Shaft alignment data acquisition
First Claim
1. A method for developing a pair of data sets respectively indicative of a pair of offsets at each of a plurality of predetermined calculation angular positions of first and second co-rotatable in-line shafts, said method comprising the steps of:
- employing at least one measurement device to acquire measured offset data for each of the pair of offsets at each of at least three measurement angular positions of the shafts;
fitting a respective pair of sine functions as a function of shaft angular position to the measured offset data for each of the pair of offsets; and
determining a pair of calculation offset data sets based on the respective values of the pair of sine functions at each of the predetermined calculation angular positions.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Methods and systems for acquiring offset data for aligning co-rotatable in-line machine shafts. Two sets of offset data, each set for example representing relative displacement in a radial direction between a reference point referenced to one of the shafts and a particular point on the other of the shafts at given angular positions, are collected at a plurality of measurement angular positions. The measurement angular positions are not necessarily the 0°, 90°, 180° and 270° angular positions at which measurements are traditionally taken. Preferably, measured offset data is collected during continuous rotation of the shafts in their normal direction of rotation or at convenient positions where the rotation is halted. Measured offset data may be collected at as few as three angular positions, but preferably is collected at more than three angular positions, and typically at a multiplicity of angular positions such as thirty or forty. A respective sine function is fit to each set of measured offset data. Data for the traditional 0°, 90°, 180° and 270° angular positions are then determined from the sine function. This data is thus determined in an indirect predictive manner, and is used in subsequent calculations to determine machine moves as though the calculation data had been determined by direct measurement at the 0°, 90°, 180° and 270° angular positions.
32 Citations
18 Claims
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1. A method for developing a pair of data sets respectively indicative of a pair of offsets at each of a plurality of predetermined calculation angular positions of first and second co-rotatable in-line shafts, said method comprising the steps of:
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employing at least one measurement device to acquire measured offset data for each of the pair of offsets at each of at least three measurement angular positions of the shafts; fitting a respective pair of sine functions as a function of shaft angular position to the measured offset data for each of the pair of offsets; and determining a pair of calculation offset data sets based on the respective values of the pair of sine functions at each of the predetermined calculation angular positions. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A method for developing a pair of data sets respectively indicative of a pair of offsets at each of a plurality of predetermined calculation angular positions of first and second co-rotatable in-line shafts, said method comprising the steps of:
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employing at least one measurement device to acquire measured offset data for each of the pair of offsets at each of at least three measurement angular positions of the shafts, rotating the shafts in their normal direction of rotation between measurement angular positions; fitting a respective pair of sine functions as a function of shaft angular position to the measured offset data for each of the pair of offsets; and determining a pair of calculation offset data sets based on the respective values of the pair of sine functions at each of the predetermined calculation angular positions. - View Dependent Claims (11)
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12. A system for aligning first and second co-rotatable in-line shafts connected respectively to first and second machines, said system comprising:
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an alignment fixture having first and second fixture elements respectively mountable to said first and second shafts, said alignment fixture including a pair of displacement transducers for measuring a respective pair of offsets and producing respective offset data signals, and said alignment fixture including an angular transducer for measuring angular position of said shafts and producing an angular position data signal; an alignment calculator; a data link for transmitting the data signals from said transducers to said alignment calculator; said alignment calculator including elements which record measured offset data based on offset data signals from each of said pair of displacement transducers at each of at least three measurement angular positions as determined from the angular position data signal, fit a respective pair of sine functions as a function of shaft angular position to the measured offset data for the pair of offsets, and determine a pair of calculation offset data sets based on respective values of the sine functions at each of a plurality of predetermined calculation angular positions. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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Specification