Kabushiki Kaisha Toyoda Jidoshokki Seisakusho

Yoshitaka Kouketsu

Yasuharu Odachi

Katsufumi Tanaka

Hiroshi Fukasaku

Yoichiro Kashiwagi

Takeshi Harasawa

Kazuo Ishikawa

Hisashi Kuriya

Shunichi Shibasaki

Daisuke Satoh

Yukio Yoshioka

Kazushi Fujii

A torque sensor has a magnetostrictive member fixed to a shaft. The magnetostrictive member is strained by the torque applied to the shaft. Exciting coils generate flux running through the magnetostrictive member. The flux varies in accordance with the strain of the magnetostrictive member. Detecting coils detect the flux variation. The exciting coils and the detecting coils are wound about bobbins. A stator supports the bobbins such that the coils surround and face the magnetostrictive member. The stator is rotatably supported relative to the shaft and is formed with stator pieces. The stator has annular grooves formed in its inner surface to accommodate the bobbins. One end of each bobbin is fixed to one wall of the corresponding annular groove. A clearance is formed between the outer end of the bobbin and the other wall of the annular groove, and another clearance is formed between the outer circumferential surface of the bobbin and the inner circumferential wall of the annular groove. The clearances accommodate thermal expansion of the bobbins, which improves the performance of the torque sensor.

Magnetostrictive torque sensor

A torque sensor having an improved detection accuracy is disclosed. The torque sensor includes a cylindrical stator. The stator is arranged to face a magnetostrictive member fixed to a shaft. The stator includes a stator body and two retainer rings. When assembling the stator body and the two retainer rings, a pair of exciting coils and a pair of detecting coils are accommodated in the inner wall of the stator. Joints between the stator body and the two retainer rings are not exposed to the inner surface of the stator.

Torque sensor with joint means for producing a consistent magnetic effect

An improved magnetostrictive torque sensor for sensing torque applied to a shaft that is rotatably supported in a housing. A magnetostrictive cylinder is fixed to the shaft. A stator is supported on the shaft by bearings to surround the magnetostrictive cylinder and is accommodated in the housing. The stator incorporates exciting coils and detecting coils such that the coils are located about the shaft. The magnetosttrictive cylinder is strained by torque applied to the shaft. The exciting coils generate flux running through the magnetostrictive cylinder. The generated flux is changed in accordance with the strain of the magnetostrictive cylinder. The detecting coils detect the flux changes. The stator is also rotatably fixed to the housing by bearings. Rotation of the stator relative to the housing is prevented by connectors that couple the stator with the housing. This prevents tension in wires that lead from the stator.

Torque sensor and rotation restrictor for stator

An improved torque sensor for detecting the direction and the magnitude of a torque applied to a shaft. The sensor includes a magnetostrictive layer, a pair of bearings, a stator and two nuts. The sleeve is fixed the circumference of the shaft. The layer has a magnetostriction effect in accordance with torque applied to the shaft. A pair of collars are fixed to the shaft at opposite ends of the layer. The bearings are connected to the shaft. Each bearing contacts one of the collars. The stator accommodates two pairs of coils. Each coil pair includes an exciting coil and a detecting coil. The coils surround and face the magnetostrictive layer. The axial position of the stator is determined by the bearings. Each nut is threaded to a threaded portion fixed to the shaft and presses one of the bearings against the corresponding collar. Accordingly, the axial position of the stator is determined.

An attitude control apparatus, for a vehicle having a body and a plurality of wheels, has an actuator operated by a fluid for expanding each suspension of the vehicle to control the stroke of each wheel. A first detecting device detects a variation of incline of the body of the vehicle when the body inclines from a horizontal position. A second detecting device detects the vertical position of each wheel relative to the body. A third detecting device detects the load applied to each wheel. A first control device controls the volume and direction of the fluid to be supplied to the actuator. A calculating device calculates the vertical displacement of each wheel, the current average height of the body, and the variation of the load on the wheel based on the variation of the inclined angle of the body, the vertical position of each wheel, and the load on each wheel. A setting device sets a target value for the average height. A second control device controls the actuator via the first control device in response to results calculated by the calculating device to cause the current average height to approach the target value and to cause the variation of the load on each wheel to approach substantially zero.

Growing community of inventors

Kariya, Japan

Yoshitaka Kouketsu