Transducer assemblage for hand-held vibration meters

• US 4,827,771 A
• Filed: 03/23/1988
• Issued: 05/09/1989
• Est. Priority Date: 03/23/1988
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Entek IRD International Corp. (Rockwell Automation, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: IRD Mechanalysis, Inc.
• Inventors: Cary, Andrew S., Rutter, Carl A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Levy, Stewart J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Arana, Louis M.
• Application Number:
  US07/172,293
• Time in Patent Office: 412 Days
• Field of Search: 73/496, 73/652, 73/654, 73/644, 73/649, 73/660, 73/661, 73/862.59, 310/328, 310/329, 310/338
• US Class Current: 73/644
• CPC Class Codes: B06B 3/00 Methods or apparatus specially adapted for transmitting mechanical vibrations of infrasonic, sonic, or ultrasonic frequency
• CPC Class Codes: G01H 1/00 Measuring characteristics of vibrations in solids by using direct conduction to the detector G01H9/00, G01H11/00 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 13/028 Acoustic or vibration analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 13/045 Acoustic or vibration analysis

Abstract

A probe assemblage for vibration meters of the hand-held variety which exhibits a substantially flat frequency response through 1,000 Hz. The probe structure includes a flat contact surface at its tip for hand-held engagement with the vibratory surface being monitored. The tip is spaced from an articulated ball and socket-like joint which provides for vibration transfer to an associated transducer such as an accelerometer. A compliant material such as Teflon or the like may be positioned intermediate the curved vibration transfer and receiving surfaces of the articulated joint within the probe.

Claims

1. In a hand-held vibration sensor of a variety in which a sampling probe is manually positioned against a vibratory surface for effecting the transmission of vibratory phenomena, which phenomena are associated with said surface, to transducer conversion components from along a given axis for deriving select vibration parameter signals corresponding therewith, the improved probe comprising:

a probe vibration transfer rod having one end connectable with said conversion components and extending along said axis to a curved vibration receiving surface;

probe tip means having a substantially flat contact surface for manually positioning in abutting engagement with said vibratory surface and a curved vibration transfer surface spaced therefrom conforming with and intimately contacting said vibration receiving surface over a substantial surface area in slideably movable nesting relationship for transferring vibration phenomena experienced at said vibratory surface to said probe vibration transfer rod without substantial generation of localized resonances between said contact surface and said vibratory surface.

2. The improved probe of claim 1 in which said curved transfer surface and said curved vibration receiving surface are configured having substantially mutually contacting spherical areas for effecting said vibration phenomena transfer.

3. The improved probe of claim 1 including a thin, lubricant layer intermediate said vibration receiving surface and said transfer surface.

4. The improved probe of claim 3 in which said lubricant layer is silicon grease.

5. The improved probe of claim 3 in which said lubricant layer is polytetrafluoroethylene.

6. The improved probe of claim 1 in which said curved transfer surface and said curved vibration receiving surface are configurd as a ball and socket joint.

7. The improved probe of claim 6 in which said ball and socket joint is enclosed by a sheath of elastomeric polymeric filler material.

8. The probe of claim 7 including a thin, complaint, polymeric layer intermediate said vibration receiving surface and said transfer surface.

9. A hand-held meter for evaluating the vibration of a vibratory surface, comprising:

a hand-held housing;

transducer means mounted within said housing and including conversion components responsive to vibration applied thereto along a given axis for deriving vibration signals corresponding therewith;

probe vibration transfer rod means aligned with said axis and extending from said housing to an end located externally of said housing for applying vibration to said transducer means conversion components;

shock mounting means formed of an elastomeric damping material for mounting said vibration transfer rod means to said housing and damping vibration otherwise asserted from said rod means to said housing;

means defining a curved vibration receiving surface located at said probe vibration transfer rod means end;

probe tip means having a substantially flat contact surface for positioning in abutting contact with said vibratory surface and a curved vibration transfer surface spaced therefrom conforming with and intimately contacting said vibration receiving surface over a substantial surface area in slideably movable nesting relationship for transferring vibration experienced at said vibratory surface to said probe vibration transfer rod means;

signal treatment means within said housing responsive to said vibration signals for deriving vibration parameter signals; and

readout means mounted upon said housing, responsive to said vibration parameter signals for providing a perceptible readout corresponding therewith.

10. The hand-held meter of claim 9 which:

said transducer means is an accelerometer and said conversion components include a predetermined mass and a piezoelectric crystal coupled for deriving said vibration signals in response to vibration transferred thereto from said vibration transfer rod means; and

said signal treatment means includes an integrator stage for deriving said vibration parameter signals as vibration velocity signals.

11. The hand-held meter of claim 10 including a thin, lubricant layer intermediate said vibration receiving surface and said transfer surface.

12. The hand-held meter of claim 9 in which said curved transfer surface and said curved receiving surface are hemispherical and mutually configured as a ball and socket joint.

13. The hand-held meter of claim 12 which said ball and socket joint is enclosed by a sheath of elastomeric polymeric filler material.

14. The hand-held meter of claim 12 including a thin, compliant, polymeric layer intermediate said vibration receiving surface and said transfer surface.

15. The hand-held meter of claim 12 in which said probe tip means flat contact surface has an area of about 0.2 square inch.

16. An accelerometer assembly for evaluating the vibration characteristics of a vibratory surface, comprising:

a housing;

an accelerometer mounted within said housing, having conversion means including a predetermined mass and a piezoelectric crystal coupled for response to vibration applied along a given axis for deriving vibration signals corresponding therewith;

vibration transfer rod means aligned with said axis, connected with said conversion means and extending from said housing to an end, for applying vibration to said accelerometer conversion means;

means defining a curved vibration receiving surface located at said vibration transfer rod means end; and

probe tip means having a substantially flat contact surface for manually positioning in abutting contact with said vibratory surface and a curved vibration transfer surface spaced therefrom conforming with and intimately contacting said vibration receiving surface over a substantial parallel surface area in slideably movable nesting relationship for transferring vibrationn experienced at said vibratory surface to said vibration transfer rod means.

17. The accelerometer assembly of claim 16 including a thin, lubricant layer intermediate said vibration receiving surface and said transfer surface.

18. The accelerometer of claim 16 in which said curved transfer surface and said curved receiving surface are hemispherical and mutually configured as a ball and socket joint.

19. The accelerometer of claim 18 in which said ball and socket joint is enclosed by a sheath of elastomeric polymeric filler material.

20. The accelerometer assembly of claim 18 including a thin, lubricant layer intermediate said vibration receiving surface and said transfer surface.

21. The accelerometer assembly of claim 16 in which said probe tip means flat contact surface has an area of about 0.2 square inch.