System and method for torque transducer and temperature sensor

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9618408-B2
Application number	US-201514973301-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 17, 2015
Priority date	Feb 26, 2015
Publication date	Apr 11, 2017
Grant date	Apr 11, 2017

Abstract

A system includes a magnetostrictive sensor having a sensor head including a driving pole. The driving pole includes a driving coil that may receive a driving current and may emit a magnetic flux portion through a rotary structure. The sensor head also includes a sensing pole including a sensing coil that may receive the magnetic flux portion and may transmit a signal based at least in part on the received magnetic flux portion. The received magnetic flux portion is based at least in part on a force on the rotary structure. The sensor head also includes a temperature sensor disposed on the sensor head. The temperature sensor may measure a temperature of the rotary structure.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A system, comprising:
a magnetostrictive sensor having a sensor head comprising:
a driving pole, wherein the driving pole comprises a driving coil configured to receive a driving current and to emit a magnetic flux portion through a rotary structure;
a sensing pole comprising a sensing coil configured to receive the magnetic flux portion and to transmit a signal based at least in part on the received magnetic flux portion, wherein the received magnetic flux portion is based at least in part on a force on the rotary structure; and
a temperature sensor disposed on the sensor head, wherein the temperature sensor is configured to measure a temperature of the rotary structure.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the temperature sensor is coupled to a temperature sensing pole of the magnetostrictive sensor.

3. The system of claim 2 , wherein the temperature sensing pole is disposed between two sensing poles.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the temperature sensor is coupled to the driving pole.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the temperature sensor is offset from the rotary structure.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the temperature sensor comprises an infrared sensor.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the temperature sensor comprises an inductive coil.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the magnetostrictive sensor is a torque sensor.

9. The system of claim 1 , comprising a controller configured to receive the signal from the sensing coil and a temperature signal from the temperature sensor, wherein the signal is based on a torque on the rotary structure, and the controller comprises:
one or more tangible, non-transitory, machine-readable media collectively storing one or more sets of instructions; and
one or more processing devices configured to execute the one or more sets of instructions to monitor or control operations of the system, wherein the one or more sets of instructions is configured to combine the signal and the temperature signal to generate a compensated torque signal, wherein the one or more processing devices is configured to determine the torque on the rotary structure based on the compensated torque signal.

10. A system, comprising:
a magnetostrictive sensor head comprising:
a driving coil coupled to a driving pole extending from a sensor head core, configured to receive a driving current, and configured to emit a magnetic flux portion through a rotary structure;
a sensing coil coupled to a sensing pole extending from the sensor head core, wherein the sensing coil is configured to receive the magnetic flux portion, the sensing coil transmits a first signal based at least in part on the received magnetic flux portion, wherein the received magnetic flux portion is based at least in part on a force on the rotary structure at a section of the rotary structure opposite the magnetostrictive sensor head; and
a temperature sensor coupled to the magnetostrictive sensor head, wherein the temperature sensor transmits a second signal based on heat emitted from the section of the rotary structure.

11. The system of claim 10 , wherein the temperature sensor is disposed within a magnetic neutral region of the magnetostrictive sensor head.

12. The system of claim 10 , wherein the temperature sensor is not in contact with the rotary structure.

13. The system of claim 10 , wherein the temperature sensor comprises an infrared sensor directed to the section of the rotary structure.

14. The system of claim 10 , wherein the temperature sensor comprises an inductive coil.

15. The system of claim 10 , wherein the temperature sensor is coupled to a temperature pole disposed between two sensing poles, and wherein the temperature pole is within a magnetic neutral region of the magnetostrictive sensor head.

16. The system of claim 10 , wherein the temperature sensor is disposed on the driving pole.

17. The system of claim 10 , wherein the temperature sensor is configured to measure the temperature of the section of the rotary structure when the rotary structure is rotating.

18. A method, comprising:
generating a magnetic flux portion with a driving coil coupled to a driving pole of a magnetostrictive torque sensor;
directing the magnetic flux portion through a rotary structure and a sensing pole of the magnetostrictive torque sensor, wherein the rotary structure comprises a ferromagnetic material;
detecting the magnetic flux portion with a sensing coil coupled to the sensing pole, wherein the sensing coil is configured to generate a torque signal based at least in part on a torque on the rotary structure;
measuring a temperature of the rotary structure with a temperature sensor disposed within the magnetostrictive torque sensor, wherein the temperature sensor is configured to generate a temperature signal; and
determining the torque on the rotary structure based at least in part on the torque signal from the sensing coil and the temperature signal from the temperature sensor.

19. The method of claim 18 , wherein the torque signal is based at least in part on the torque on a section of the rotary structure opposite the magnetostrictive torque sensor, and the temperature signal is based at least in part on the temperature of the section of the rotary structure.

20. The method of claim 18 , wherein the temperature sensor is not in contact with the rotary structure.

Assignees

• Gen Electric

Inventors

• Lu Dan Tho
• Sipila Pekka Tapani
• Uber Clifford James

Classifications

• G01L25/003

  for measuring torque · CPC title

• G01L1/127

  by using inductive means (G01L1/122, G01L1/125 take precedence) · CPC title

• G01L3/102 Primary

  involving magnetostrictive means (magnetostrictive sensors H10N35/101) · CPC title

• G01L3/105

  involving inductive means (G01L3/102, G01L3/104 take precedence) · CPC title