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US 5,675,095 AGranted
Rotational torque sensor
AssigneeCanadian Space Agency
InventorW. John Ballantyne
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A torque measuring apparatus that uses proximity devices coupled to reference rings on input and output shafts that have periodically undulating circumferential boundaries. The regular changes in the proximity of the circumferential surfaces to their proximity sensors is used to determine torque.
Claims9
A torque measurement apparatus for measuring the torque being transmitted from a source shaft to a driven shaft having a common central axis of rotation through a resilient coupling, such apparatus comprising:
- (1) first and second source and driven reference rings mounted respectively on the source and driven shafts about the resilient coupling, such reference rings having each an outer circumferential boundary surface which is periodically undulating in the radial direction;
- (2) first and second proximity measurement sensor means mounted externally to the source and driven shafts for measuring the variation in the radial distance of the two outer circumferential surfaces of the two reference rings from the central axis of rotation of the respective shafts;
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- (3) signal processing means responsive to the outputs of the proximity measurement sensor means to provide a twist angle value which corresponds to the difference in the angular displacement of the two reference rings and, based upon such twist angle value, to provide an output indicating the torque being carried by the resilient coupling.
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Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.