Driveline vibration analyzer

• US 6,128,959 A
• Filed: 08/13/1998
• Issued: 10/10/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 11/07/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Eaton Corp. (Wisconsin) (Eaton Corporation PLC.)
• Original Assignee: Eaton Corp. (Wisconsin) (Eaton Corporation PLC.)
• Inventors: McGovern, Kevin M., Bair, John J., Malaney, David W., West, Anthony N., Totten, David S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kwok, Helen C.
• Application Number:
  US09/133,131
• Time in Patent Office: 789 Days
• Field of Search: 73/660, 73/650, 73/659, 73/570, 73/460, 324/160, 324/161, 324/162, 340/683, 701/71, 701/111
• US Class Current: 73/660
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 17/22 characterised by arrangement, location, or type of main drive shafting, e.g. cardan shaft
• CPC Class Codes: G01H 1/003 of rotating machines G01H1/10 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 13/02 Gearings; Transmission mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 13/028 Acoustic or vibration analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 17/007 Wheeled or endless-tracked vehicles G01M17/08 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 15/08 with conversion into electric or magnetic values
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 3/48 by measuring frequency of generated current or voltage in general G01R23/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 3/4802 by using electronic circuits in general

Abstract

A diagnostic driveline vibration analyzing tool for measuring and characterizing the torsional vibrations in a vehicle driveline. An electronic control unit and sensor cooperate to measure speed fluctuations occurring between the passing of adjacent teeth of a rotating gear. These time measurements are the basis for displacement, velocity and acceleration calculations which, combined with driveshaft rotational order information, can be used to pinpoint the source of excessive driveline torsional vibrations.

Claims

1. A tool for measuring and analyzing the order based torsional vibration of a rotating component in a vehicle driveline comprising:

a sensor for measuring an instantaneous speed of a driveline component under test and generating speed signals;

a processor electrically coupled to said sensor for receiving said speed signals from said sensor and for transforming said speed signals into order domain and for processing said speed signals into rotational acceleration measurements as a function of harmonic order, said processing including calculating the amplitudes of said rotational acceleration measurements at each of one or more rotational orders; and

display means for displaying said amplitudes of said rotational acceleration measurements with their respective rotational orders.

2. The tool of claim 1, wherein said rotating component in a vehicle driveline is a transmission output shaft.

3. The tool of claim 2, wherein said processing is performed using a fast Fourier transform.

4. The tool of claim 1, wherein said speed signals are also processed into torsional displacement.