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US 6,598,491 B2Granted
Magnetoelastic torque sensor
OwnerJohn E. Opie, Brian Kilmartininventors
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OwnerJohn E. Opie, Brian Kilmartininventors
Estimating the term…
A magnetoelastic torque sensor for measuring the magnitude of torque applied to a member, comprising a magnetoelastic element which is disposed on and encircles the member, an outer flux guide extending across the magnetoelastic element in an axial direction and adjacent to the opposite end regions thereof, and an inner flux guide located between the first and second end regions, wherein the inner and outer flux guides provides a magnetic path to an axial component of the magnetic field produced by the magnetoelastic element in response to a non-zero value of torque. The inner flux guide is formed by cutting or etching an amorphous metal foil in a flat annular configuration with symmetrically projecting coil core tabs. The one-piece inner flux guide is supported by a support assembly comprising base and cover pieces. When assembled, the coil core tabs are sandwiched between two complementary semi-cylindrical mandrel portions projecting from the cover and base pieces, around which sense coil wires are wound. An electronic detector is coupled to the coil wires to measure the strength of the axial component of the magnetic field emanating from the magnetoelastic element as torque is applied to the member.
A method for providing, on a member having a longitudinal axis, a magnetoelastic transducer for producing an internally-contained magnetic field which has a circumferential orientation around the axis when the member is in a quiescent state, but which distorts from the circumferential orientation when a substantially torsional stress is applied to the member about said axis and produces a measurable external magnetic-field component representative of said stress, said method comprising the steps of:
A method for providing, on a member having a longitudinal axis, a magnetoelastic transducer for producing an internally-contained magnetic field which has a circumferential orientation around the axis when the member is in a quiescent state, but which distorts from the circumferential orientation when a substantially torsional stress is applied to the member about said axis and produces a measurable external magnetic-field component representative of said stress, said method comprising the steps of:
A method for providing, on a member having a longitudinal axis and a center bore, a magnetoelastic transducer for producing an internally-contained magnetic field which has a circumferential orientation around the axis when the member is in a quiescent state, but which distorts from the circumferential orientation when a substantially torsional stress is applied to the member about said axis and produces a measurable external magnetic-field component representative of said stress, said method comprising the steps of:
A method for providing, on a member having a longitudinal axis and a center bore, a magnetoelastic transducer for producing an internally-contained magnetic field which has a circumferential orientation around the axis when the member is in a quiescent state, but which distorts from the circumferential orientation when a substantially torsional stress is applied to the member about said axis and produces a measurable external magnetic-field component representative of said stress, said method comprising the steps of:
A method for providing, on a member having a longitudinal axis, a magnetoelastic transducer for producing an internally-contained magnetic field which has a circumferential orientation around the axis when the member is in a quiescent state, but which distorts from the circumferential orientation when a substantially torsional stress is applied to the member about said axis and produces a measurable external magnetic-field component representative of said stress, said method comprising the steps of:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.