Engine vibration sensor

• US 4,494,409 A
• Filed: 05/26/1982
• Issued: 01/22/1985
• Est. Priority Date: 05/29/1981
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toyota Chuo Kenkyusho (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toyota Chuo Kenkyusho (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Takeuchi, Masaharu, Kondo, Haruyoshi, Tsukada, Koji
• Primary Examiner(s): Gill, James J.
• Application Number:
  US06/382,305
• Time in Patent Office: 972 Days
• Field of Search: 73/35, 73/651, 73/654, 73/658, 310/329, 310/330, 310/331, 310/332, 310/25
• US Class Current: 73/651
• CPC Class Codes: G01H 11/08 using piezoelectric devices
• CPC Class Codes: G01L 23/222 using piezoelectric devices
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2291/02827 Elastic parameters, strength or force
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 15/0922 of the bending or flexing mode type

Abstract

An engine vibration sensor for detecting the engine vibration as an electric signal including a vibrator set to resonate at a specific frequency of vibration of an engine to which it is attached, the vibrator being composed of at least one piezoelectric plate and having a root and a vibrator element; means for increasing the cross-sectional area of the vibrator element to make the second moment of area of the root of the vibrator relatively larger than that of the vibrator element; a base to be connected to an engine body; and a clamp for retaining the root firmly between the clamp and the base. The clamp may be provided with a projection having a flat surface for retaining the root of the vibrator. This construction prevents a change in the effective length of the vibrator element, thereby stabilizing the characteristics of the resonant frequency of the vibrator.

Claims

1. An engine vibration sensor comprising:

a vibrator for resonating at a specific frequency of vibration of an engine to which it is attached, said vibrator being composed of a pair of piezoelectric plates attached to each other, each of said piezoelectric plates having a constant thickness and having a root and a vibrator element;

means for relatively increasing the cross-sectional area of said root to make the second moment of area of said root larger than that of said vibrator elment, said means for increasing the cross-sectional area being a pair of auxiliary supporters provided on upper and lower surfaces of said vibrator at said root thereof, for increasing the thickness of said root to make the second moment of area of said root larger than that of said vibrator element to thereby equalize the stress on said upper auxiliary support and prevent said vibrator from being damaged;

a base to be connected to an engine body; and

a clamp for retaining said root firmly between said clamp and said base, said clamp having a projection in the center portion thereof along said vibrator for retaining said root of said vibrator to thereby prevent said vibrator from being damaged to due stress concentration;

thereby preventing a change in the effective length of said vibrator element and stabilizing the characteristics of the resonant frequency of said vibrator.

2. An engine vibration sensor according to claim 1, wherein edge portions of said auxiliary supporters on a vibrator element side gradually change in thickness.

3. An engine vibration sensor according to claim 2, wherein said edge portions of said auxiliary supporters linearly gradually change in thickness.

4. An engine vibration sensor according to claim 2, wherein said edge portions of said auxiliary supporters gradually change in thickness in a curved manner.

5. An engine vibration sensor according to claim 1, wherein said projection has a flat surface for engaging said upper auxiliary supporter, said projection being smaller in width than said upper auxiliary supporter to thereby prevent corner portions of said vibrator from being cracked.

6. An engine vibration sensor comprising:

a vibrator for resonating at a specific frequency of vibration of an engine to which it is attached, said vibrator being composed of a pair of piezoelectric plates and a conductive reinforcing plate interposed between said piezoelectric plate, each of said piezoelectric plates having electrode layers attached on upper and lower surfaces thereof and said piezoelectric electric plates being fitted to said conductive reinforcing plate through said electrode layers;

concave and convex portions provided on at least one of said conductive reinforcing plates and said electrode layers facing said conductive reinforcing plate so that said convex surface cuts into said facing elctrode layers and/or said conductive reinforcing plate to render said conductive reinforcing plate and said electrode layers stably conductive through said convex surface and to allow the same to firmly adhere to each other by an adhesive agent filled in said concave surface;

means for relatively increasing the front sectional area of said root to make the second moment of area of said root relatively larger than that of said vibrator element;

a base to be connected to an engine body; and

a clamp for retaining said root firmly between said clamp and said base;

thereby preventing a change in the effective length of said vibrator element and stabilizing the characteristics of the resonant frequency of said vibrator.

7. An engine vibration sensor according to claim 6, wherein:

said means for increasing are a pair of auxiliary supporters provided on upper and lower surfaces of said vibrator at said root thereof, for increasing the thickness of said root to make the second moment of area of said root larger than that of said vibrator element; and

said clamp has a projection with a flat surface for retaining said root of said vibrator with an equalized stress.

8. An engine vibration sensor according to claim 6, wherein said concave and covex portions are formed in the form of creases.

9. An engine vibration sensor according to claim 6, wherein said concave and convex portions are formed in the form of dots.

10. An engine vibration sensor according to claim 6, wherein said concave and convex portions are formed in the form of peaks.

11. An engine vibration sensor according to claim 6, wherein said concave and convex portions are formed in a waveshape.

12. An engine vibration sensor according to claim 6, wherein said concave and convex portions are formed in a trapezoidal shape.

13. An engine vibration sensor comprising:

a vibrator for resonating at a specific frequency of vibration of an engine to which it is attached, said vibrator being compared of a pair of piezoelectric plates attached to each other, each of said piezoelectric plates having a constant thickness and having a root and vibrator element;

means for relatively increasing the cross-sectional area of said root to make the second moment of area of said root relatively larger than said vibrator element, said means for increasing being a pair of auxiliary supporters provided on upper and lower surfaces of said vibrator and said root thereof, for increasing the thickness of said root to make the second moment of area of said root larger than that of said vibrator element and edge portions of said auxiliary supporters on the vibrator element side gradually change in thickness;

a base to be connected to an engine body; and

a clamp for retaining said root firmly between said clamp and said base;

thereby preventing a change in the effective length of said vibrator element and stabilizing the characteristics of said resonant frequency of said vibrator.

14. An engine vibration sensor comprising:

a vibrator for resonating at a specific frequency of vibration of an engine to which it is attached, said vibrator being composed of a pair of piezoelectric plates attached to each other, each of said piezoelectric plates having a root and a vibrator element, and said root thereof being larger in thickness for making the second moment of area of said root relatively larger than that of said vibrator element;

a base to be connected to an engine body; and

a clamp for retaining said root firmly between said clamp and said base, said clamp having a projection in the center portion thereof along said vibrator for retaining said root of said vibrator to thereby prevent said vibrator from being damaged due to stress concentration;

thereby preventing a change in the effective length of said vibrator element and stabilizing the characteristics of the resonant frequency of said vibrator.

15. An engine vibration sensor comprising:

a vibrator for resonating at a specific frequency of an engine to which it is attached, said vibrator being composed of at least one piezoelectric plate and having a root and a vibrator element;

means for relatively increasing the cross-sectional area of said root to make the second moment of area of said root relatively larger than that of said vibrator element, said means for increasing comprising a groove provided on at least one of upper and lower surfaces of said vibrator element near the boundary between said root and said vibrator element to thereby reduce the thickness of said vibrator element to make the second moment of area of said root of said vibrator relatively larger than that of said vibrator element;

a base to be connected to an engine body; and

a clamp for retaining said root firmly between said clamp and said base;

thereby preventing a change in the effective length of said vibrator element and stabilizing the characteristics of said resonant frequency of said vibrator.

16. An engine vibration sensor according to claim 15, wherein edges of said groove gradually change in thickness.

17. An engine vibration sensor comprising:

a vibrator for resonating at a specific frequency of vibration of an engine to which it is attached, said vibrator being composed of at least one piezoelectric plate and having a root and a vibrator element;

means for relatively increasing the cross-sectional area of said root to make the second movement of area of said root relatively larger than that of said vibrator element, said means for increasing comprising a groove provided on at least one of the side surfaces of said vibrator element near the boundary beteen said root and said vibrator element to thereby reduce the width of said vibrator element to make the second moment of area of said root of said vibrator relatively larger than that of said vibrator element;

a base to be connected to an engine body; and

a clamp for retaining said root firmly between said clamp and said base;

thereby preventing a change in the effective length of said vibrator element and stabilizing the characteristics of said resonant frequency of said vibrator.

18. An engine vibration sensor according to claim 17, wherein edges of said groove gradually change in width.

19. An engine vibration sensor comprising:

a vibrator for resonating at a specific frequency of vibration of an engine to which it is attached, said vibrator being composed of at least one piezoelectric plate and having a root and a vibrator element;

means for relatively increasing the cross-sectional area of said root to make the second moment of area of said root relatively larger than that of said vibrator element, said means for increasing comprising at least one opening provided in said vibrator element near the boundary between said root and said vibrator element for reducing the cross-sectional area of said vibrator element to make the second moment of area of said root relatively larger than that of said vibrator element;

a base to be connected to an engine body; and

a clamp for retaining said root firmly between said clamp and said base;

thereby preventing a change in the effective length of said vibrator element and stabilizing the characteristics of the resonant frequency of said vibrator.

20. An engine vibration sensor according to claim 19, wherein said opening is provided in said vibrator element in the thickness direction thereof to thereby reduce the width of the vibrator element.

21. An engine vibration sensor according to claim 19, wherein said opening penetrates through said vibrator element in the thickness direction thereof to thereby reduce the width of said vibrator element.

22. An engine vibration sensor according to claim 19, wherein said opening penetrates through said vibrator element in the width direction to thereby reduce the thickness of said vibrator element.