encode the digital data during transmission to the processor in the stationary data receiver.

3. The torque monitoring system of claim 2 wherein the switched reactance element includes at least one of a selectable capacitive divider network and multiple taps of the NFC transceiver coil in the rotatable measurement interface.

4. The torque monitoring system of claim 1 further comprising a control unit coupled to the stationary data receiver and configured to control a speed and torque of the shaft, and wherein, based on the digital data, the stationary data receiver is configured to determine that the shaft is experiencing a mechanical event and to respond to the determined event by sending a signal to the control unit to adjust at least one of speed and torque of the shaft.

5. The torque monitoring system of claim 4 wherein the event includes at least one of:

a vibration event, a tension event, compression event, a bending event, a resonance event, and a torque event.

6. The torque monitoring system of claim 1 further including:

a plurality of rotatable measurement interfaces;

a plurality of stationary data receivers; and

a transmission;

wherein the shaft is a main drive shaft;

wherein the system further includes a parallel drive shaft mechanically coupled to the main drive shaft through the transmission; and

wherein each of the main and parallel drive shafts includes at least one of the rotatable measurement interfaces wirelessly coupled to a corresponding stationary data receiver.

7. The torque monitoring system of claim 6 wherein each stationary data receiver is configured to communicate with an electronics control unit (ECU), and said ECU is configured to determine an efficiency value for the transmission based on digital data received from at least one rotatable measurement interface on the primary drive shaft and at least one rotatable measurement interface on the parallel drive shaft.

8. The torque monitoring system of claim 1 wherein the processor in the rotatable measurement system determines whether the strain gauge detects a force in excess of a threshold.

9. The torque monitoring system of claim 1 wherein the processor in the stationary data process the digital data to determine whether the strain gauge in the rotatable measurement interface detects a force in excess of a threshold.

10. The torque monitoring system of claim 1 wherein the processor in the rotatable measurement interface is configured to wirelessly transmit the digital through the NFC transceiver coils to the processor in the stationary data receiver even if the shaft is not rotating.

11. A torque monitoring and feedback system, comprising:

a rotatable drive shaft;

a rotatable measurement interface attached to the rotatable drive shaft so as to rotate in unison with rotatable drive shaft, the measurement interface including a strain gauge, a processor, and a transceiver coil;

a stationary data receiver contained in a housing and stationary with respect to the rotating drive shaft, the stationary data receiver including a processor and a transceiver coil; and

an electronics control unit (ECU) configured to communicate with the stationary data receiver;

wherein the rotatable measurement interface receives operating power via its transceiver coil that is derived from a radio signal wirelessly transmitted by the transceiver coil in the stationary data receiver; and

wherein the processor in the rotatable measurement interface is configured to receive strain gauge measurement data from the strain gauge and wirelessly transmit data indicative of the measurement data through the transceiver coils to the processor in the stationary data receiver.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein the rotatable measurement interface also includes a switched reactance element to encode the digital data during transmission to the processor in the stationary data receiver.

13. The system of claim 11 further comprising a control unit coupled to the stationary data receiver and configured to control a speed and torque of the shaft, and wherein, based on the digital, the stationary data receiver is configured to determine that the shaft is experiencing a mechanical event and to respond to the determined event by sending a signal to the control unit to adjust at least one of speed and torque of the shaft, wherein the mechanical event includes at least one of:

a vibration event, a tension event, compression event, a bending event, a resonance event, and a torque event.

14. The system of claim 11 further including:

a plurality of rotatable measurement interfaces;

a plurality of stationary data receivers; and

a transmission;

wherein the shaft is a main drive shaft;

wherein the system further includes a parallel drive shaft mechanically coupled to the main drive shaft through the transmission;

wherein each of the main and parallel drive shafts includes at least one of the rotatable measurement interfaces wirelessly coupled to a corresponding stationary data receiver; and

wherein each stationary data receiver is configured to communicate with an electronics control unit (ECU), and said ECU is configured to determine an efficiency value for the transmission based on digital data received from at least one rotatable measurement interface on the primary drive shaft and at least one rotatable measurement interface on the parallel drive shaft.

15. The system of claim 11 wherein the processor in the rotatable measurement system determines whether the strain gauge detects a force in excess of a threshold.

16. The system of claim 11 wherein the processor in the stationary data process the digital data to determine whether the strain gauge in the rotatable measurement interface detects a force in excess of a threshold.

17. A system:

a main drive shaft;

a parallel drive shaft;

a transmission mechanically linking the main drive shaft to the parallel drive shaft;

a first rotatable measurement interface attached to the main drive shaft so as to rotate in unison with main drive shaft, the first measurement interface including a strain gauge and a transceiver coil;

a first stationary data receiver contained in a housing and stationary with respect to the main drive shaft, the first stationary data receiver including a transceiver coil for wireless communication with the transceiver coil of the first rotatable measurement device;

a second rotatable measurement interface attached to the parallel drive shaft so as to rotate in unison with parallel drive shaft, the second measurement interface including a strain gauge and a transceiver coil; and

a second stationary data receiver contained in a housing and stationary with respect to the parallel drive shaft, the second stationary data receiver including a transceiver coil for wireless communication with the transceiver coil of the second rotatable measurement device;

wherein the first and second rotatable measurement interfaces receive power from and provide data communications to their respective first and second stationary data receivers via the corresponding transceiver coils.

18. The system of claim 17 further including an electronics control unit (ECU) configured to communicate with the first and second stationary data receivers.

19. The system of claim 18 wherein the ECU computes a transmission efficiency value based on strain gauge data received from the first and second rotatable measurement interfaces through their corresponding first and second stationary data receivers.

20. The system of claim 17 further including an intermediate draft shaft mechanically coupled to the parallel drive shaft and including:

a third rotatable measurement interface attached to the intermediate drive shaft so as to rotate in unison with intermediate drive shaft, the third measurement interface including a strain gauge and a transceiver coil; and

a third stationary data receiver contained in a housing and stationary with respect to the intermediate drive shaft, the third stationary data receiver including a transceiver coil for wireless communication with the transceiver coil of the third rotatable measurement device; and

wherein the ECU receives stain gauge data from the third stationary data receiver.