Three-axis sensor assembly for use in an elastomeric material
First Claim
1. A sensor assembly embedded in an elastomeric material, said sensor assembly comprising:
- a pair of first strain sensors disposed on first opposed faces of a flexible pyramid-shaped body, said first strain sensors being deformable under a force applied by contact thereto for detecting a force in a first direction; and
a portion of elastomeric material in which said pair of first strain sensors and the flexible pyramid-shaped body on which said pair of first strain sensors is disposed are embedded;
wherein said first strain sensors generate corresponding output signals in response to the force in the first direction and wherein the force in the first direction is generally equal to the difference between the output signals of said first strain sensors.
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Accused Products
Abstract
According to a first aspect of the preferred embodiment, a three-axis sensor assembly for use in an elastomeric material includes a first pair of sensors disposed along a first pair of respective axes that intersect, the first sensors being adapted to detect a force in a first direction. In addition, the sensor assembly includes a second pair of sensors disposed along a second pair of respective axes that intersect, the second sensors detecting a force in a second direction generally orthogonal to the first direction. Furthermore, in the assembly, the force measured in the first direction is equal to the difference between the outputs of the first sensors, and the force measured in the second direction is equal to the difference between the outputs of said second sensors. According to another aspect of the preferred embodiment, the sum of the outputs of the first sensors and the second sensors equals a force in a third direction orthogonal to the first and second directions. In another aspect of the preferred embodiment, the first pair of sensors are disposed on first opposed faces of a pyramid-shaped body, and the second pair of sensors are disposed on second opposed faces of the pyramid-shaped body. In addition, the elastomeric material can be a vehicle tire, and the tire may include a plurality of the sensor assemblies disposed about its perimeter in mutually spaced relationship.
49 Citations
50 Claims
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1. A sensor assembly embedded in an elastomeric material, said sensor assembly comprising:
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a pair of first strain sensors disposed on first opposed faces of a flexible pyramid-shaped body, said first strain sensors being deformable under a force applied by contact thereto for detecting a force in a first direction; and
a portion of elastomeric material in which said pair of first strain sensors and the flexible pyramid-shaped body on which said pair of first strain sensors is disposed are embedded;
wherein said first strain sensors generate corresponding output signals in response to the force in the first direction and wherein the force in the first direction is generally equal to the difference between the output signals of said first strain sensors. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A process of embedding a sensor in an elastomeric material, the process comprising:
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providing a three-axis sensor assembly including two pairs of strain gauges, a first pair disposed on first opposed faces of a pyramid-shaped body so as to detect strain applied directly to said first pair of sensors in a first direction, and a second pair disposed on second opposed faces of the pyramid-shaped body so as to detect strain applied directly to said second pair of sensors in a second direction; and
adjusting the aspect ratio of the pyramid-shaped body to a sensitivity of the three-axis sensor. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
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25. A process of embedding a sensor in an elastomeric material, the process comprising:
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providing a three-axis sensor assembly including first and second pairs of strain sensors, the first pair disposed on first opposed faces of a pyramid-shaped body so as to detect strain in a first direction applied directly to the first pair of sensors, and the second pair disposed on second opposed faces of the pyramid-shaped body so as to detect strain in a second direction applied directly to the second pair of sensors; and
placing the sensor assembly in the elastomeric material when the elastomeric material is in an uncured state. - View Dependent Claims (26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48)
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49. A three-axis sensor assembly comprising:
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a three-axis sensor assembly embedded in a material, said three-axis sensor assembly including two pairs of strain sensors, a first pair disposed on first opposed faces of a pyramid-shaped body so as to deform in response to strain in the material transmitted directly to said first pair in a first direction, and a second pair disposed on second opposed faces of the pyramid-shaped body so as to deform in response to strain in the material transmitted directly to said second pair in a second direction;
a printed circuit responsive to the outputs of said strain sensors to generate a corresponding signal indicative of the corresponding strain acting on the material; and
wherein the sensor assembly is electrically coupled to the printed circuit. - View Dependent Claims (50)
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Specification