Hydraulic piston position sensor
First Claim
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1. An apparatus for measuring relative position of a hydraulic piston in a cylinder, comprising:
- an antenna rod extending in a direction of movement of the piston fixedly coupled to the cylinder, the rod configured to carry a microwave pulse between a coupling and a distal end of the rod;
a sliding member slidably coupled to the piston, the sliding member configured to cause a partial reflection of the microwave pulse;
microwave transceiver circuitry coupled to the rod configured to generate and receive microwave pulses;
computation circuitry configured to calculate piston position as a function of reflected microwave pulses from the sliding member and the distal rod end; and
an insulating receptacle mounted at one end of the cylinder configured to receive the antenna rod and physically couple the rod to the cylinder through an electrical insulator.
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Abstract
A piston position in a cylinder of a hydraulic assembly is measured using microwave pulses. The microwave pulses are launched along a conductor coupled to the piston or cylinder. A sliding member is slidably coupled to the conductor and moves with the piston or cylinder. Position is determined as a function of a reflection from the end of the conductor and the sliding member.
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Citations
31 Claims
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1. An apparatus for measuring relative position of a hydraulic piston in a cylinder, comprising:
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an antenna rod extending in a direction of movement of the piston fixedly coupled to the cylinder, the rod configured to carry a microwave pulse between a coupling and a distal end of the rod;
a sliding member slidably coupled to the piston, the sliding member configured to cause a partial reflection of the microwave pulse;
microwave transceiver circuitry coupled to the rod configured to generate and receive microwave pulses;
computation circuitry configured to calculate piston position as a function of reflected microwave pulses from the sliding member and the distal rod end; and
an insulating receptacle mounted at one end of the cylinder configured to receive the antenna rod and physically couple the rod to the cylinder through an electrical insulator. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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20. An apparatus for measuring relative position of a hydraulic piston in a cylinder, comprising:
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an antenna rod extending in a direction of movement of the piston fixedly coupled to the cylinder and extending through the piston and a piston rod, the rod configured to carry a microwave pulse between a coupling and a distal end of the rod;
a sliding member slidably coupled to the piston, the sliding member configured to cause a partial reflection of the microwave pulse;
microwave transceiver circuitry coupled to the rod configured to generate and receive microwave pulses;
computation circuitry configured to calculate piston position as a function of reflected microwave pulses from the sliding contact and the distal rod end; and
a spring loaded conductive bushing coupled to the antenna rod end and slidably received in the piston rod to provide an electrical connection therebetween. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22, 23, 24, 25)
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26. An apparatus for measuring relative position of a hydraulic piston in a cylinder, comprising:
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an antenna rod extending in a direction of movement of the piston fixedly coupled to one of the piston or cylinder, the rod configured to carry a microwave pulse between a coupling and a distal end of the rod;
a sliding member slidably coupled to the piston, the sliding member configured to cause a partial reflection of the microwave pulse;
microwave transceiver circuitry coupled to the rod configured to generate and receive microwave pulses;
computation circuitry configured to calculate piston position as a function of reflected microwave pulses from the sliding contact and the distal rod end; and
a piston face impedance transition element coupled to the piston face arranged to provide a smooth impedance transition at the piston face and thereby reduce noise in the reflected microwave pulses. - View Dependent Claims (27, 28, 29)
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30. An apparatus for measuring relative position of a hydraulic piston in a cylinder, comprising:
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an antenna rod extending in a direction of movement of the piston fixedly coupled to the cylinder and extending through the piston and a piston rod, the rod configured to carry a microwave pulse between a coupling and a distal end of the rod;
a sliding member slidably coupled to the piston, the sliding member configured to cause a partial reflection of the microwave pulse;
microwave transceiver circuitry coupled to the rod configured to generate and receive microwave pulses;
computation circuitry configured to calculate piston position as a function of reflected microwave pulses from the sliding contact and the distal rod end; and
a bushing coupled to the antenna rod end and slidably received in the piston rod to provide an electrically insulated coupling therebetween and an impedance mismatch proximate the antenna rod end. - View Dependent Claims (31)
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Specification