Crane Electronics, Inc.

Other

David Ogilvie Crane

Hedley Lloyd Quinton

Ian B Golding

Robin Crann

Ronald F Horner

Thomas McDonald

Andrew C Lester

A torque applying tool such as a nutrunner or torque wrench incorporates torque sensors responsive to strain in a shaft mounting an output square drive head the strain being measured as it exists immediately adjacent the drive head. The shaft is a hollow quill shaft an outer diameter of which is splined to receive a torque drive input at a location axially spaced from the drive head. A central shaft extends from the drive head centrally up the quill shaft and a flexible cantilever beam is mounted between a cranked end of the central shaft as it extends out of the quill shaft and the corresponding end of the quill shaft. One or more strain sensing transducers, preferably S.A.W. devices, are mounted on the cantilever beam to detect flexure of the beam, and the resulting output signal is passed through an inductive or capacitive coupling for transmission to a CPU and display.

Torque sensing tool

A torque sensing calibration unit comprises a hollow torsion bar ( ) to which torque is to be applied, associated with two or more pairs or positions sensors ( ) each pair being arranged to measure movement of the bar on diametrically opposite sides of a central axis through the bar ( ). The pairs of sensors are arranged to measure movement in mutually perpendicular directions.

Torque sensing calibration unit

A variable rate test joint comprises a housing and a shaft mounted within the housing. A hexagonal head is provided for coupling a tool to be tested to the shaft. In use a frictional braking torque is applied to the shaft. A computer controls the magnitude of the braking torque applied to the shaft as a function of time.

Variable torque rate simulated test joint

Torque transducers

Torque wrench with angular motion detector

A torque transducer has a torque transformable shaft 2 with strain guages 10, 12 electrically connected to sliprings 58 separated by spacers 60. A torque related signal is transmittable via the sliprings to a brush arrangement 22 having flexible strips 24 pulled by tension from springs 26 against the periphery of the sliprings 58, with the strips 24 tracked between the spacers 60 onto the sliprings 58.

A torque transducing attachment (2) can be fastened to a air-driven impact tool (8) at its rear end. A shaft (20) in bearings (16) in a housing (12) has a torque transformable part (22) with integral bushes (24, 26) with apertures (29) on either side. The relative displacement under torque of the apertures (29) varies the amount of light transmitted from a stabilized LED source (36) to a photo detector (46) and the resulting signal is passed through frequency responsive network.

Torque transducing attachments for air-driven impact tools

A torque transducing system for an impact tool such as an impact wrench incorporates a housing, bearings in the housing, a rotatable shaft journalled in the bearings, the shaft having a torque receiving input end and an output end supplying torque for a workpiece, a torque transducing gauge on the shaft intermediate the input and the output end for providing a first signal responsive to torque, circuitry on the rotatable shaft for modulating the first signal to a second signal, structure on the shaft for supplying current to the gauge and modulating circuitry and additional structure for transmitting the second signal, further structure on the housing for receiving the transmitted second signal, and circuitry for converting the second received signal to provide an output indicative of torque. Current can be supplied to and a signal can be obtained from the signal modulating circuitry by providing a plurality of brush assemblies mounted on the housing and the rotatable shaft has corresponding sliprings, one pair of said sliprings forming the aforesaid structure for supplying current to the torque transducing gauge and one slipring forming the additional structure for transmitting the second signal, the modulating circuitry including an amplifier to permit transmission of the second signal to its brush assembly with a proportionately low signal loss.

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Lutterworth, United Kingdom

David Ogilvie Crane