RADIATION SENSITIVE DESYNCHRONIZATION DETECTION SYSTEM

• US 3,636,364 A
• Filed: 09/19/1969
• Issued: 01/18/1972
• Est. Priority Date: 09/19/1969
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Carl A. Listl, Leonard Baron, Samuel Stempler
• Original Assignee: Carl A. Listl, Leonard Baron, Samuel Stempler
• Inventors: Baron, Leonard, Stempler, Samuel, Listl, Carl A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Stolwein, Walter
• Application Number:
  US04/859,417
• Time in Patent Office: 851 Days
• Field of Search: 256/219I,222,233,236,221,223,232 340/268,271 318/70,85,313 250/231SE,202,219,209,236,215,217SS 356/138
• US Class Current: 250/208.2
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 11/50 Phase synchronisation between multiple propellers
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 27/08 with two or more rotors
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 3/565 by measuring or by comparing the phase of generated current or voltage phase comparators per se H03D13/00; phase measurement G01R25/00

Abstract

A method and apparatus for detecting the incidence of rotational desynchronization between a pair of rotating body portions are disclosed herein. The apparatus includes an optical transmitter having an aperture for directing a beam of light energy at a rotating body portion. A modulator wheel assembly is rigidly connected to the rotating body for rotation therewith and positioned thereon to intercept and intermittently reflect the beam along a predetermined axis. A photosensor is located along the axis which is responsive to the intermittently reflected beam to provide a high-resolution pulse train having a frequency proportional to the rotational speed of the rotating body portion. A pulse train is produced in the above manner for each of the rotating body portions. Electronic circuitry is provided for comparing the phase of the pulse trains and an error signal is generated when the phase difference between the pulse train reaches a predetermined magnitude.

Claims

1. Apparatus for detecting incidence of rotational desynchronization between a pair of body portions normally rotatable at the same instantaneous speed over a variable speed range and comprising:

first means for generating separate first and second sequences of electrical pulses in response to rotary movement of each of said body portions, said first means includes means directing a beam of light energy at each of said rotating body portions and including separate optical transmitter means for each of the body portions, each of the transmitter means comprising a wide angle source of light energy, a magnification lens for condensing said light energy into a cone beam, and means providing a relatively thin aperture slit in registry with the central region of said cone and extending beyond the beam periphery, said optical transmitter means each being mounted adjacent a corresponding body portion so that the aperture slit is coplanar with the axis of the corresponding body portion, means connected to each of said portions for corresponding rotation therewith and positioned thereon to intercept and intermittently reflect the beam directed at each of said portions, and means responsive to the intermittently reflected light to provide said separate first and second sequences, second means responsive to said separate first and second sequences of electrical pulses to provide a third sequence of electrical pulses upon the occurrence of a difference in phase between said separate first and second sequences of electrical pulses, third means responsive to said third sequence of electrical pulses and to the instantaneous speed of rotation of said body portions to produce an output voltage having a value proportional to the amouNt of desynchronization between said body portions, and utilization means responsive to said output voltage.

2. Apparatus for detecting incidence of rotational desynchronization between a pair of body portions normally rotatable at the same instantaneous speed over a variable speed range and comprising:

first means for generating separate first and second sequences of electrical pulses in response to rotary movement of each of said body portions, said first means includes means directing a beam of light energy at each of said rotating body portions, means connected to each of said portions for corresponding rotation therewith and positioned thereon to intercept and intermittently reflect the beam directed at each of said portions and including a separate modulator wheel element for each body portion, each wheel element having an external surface providing an annular array concentric of the axis of the corresponding body portion of equally spaced-apart reflection surfaces, each being of uniform size and each having opposite corner edges parallel to the axis of the corresponding body portion, said surfaces moving progressively through intercepting relation to said beam to reflect the same and form an optical square wave pulse train, and means responsive to the intermittently reflected light to provide said separate first and second sequences, second means responsive to said separate first and second sequences of electrical pulses to provide a third sequence of electrical pulses upon the occurrence of a difference in phase between said separate first and second sequences of electrical pulses, third means responsive to said third sequence of electrical pulses and to the instantaneous speed of rotation of said body portions to produce an output voltage having a value proportional to the amount of desynchronization between said body portions, and utilization means responsive to said output voltage.

3. Apparatus for detecting incidence of a predetermined degree of rotational desynchronization between a pair of body portions normally rotatable at the same instantaneous speed over a variable speed range and comprising:

first means for generating separate first and second original sequences of electrical pulses in response to rotational movement of each of said body portions, said electrical pulses having an instantaneous pulse width proportional to the instantaneous speed of rotation of said body portions and corresponding to a predetermined angular region of said body portions, second means responsive to said separate first and second original sequences to provide a third sequence of electrical pulses having instantaneous pulse widths equal to the instantaneous difference in phase between the electrical pulses of said separate first and second original sequences and including means for generating separate first and second inverted sequences of electrical pulses corresponding, respectively, to said separate first and second original sequences of electrical pulses generated by said first means, means responsive to one of said separate first and second original sequences generated by said first means and to the one of said separate inverted sequences that corresponds to the other of said separate first and second original sequences generated by said first means to produce alternate ones of the pulses that comprise said third sequence, and means responsive to the other of said separate first and second original sequences generated by said first means and to the one of said separate inverted sequences that corresponds to said one of said separate first and second original sequences generated by said first means for producing the remainder of the pulses that comprise said third sequence whereby said third sequence includes a pair of successive pulses corresponding to each set of corresponding pulses of said separate first and second original sequences of electrical pulses generated by said first means, and third means responsive to the instantaneous pulse widths of said third sequence and The instantaneous speed of rotation of said body portions to produce an output voltage having a value proportional to the amount of rotational desynchronization between said body portions, and utilization means responsive to said output voltage when said output voltage exceeds a predetermined value.

4. Apparatus in accordance with claim 3 wherein said third means includes a ramp generator having a slope determining voltage input proportional to the speed of rotation of said rotating body portions.

5. In an apparatus for detecting incidence of rotational desynchronization between a pair of body portions normally rotatable at the same instantaneous speed over a variable speed range, first means for generating separate first and second original sequences of electrical pulses in response to rotary movement of each of said body portions, said first means generating electrical pulses of said separate first and second sequences with an instantaneous pulse width proportional to the instantaneous speed of rotation of said body portions and corresponding to predetermined angular segments of said body portions, and second means responsive to said separate first and second original sequences to provide a third sequence of electrical pulses upon the occurrence of a difference in phase between corresponding pulses of said separate first and second original sequences, said second means providing electrical pulses of said third sequence with an instantaneous pulse width equal to the instantaneous difference in phase between corresponding pulses of said separate sequences, and said second means including means for generating separate first and second inverted sequences of electrical pulses corresponding, respectively, to said separate first and second original sequences of electrical pulses generated by said first means, means responsive to one of said separate first and second original sequences generated by said first means and to the one of said separate inverted sequences that corresponds to the other of said separate first and second original sequences generated by said first means to produce alternate ones of the pulses that comprise said third sequence, and means responsive to the other of said separate first and second original sequences generated by said first means and to the one of said separate inverted sequences that corresponds to said one of said separate first and second original sequences generated by said first means for producing the remainder of the pulses that comprise said third sequence whereby said third sequence includes a pair of successive pulses corresponding to each set of corresponding pulses of said separate first and second original sequences of electrical pulses generated by said first means.