Methode Electronics, Incorporated

John A De Franco

Mohan J Devsam

Harris Ng

Matthew B LaCourse

Liu Qiyuan

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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Farmington Hills, MI, United States of America

John A De Franco