Device and method for measuring a rotational movement, in particular a rotational direction, and for detecting a shaft break

• US 10,641,127 B2
• Filed: 09/06/2017
• Issued: 05/05/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 09/15/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rolls-Royce Deutschland Limited & Company KG (Rolls-Royce Holdings Plc)
• Original Assignee: Rolls-Royce Deutschland Limited & Company KG (Rolls-Royce Holdings Plc)
• Inventors: Kestering, Jens
• Primary Examiner(s): Kirkland, III, Freddie
• Application Number:
  US15/697,051
• Publication Number:
  US 20180073387A1
• Time in Patent Office: 972 Days
• CPC Class Codes: F01D 21/003 Arrangements for testing or measuring for measuring vibrations G01H
• CPC Class Codes: G01L 3/08 involving optical means for indicating
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 15/14 Testing gas-turbine engines or jet-propulsion engines
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 13/045 with speed indication
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 3/26 Devices characterised by the use of fluids
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 3/36 Devices characterised by the use of optical means, e.g. using infrared, visible, or ultraviolet light G01P3/68 takes precedence; gyrometers using the Sagnac effect, i.e. rotation-induced shifts between counter-rotating electromagnetic beams G01C19/64
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 3/486 delivered by photo-electric detectors

Abstract

A turbomachine with at least one rotatable shaft and at least one device for measuring a rotational movement of a rotatable structural component), in particular of the shaft, is provided. The device has a receiver and a first pattern carrier that has at least one pattern site. Here, the device comprises a second pattern carrier with at least one pattern site, wherein the pattern carriers are respectively connectable or connected to the rotatable structural component, so that they are rotatable together with the same about a rotational axis with respect to the receiver, namely in such a manner that the pattern site of the first pattern carrier is positioned in congruence with the pattern site of the second pattern carrier, and wherein the receiver is embodied and configured for detecting whether or not the pattern sites are positioned in congruence with one another.

Claims

1. A turbomachine comprising:

a rotatable shaft;

a device for measuring a rotational movement of the rotatable shaft, wherein the device comprises;

a receiver and a first pattern carrier that includes a first pattern site,

a second pattern carrier that includes a second pattern site,

wherein the first and second pattern carriers are respectively connectable or connected to the rotatable shaft, so that they are rotatable together about a rotational axis with respect to the receiver such that the first pattern site is positioned in congruence with the second pattern site, and

wherein the receiver is embodied and configured for detecting whether or not the first and second pattern sites are positioned in congruence with one another,

wherein the first pattern carrier is arranged radially inside the second pattern carrier, wherein the second pattern carrier forms a part of the rotatable shaft.

2. The turbomachine according to claim 1, wherein one of the first and second pattern carriers is connectable or connected to the rotatable shaft at an input end of the rotatable shaft, and the other one of the first and second pattern carriers is connectable or connected to the rotatable shaft at an output end of the rotatable shaft.

3. The turbomachine according to claim 1, wherein the first and second pattern carriers are connectable or connected to the rotatable shaft in such a manner that the first and second pattern sites are positioned in congruence with one another if the rotatable shaft is in a normal operational state, and are positioned out of congruence with one another if the rotatable shaft is in an overloaded operational state.

4. The turbomachine according to claim 1, wherein the first and second pattern sites extend parallel to the rotational axis through the first and second pattern carriers.

5. The turbomachine according to claim 1, wherein an information carrier can reach the receiver from the first and second pattern sites or through the first and second pattern sites if the first and second pattern sites are positioned in congruence with one another.

6. The turbomachine according to claim 5, wherein the receiver is embodied and configured to detect the information carrier, wherein the information carrier embodied as at least one chosen from a radiation, a mass flow a sound, light rays, air flow and an ultrasound.

7. The turbomachine according to claim 5, and further comprising at least one sensor for detecting the information carrier, the at least one sensor being at least one chosen from an optical sensor, a mass flow meter, a pressure gauge, and a microphone.

8. The turbomachine according to claim 5, and further comprising at least one transmitting unit that is embodied and configured to emit the information carrier, and that comprises at least one chosen from a light source, an air nozzle and an acoustic source, wherein the first and second pattern carriers are arranged between the at least one transmitting unit and the receiver.

9. The turbomachine according to claim 1, wherein the first and second pattern carriers respectively have at least two pattern sites, and further comprising at least two receivers.

10. The turbomachine according to claim 9, wherein the at least two pattern sites of each of the first and second pattern carriers or the at least two receivers are arranged in a manner offset with respect to one another along an angle that extends circumferentially about the rotational axis, or are offset in a different manner with respect to one another along the angle.

11. The turbomachine according to claim 9, wherein at least one chosen from the at least two receivers and the at least two pattern sites of each of the first and second pattern carriers are respectively arranged in a manner offset with respect to one another in a direction perpendicular to the rotational axis.

12. The turbomachine according to claim 9, wherein the at least two pattern sites of each of the first and second pattern carriers are arranged according to a first pattern, and the at least two receivers are arranged according to a second pattern, wherein the first pattern differs from the second pattern.

13. The turbomachine according to claim 9, wherein at least one chosen from the at least two receivers and the at least two pattern sites of each of the first and second pattern carriers are respectively arranged in a manner offset with respect to one another in a direction parallel to the rotational axis.

14. The turbomachine according to claim 1, and further comprising at least one anti-fogging device that directs a fluid flow onto at least one chosen from the receiver and a transmitting unit in order to avoid condensation on the receiver due to the surrounding gas.

15. The turbomachine according to claim 1, wherein the turbomachine is embodied as an aircraft gas turbine.

16. The turbomachine according to claim 1, wherein the first and second pattern sites extend perpendicular to the rotational axis through the first and second pattern carriers.

17. A method for measuring a rotational movement of a rotatable shaft of a turbomachine comprising:

providing a receiver and a first pattern carrier that includes a first pattern site,

providing a second pattern carrier that includes a second pattern site,

providing that the first and second pattern carriers are respectively connected to the rotatable shaft, so that they are rotatable together about a rotational axis with respect to the receiver such that the first pattern site is positioned in congruence with the second pattern site, and wherein the receiver detects whether or not the first and second pattern sites are positioned in congruence with one another,

providing that the first pattern carrier is arranged radially inside the second pattern carrier, and that the second pattern carrier forms a part of the rotatable shaft.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein, based on the information detected by the receiver, at least one chosen from an overloaded operational state and a shaft break of the rotatable shaft is detected, and a control signal is output to an engine control if the at least one chosen from the overloaded operational state and the shaft break is detected.