System for measuring stress

• US 5,563,348 A
• Filed: 09/13/1994
• Issued: 10/08/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 09/13/1993
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hideyo Suzuki, Isamu Yokoi, Qing Feng
• Original Assignee: Hideyo Suzuki, Isamu Yokoi, Qing Feng
• Inventors: Suzuki, Hideyo, Yokoi, Isamu, Feng, Qing
• Primary Examiner(s): Chilcot, Richard
• Assistant Examiner(s): Dombroske, George M.
• Application Number:
  US08/305,189
• Time in Patent Office: 756 Days
• Field of Search: 73/579, 73/581, 73/651, 73/775, 73/778, 73/800, 73/826
• US Class Current: 73/800
• CPC Class Codes: G01L 1/103 optical excitation or measuring of vibrations

Abstract

In a stress measuring, system sensor driving power and a signal sensed by a sensor are transmitted and received in the form of a light pulse signal to thereby improve a noise resistant property as well as a measuring accuracy and reliability. The stress measuring system includes a sensor head disposed at a sensing location and a measuring device disposed at a location remote from the sensing location. The sensor head includes a sensor having a sensing section for sensing a change in stress as a change in the natural frequency of an oscillation string, an output section for outputting a light pulse sensing signal corresponding to the natural frequency sensed by the sensing section and a driving section for causing oscillation at the natural frequency of the oscillation system of the sensing section in response to a driving light pulse signal. The measuring device includes a measuring section for measuring the stress based on the frequency of the light pulse sensing signal and a creating section for creating the driving light pulse signal having the frequency following a change in the natural frequency based on the light pulse sensing signal. The sensor head is connected to the measuring device through optical fibers for transmitting at least the light pulse sensing signal and the driving light pulse signal.

Claims

1. A system for measuring stress comprising:

a sensor head, disposed at a sensing location receiving a stress, incorporating a sensing means having an oscillation string oscillating mechanically at a changeable natural frequency and for sensing a change in the stress as a change in the natural frequency of the oscillation string, an output means for outputting a light pulse sensing signal corresponding to the natural frequency sensed by the sensing means, and a driving means for causing oscillation of the oscillation string in response to a driving light pulse signal;

a measuring device, disposed at a location remote from the sensing location, incorporating a measuring means for measuring the stress based on a frequency of the light pulse sensing signal and a creating means for creating the driving light pulse signal of a frequency following in real time a change in the natural frequency of the oscillation string based on the light pulse sensing signal; and

light transmission means for transmitting at least the light pulse sensing signal and the driving light pulse signal between the sensor head and the measuring device,

wherein said driving means comprises a photoelectric converter for converting the driving light pulse signal transmitted through the light transmission means to an electric pulse signal, an electromagnet which is pulse-excited by the electric pulse signal, and a shutter member for mechanically oscillating the oscillation string in response to a pulse excitation of the electromagnet, said shutter member being a disk at a radial center of which the oscillation string fixedly passes through and being arranged to form the light pulse sensing signal.

2. A system for measuring stress according to claim 1, wherein said sensor head has a body case sensible to the stress, the oscillation string being stretched to the body case.

3. A system for measuring stress according to claim 2, wherein said body case includes a cylindrical body portion having a bottom, a stress sensing section being formed at an end facing the bottom and sensing the stress, and a flexible portion intervening between the cylindrical body portion and the stress sensing section and wherein said oscillation string is stretched between the bottom and the stress sensing section.

4. A system for measuring stress according to claim 2, wherein said oscillation string is composed of a material approximately equal in a coefficient of at least a linear expansion of the body case.

5. A system for measuring stress according to claim 1, wherein said output means comprises means for forming a light path along which a sensing light signal of a constant amplitude is transmitted and said shutter member is arranged in the light path so as to interrupt the light path and form the light-pulse sensing signal.

6. A system for measuring stress according to claim 5, wherein said measuring device further comprises a light signal generating means for generating the sensing light signal and said light transmission means comprises three optical fibers each transmitting each of the sensing light signal, the driving light pulse signal, and the light pulse sending signal between the sensor head and the measuring device.

7. A system for measuring stress according to claim 1, wherein said measuring means and said creating means include a common phase lock loop circuit receiving the light pulse sensing signal and producing the driving light pulse signal used for measurement of the stress and the oscillation of the oscillation string.

8. A system for measuring stress comprising a plurality of sensor heads, disposed at a plurality of sensing locations receiving a stress, each of which incorporates a sensing means having an oscillation string oscillating mechanically at a changeable natural frequency and for sensing a change in the stress as a change in the natural frequency of the oscillation string, an output means for outputting a light pulse sensing signal corresponding to the natural frequency sensed by the sensing means, and a driving means for causing oscillation of the oscillation string in response to a driving light pulse signal;

a single measuring device, disposed at a location remote from the plurality of sensing locations, incorporating a measuring means for measuring the stress based on a frequency of the light pulse sensing signal and a creating means for creating the driving light pulse signal of a frequency following in real time a change in the natural frequency of the oscillation string based on the light pulse sensing signal; and

light transmission means for transmitting at least the light pulse sensing signal and the driving light pulse signal between each of the plurality of sensor heads and the measuring device, said plurality of sensor heads being connected in multi-stage by the light transmission means,

wherein said driving means comprises a photoelectric converter for converting the driving light pulse signal transmitted through the light transmission means to an electric pulse signal, an electromagnet which is pulse-excited by the electric pulse signal, and a shutter member for mechanically oscillating the oscillation string in response to a pulse excitation of the electromagnet, said shutter member being a disk at a radial center of which the oscillation string fixedly passes through and being arranged to form the light pulse sensing signal.

9. A system for measuring stress according to claim 8, wherein said output means comprises means for forming a light path along which a sensing light signal of a constant amplitude is transmitted and said shutter member is arranged in the light path so as to interrupt the light path and form the light pulse sensing signal.

10. A system for measuring stress comprising:

a sensor head, disposed at a sensing location receiving a stress, incorporating a sensing means, having an oscillation system having a changeable natural frequency, for sensing a change in the stress as a change in the natural frequency of the oscillation system, an output means for outputting a light pulse sensing signal corresponding to the natural frequency sensed by the sensing means, wherein said oscillation system is an oscillation string oscillating mechanically and said sensor head has a body case sensitive to the stress, the oscillation string being stretched to the body case, and a driving means for causing oscillation of the oscillation system in response to driving energy reproduced by a driving light pulse signal, wherein said driving means comprises a photoelectric converter for converting the driving light pulse signal transmitted through the light transmission means to an electric pulse signal, an electromagnet pulse-excited by the electric pulse signal, and a shutter member for directly applying a mechanical oscillation to the oscillation string in response to a pulse excitation of the electromagnet, wherein said shutter member is a disk at a radial center of which the oscillation string fixedly passes through;

a measuring device, disposed at a location remote from the sensing location, incorporating a measuring means for measuring the stress based on a frequency of the light pulse sensing signal and a creating means for creating the driving light pulse signal of a frequency following in real time a change in the natural frequency of the oscillation system based on the light pulse sensing signal; and

light transmission means for transmitting at least the light pulse sensing signal and the driving light pulse signal between the sensor head and the measuring device.