Load indicating member with identifying element

• US 7,650,792 B2
• Filed: 10/14/2008
• Issued: 01/26/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/29/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Innovation Plus, LLC
• Original Assignee: Innovation Plus, LLC
• Inventors: Kibblewhite, Ian E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Noori; Max
• Application Number:
  US12/287,760
• Publication Number:
  US 20090038401A1
• Time in Patent Office: 469 Days
• Field of Search: 73760-761
• US Class Current: 73/761
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/3095 Auxiliary rear seats accessible from outside the vehicle when in an in-use position
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2002/905 the head-rest or seat used as an anchorage point, for an object not covered by groups in B60N, e.g. for a canvas
• CPC Class Codes: F16B 31/02 for indicating the attainment of a particular tensile load or limiting tensile load apparatus for, or method of, determining value of torque or twisting moment for tightening a nut or other member similarly stressed G01L5/24
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2291/011 Velocity or travel time
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2291/02854 Length, thickness
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2291/2691 Bolts, screws, heads
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 29/048 Marking the faulty objects
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 29/227 related to high pressure, tension or stress conditions

Abstract

A load indicating member is provided with an identifying element which can be accessed and used to determine ultrasonic measurement parameters specific to the load indicating member to provide more precise and more reliable load measurements by compensating for differences resulting from manufacturing variations in individual load indicating members. The parameters specific to the load indicating member can be stored in coding applied to the load indicating member or in a database that can be accessed remotely, for example, using the Internet.

Claims

1. A method of measuring change in acoustic length of a load indicating member, comprising the steps of:

accessing an identifying element on the load indicating member with a reader, wherein the load indicating member is a fastener, and determining data relating to the fastener for deriving a zero-load acoustic length of the fastener and data for deriving an ultrasonic echo waveform measurement cycle used for acoustic length measurement of the fastener;

measuring the acoustic length of the fastener using an ultrasonic transducer and the derived measurement cycle; and

calculating a difference between the measured acoustic length and the zero-load acoustic length and calculating the change in the acoustic length of the load indicating member from the calculated difference between the measured acoustic length and the zero-load acoustic length.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the identifying element includes the data for deriving the zero-load acoustic length of the fastener and the data for deriving the ultrasonic echo waveform measurement cycle used for the acoustic length measurement of the fastener.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the identifying element includes an identification of the load indicating member, and wherein the method further includes the steps of identifying the load indicating member by accessing the identifying element on the load indicating member, and retrieving from a database data relating to the load indicating member, wherein the data retrieved from the database includes the data for deriving the zero-load acoustic length of the fastener and the data for deriving the ultrasonic echo waveform measurement cycle used for the acoustic length measurement of the fastener.

4. The method of claim 1 which further includes the step of calculating load in the fastener from the calculated change in the acoustic length.