Methode Electronics, Incorporated

Harris Ng

Mohan J Devsam

Lawrence T Rupert

Matthew B LaCourse

John A De Franco

Liu Qiyuan

A combination torque and position sensor is provided for measuring the torque applied to a rotatable shaft, and measuring the position of the shaft as it is rotated. The combination sensor includes a fixed disc formed of a non-conducting insulating material with a circular resistive position track and a circular resistive torque track disposed around a surface of the disc. A first input voltage supply contact and a first ground contact in fixed relation to one another and are held in rotatable contact with said torque track. A torque signal output contact also held in rotatable contact with the torque track is positioned between the first voltage supply contact and the first ground contact such that torque applied to the shaft alters the relative position between the torque output contact and the first voltage supply and first ground contacts. The torque output contact provides an output voltage signal proportional to the amount of torque applied to said shaft. A second input voltage supply contact and a second ground contact are held in rotatable contact with the position track. At least one position signal output contact is electrically connected to the position track and provides an output voltage signal proportional to the angular position of said shaft.

Torque and position sensor

A torque sensor is provided for measuring the amount of torque being applied to a rotatable shaft fitted with a torsion bar between two separate shaft segments. The sensor includes first rotor attached to a first shaft segment such that angular rotation of the first segment is translated to the rotor. A second rotor is attached to the second shaft segment such that angular rotation the second shaft segment is translated to the second rotor. The first rotor supplies two pairs of signal voltage references circumferentially spaced around a surface of the first rotor. At least one resistive track having a uniform linear resistance extends between the voltage signal references of each pair. A pair of contact carriers are positioned between the first and second rotors. Surface features formed in the contact carriers and the first rotor couple the contact carriers to the first rotor such that the contact carriers are constrained to move anullarly around the central axis of rotation of the first rotor. The contact carriers are anullarly driven by the second rotor. First and second signal contacts are mounted to said the contact carriers, and are configured to engage the at least one resistive track at a points between the said first pair of signal voltage references, and said second pair of signal voltage references respectively. Output voltage signals are developed from said first and second signal contacts proportional to the relative position of said signal contacts between said voltage reference pairs. A method of correcting signal errors introduced from misalignment of the two shaft segments is provided by subtractively averaging the two independent voltage signals.

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Royal Oak, MI, United States of America

Harris Ng