US 11,448,561 B2Granted

Overload inhibiting torque meter

AssigneeTextron Innovations Inc.

InventorsRodney Keith Hale, Ron L. Woods

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Abstract

Embodiments are directed to a drive shaft apparatus comprising a first rotary member and a second rotary member arranged coaxially with said first rotary member. The rotary members are fixedly connected at a first end so that they rotate together. Each rotary member has a set of elements spaced apart around its circumference at a second end. The elements on the first rotary member are spaced apart from the elements on the second rotary member at rest. The first rotary member undergoes torsion when a load is applied during rotation, which causes the first rotary member elements to move closer to the second rotary member elements. The first elements engage the second elements when a torque load less than a yield torque is applied to the first rotary member, which transfers at least a portion of the torque load to the second rotary member.

Claims16

Dependent claims

A torque meter apparatus, comprising:

a rotating member having a first end and a second end;
an indicating member overlying and spaced radially outward from the rotating member, a first end of the indicating member fixedly attached to and rotating with the first end of the rotating member, and a second end of the indicating member overlapping and rotating independently of the second end of the rotating member;
a first set of protrusions fixedly attached to the second end of the indicating member, a second set of protrusions coupled to the second end of the rotating member and interlaced with the first set of protrusions, wherein the first set and second set of protrusions are configured to be used for measuring a torque load on the rotating member, the first set and second set of protrusions not in contact with each other when the rotating member is not operating under torque;
and
a sensor positioned adjacent the second end of the indicating member, the sensor configured to measure a gap between the first set of protrusions and the second set of protrusions;
wherein the second set of protrusions are configured to engage the first set of protrusions when a torque load less than a yield torque is applied to the rotating member, and wherein the indicating member is configured to support at least a portion of the torque load after the first set and second set of protrusions are engaged.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.