Uneven surface deflection and amplitude measurement tool

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9746305-B2
Application number	US-201414509751-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 8, 2014
Priority date	Oct 8, 2014
Publication date	Aug 29, 2017
Grant date	Aug 29, 2017

Abstract

A first aspect of the invention provides an apparatus to indicate an amplitude of an uneven measurement surface. The apparatus may include a frame slidingly supporting a set of pins, each pin including a high point stop and a low point stop; a low point isolator member moveable relative to the frame, the low point isolator member indicating a lowest point of the uneven measurement surface by a respective low point stop of a first; a high point isolator member moveable relative to the frame, the high point isolator member indicating a highest point of the uneven measurement surface by a respective high point stop of a second pin; a low point displacement sensor for identifying a low point displacement; a high point displacement sensor for identifying a high point displacement; and a calculator for calculating a difference between the low point displacement and the high point displacement.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus to indicate an amplitude of an uneven measurement surface, the apparatus comprising,
a frame slidingly supporting a set of pins, each pin individually spring biased to engage the uneven measurement surface, each pin including a high point stop and a low point stop fixedly coupled thereto;
a low point isolator member moveable relative to the frame, the low point isolator member indicating a lowest point of the uneven measurement surface engaged by the set of pins based on engagement of the low point isolator member by a respective low point stop of a first pin in the set of pins that engages a low point of the uneven measurement surface;
a high point isolator member moveable relative to the frame, the high point isolator member indicating a highest point of the uneven measurement surface engaged by the set of pins based on engagement of the high point isolator member by a respective high point stop of a second pin in the set of pins that engages a high point of the uneven measurement surface;
a low point displacement sensor fixedly coupled to the frame, and having a first sensor tip engaging the low point isolator member for identifying a low point displacement;
a high point displacement sensor fixedly coupled to the frame, and having a second sensor tip engaging the high point isolator member for identifying a high point displacement; and
a calculator for calculating a difference between the low point displacement and the high point displacement, the difference indicative of the amplitude of the uneven measurement surface.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the low point isolator member includes:
a low point stop engaging element for engaging a lowest one of the low point stops and a low point sensor engaging element, the low point sensor engaging element extending from the low point stop engaging element for engaging the sensor tip of the low point displacement sensor; and

wherein the high point isolator member includes:
a high point stop engaging element for engaging a highest one of the high point stops and a high point sensor engaging element, the high point sensor engaging element extending from the high point stop engaging element for engaging the sensor tip of the high point displacement sensor.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the sensor tip of the low point displacement sensor is spring biased toward the low point sensor engaging element; and wherein the sensor tip of the high point displacement sensor is spring biased toward the high point sensor engaging element.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the low point isolator member is biased to engage the lowest one of the low point stops of the pins, and wherein the high point isolator member is biased to engage a highest one of the high point stops of the pins.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the low point isolator member is biased by at least a first spring, the first spring being coaxial with a respective pin in the set of pins, and wherein the high point isolator member is biased by at least a second spring, the second spring being coaxial with a respective pin in the set of pins.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the calculator is communicatively coupled to the low point displacement sensor and the high point displacement sensor.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the calculator includes a display for displaying the difference between the high point displacement and the low point displacement.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the frame includes
a pair of side members;
a first cross-member coupled between the pair of side members;
a second cross-member coupled between the pair of side members; and
a third cross-member coupled between the pair of side members,
wherein the first and third cross-members each include a set of alignment openings for slidingly receiving and aligning each pin of the set of pins.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein a surface of the first cross-member extends beyond an end portion of each of the side members in the pair of side members.

10. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the high point isolator member is biased to engage the highest one of the high point stops of the pins by a first spring,
wherein the low point isolator member is biased to engage a lowest one of the low point stops of the pins by a second spring,
wherein the first spring is coaxial with at least one pin in the set of pins, and
wherein the pin coaxial with the first spring includes a first spring seat, the first spring seat abutting a cross-member of the frame.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the second spring is coaxial with at least one pin in the set of pins, and
wherein the pin coaxial with the second spring includes a spring casing coaxial with the second spring, the spring casing determining the stroke length of the set of pins.

12. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the set of pins includes two to seven pins.

13. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a housing, the housing substantially surrounding the frame, wherein the housing includes a handle.

14. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the uneven measurement surface includes a substantially sinusoidal surface of a ripple spring.

15. The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the set of pins includes a number of pins that corresponds to a number of holes in a wedge used to secure a ripple spring in a stator core winding slot.

16. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the sensors and calculator are battery-powered.

17. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein, in response to the set of pins engaging the uneven measurement surface,
the low point isolator member engages the first sensor tip in response to being engaged by a lowest one of the low point stops of the set of pins,
the high point isolator member engages the second sensor tip in response to being engaged by a highest one of the high point stops of the set of pins,
the low point displacement sensor identifies a low point displacement in response to the first sensor tip being engaged by the low point isolator member,
the high point displacement sensor identifies a high point displacement in response to the second sensor tip being engaged by the high point isolator member, and
the calculator calculates the difference between the low point displacement and the high point displacement in response to receiving the low point displacement from the low point displacement sensor and the high point displacement from the high point displacement sensor.

18. A system for measuring a deflection of a ripple spring in a stator core winding slot from a free-state of the ripple spring, the system comprising,
a frame slidingly supporting a set of pins, each pin individually spring biased to engage the ripple spring, each pin including a high point stop and a low point stop fixedly coupled thereto,
a low point isolator member moveable relative to the frame, the low point isolator member indicating a lowest point of the ripple spring engaged by the set of pins based on engagement of the low point isolator member by a respective low point stop of a first pin in the set of pins that engages a low point of the ripple spring;
a high point isolator member moveable relative to the frame, the high point isolator member indicating a highest point of the ripple spring engaged by the set of pins based on engagement of the high point isolator member by a respective high point stop of a second pin in the set of pins that engages a high point of the ripple spring;
a low point displacement sensor fixedly coupled to the f

Assignees

• Gen Electric

Inventors

• Lape Brock Matthew
• Hughes David Pate
• Oliver Stuart Alan

Classifications

• G01B5/207 Primary

  using a plurality of fixed, simultaneously operating transducers (G01B5/213 - G01B5/22 take precedence) · CPC title