Sliding contact mechanical/electrical displacement transducer

Displacement measuring apparatus comprising

• an object whose displacement is to be measured,
• sensor means formed with at least one surface area and including means for producing an electrical output signal whose value varies with variations in proximity of a field producing element to said surface area, and
• a carrying member including the field-producing element, said carrying member facing said surface area and being configured to slide thereover when the object is moved to thereby change the proximity of the field-producing element to the surface area and thus vary the value of the output signal of said sensor means,
• wherein said sensor means comprises a substrate having a first surface area, and a generally circular array of detecting elements disposed at the first surface area for producing signals when the field-producing element is within a certain proximity of said detecting elements, and wherein said carrying member comprises a disk means disposed to rotate relative to the sensor means as the object is moved to thereby carry the field-producing element in a path which traverses the array of detecting elements,
• wherein said field-producing element comprises an elongate conductor disposed radially on the underside of said disk means to transverse over said path as the disk means is rotated,
• wherein said disk means includes at least one downwardly projecting protuberance which contacts and slides over the first surface area as the disk means is rotated, so that said conductor is maintained out of contact with the first surface.

Displacement measuring apparatus comprising

• an object whose displacement is to be measured,
• sensor means formed with at least one surface area and including means for producing an electrical output signal whose value varies with variations in proximity of a field-producing element to said surface area,
• a carrying member, including the field-producing element, disposed in contact with said surface area to slide thereover when the object is moved to thereby change the proximity of the field-producing element to the surface area and thus vary the value of the output signal of said sensor means, said carrying member including insulative means interposed against the sensor means,
• wherein said sensor means comprises
• a substrate having a first surface area, said carrying member being in slidable contact with said first surface area, and
• an array of detecting means disposed at the first surface area for detecting the proximity of the field-producing element relative to the detecting means and thus the displacement of said object, wherein said array of detecting means is disposed generally in a line on the first surface area in the direction of movement of the field-producing element, and
• wherein said carrying member includes downwardly projecting protuberances which contact and slide over the first surface area as the carrying member is moved.

Rotary displacement measuring apparatus comprising

• an axle whose rotary displacement is to be measured, said axle mounted to rotate about its long axis,
• means mounted on the axle to extend laterally therefrom and rotate as the axle is rotated, and for producing a force field emanating downwardly therefrom,
• a plurality of sensors at least a portion of arranged generally in a circle under the path of movement of the force field producing means for producing signals whose magnitudes vary with variation in proximity of the force field to the sensors, and
• an insulative coating overlying said sensors, said force field producing means being disposed in sliding contact with said insulative coating.

A displacement transducer for measuring movement of an object, said transducer comprising a pair of substrates disposed in facing, contacting relationship, one of which is coupled to said object to move and slide over the other substrate when the object moves,

• a plurality of force field emitters spaced apart longitudinally along the facing surface of a first substrate, each for producing a force field whose intensity is greater with closer proximity to said each emitter,
• a multiplicity of force field detector elements spaced apart longitudinally along the facing surface of a second substrate so that for a certain range of movement of said first substrate relative to the second, each detector element at some point over the range will be the only element positioned directly opposite an emitter, said detector elements adapted to produce a signal indicating the intensity of a force field in which it is positioned,
• means responsive to the signals produced by said detector elements for indicating magnitude of movement of the detector elements relative to the emitters, and
• an insulative coating disposed on the facing surface of one of the substrates.

A linear displacement transducer for measuring the movement of an object comprising

• a base plate,
• a substrate disposed on the base plate and including sensor means located at a surface area of the substrate for detecting the location of a field producing element at the surface area,
• an insulative layer disposed over said surface area,
• an emitter plate disposed in sliding contact with the insulative layer, said emitter plate including a field-producing element, and
• carrying means having
• a central section on which the emitter plate is mounted and to which the object is coupled, and
• at least two laterally resilient legs, each extending from an opposite side of the central section in opposite directions from one another, the free ends of the legs being pivotally attached to the base plate so that the central section, and thus the emitter plate and field-producing element, may be moved relative to the substrate when the object is moved.

Apparatus for measuring strain in an object comprising

• a base plate,
• a substrate disposed on the base plate and including sensor means located at a surface area of the substrate for detecting the location of a field producing element at the surface area,
• an insulative layer disposed over said surface area,
• an emitter plate disposed in sliding contact with insulative layer, said emitter plate including a field-producing element, and
• attachment means comprising first and second T-shaped elements, each having a long leg and a shorter cross leg disposed perpendicularly to the long leg, each shorter leg pivotally connecting a respective side of the emitter plate to the base plate so that the long legs extend in the same direction generally parallel to one another for pivotal attachment at their free ends to the object, the strain in the object causing the long legs to move toward or away from one another to thereby cause the emitter plate to move and slide over the substrate.