Distance-variable measuring device

Abstract

Measuring device (22) for the contactless detection of a material parameter on a test object (12), with a measuring sensor (18, 18a-18d) for the distance-dependent contactless detection of the material parameter and a carrier part (20) to which the measuring sensor (18, 18a-18d) can be attached, as well as a connecting device (26) for the mechanical and electrical connection of the measuring sensor (18, 18a-18d) and the carrier part (20) in order to transmit a signal, wherein the connecting device (26) is designed such that the measuring sensor (18, 18a-18d) can be attached to the carrier part in a variably selectable manner along at least one axis.

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a measuring device for the contactless detection of a material parameter on a test object, comprising a sensor for distance-dependent contactless detection of the material parameter and a support member to which the sensor can be attached. Furthermore, the invention relates to a measuring device formed from such a measuring device. Furthermore, the invention relates to a series of such measuring devices for measuring different test objects. Furthermore, the invention relates to an advantageous use.

[0002] For the technological background and state of the art, please refer to the following literature: [1] DE 10 2017 107 716 A1 [2] DE 10 2017 112 913 A1 [3] Magnetic Sense - Products website, downloaded on 17.08.2023 from https: / / magnetic-sense.com / produkte / [4] Magnetic Sense - Technology website, downloaded on 17.08.2023 from https: / / magnetic-sense.com / technologie / [5] WO 2019 / 197 500 A1 [6] DE 10 2011 075 391 A1 [7] DE 10 2011 075 400 A1 [8] DE 20 2014 104 374 U1 and all documents cited in [1], [2] and [5].

[0003] From the publications [6], [7] and [8] measuring devices are known in which a measuring sensor can be variably mounted on a support part along at least one axis.

[0004] A good overview of the state of the art can be found in references [1] and [2], which describe sensors implemented on a circuit board, which are also used in preferred embodiments of the invention. Currently, signal transmission from one circuit board to the next is achieved by a fixed, fixed solder joint that cannot be moved. This provides good signal quality that is also vibration-resistant.

[0005] During the manufacturing process, circuit boards that are firmly soldered together at specific points can only be fixed in one position. Therefore, a new circuit board must be designed for different distances when using distance-sensitive signals.

[0006] In principle, it would also be possible to connect the sensor with cables. An attempt was made to achieve stable signal transmission using shielded cables. While signal transmission via cable would allow for position adjustment, changes in the cable's movement, such as vibration or similar, would degrade the signal quality. Furthermore, manufacturing with cables is not cost-effective.

[0007] The object of the invention is to create a measuring device of the type mentioned above in which the measuring distance can be variably adjusted with as few changes as possible and yet a stable signal transmission is possible.

[0008] To achieve this object, the invention provides a measuring device according to claim 1. A measuring device formed therefrom, a series of such measuring devices, a measuring arrangement with such a measuring device or measuring device and an advantageous use are the subject of the dependent claims.

[0009] Advantageous embodiments are the subject of the subclaims.

[0010] According to one aspect thereof, the invention provides a measuring device for the contactless detection of a material parameter on a test object, comprising a measuring sensor for the distance-dependent contactless detection of the material parameter and a carrier part to which the measuring sensor can be attached, as well as a connecting device for electrically connecting the measuring sensor and the carrier part in order to transmit a signal, wherein the connecting device is designed such that the measuring sensor can be attached to the carrier component in a variably selectable manner along at least one axis.

[0011] Preferably, the measuring device is designed as a load measuring device for contactless detection of a mechanical load in the test object, with the measuring sensor being designed for magnetic inductive measurement on the test object. For further details on the possible design of the measuring sensor and the support part, reference is made to references [1] to [4].

[0012] It is preferred that the measuring sensor has a first measuring coil and a second measuring coil as a magnetic field detection device and further has at least one magnetic field generating device for actively generating a magnetic field in the test object.

[0013] It is preferred that the connecting device has at least one elongated first contact or contact rail on at least one of the components measuring sensor and carrier part, which can be variably contacted along its / its longitudinal direction with a second contact on the other component.

[0014] It is preferred that a plurality of parallel contact rails are provided on both the measuring sensor and the support component, wherein the contact rails of the measuring sensor can be contacted with the contact rails of the support component in positions that can be variably selected along the longitudinal direction of the contact rails.

[0015] It is preferred that the measuring sensor comprises a printed circuit board and / or the carrier component comprises a printed circuit board, wherein the at least one contact rail is formed as an exposed conductor track on the printed circuit board.

[0016] It is preferred that the sensor is formed on a semi-flexible or rigid-flexible PCB.

[0017] It is preferred that the support part is formed in a ring-shaped or C- or U-shaped manner around an axis, wherein several of the measuring sensors can be mounted radially variably on the support part at a distance from one another in the circumferential direction.

[0018] It is preferred that the measuring sensor has a measuring sensor region with at least one sensitive element and a connection region extending at an angle to the measuring sensor region with the first or second contact or the printed circuit board with the at least one open conductor track.

[0019] It is preferred that positioning aids for the relative positioning of the measuring sensor and the carrier part at several predetermined positions are provided on at least one of the components measuring sensor and carrier part.

[0020] According to a further aspect, the invention provides a measuring device comprising a measuring device according to one of the preceding embodiments, and a fixed connection or soldered connection with which the measuring sensor and the carrier part are connected or soldered to one another in the variably selected position.

[0021] According to a further aspect, the invention provides a series of measuring devices comprising a plurality of such measuring devices in which the measuring sensors are fastened or soldered to the respective carrier part at different, variably selectable positions.

[0022] According to a further aspect, the invention provides a measuring arrangement comprising such a measuring device or a measuring device according to one of the preceding embodiments and the test object.

[0023] According to a further aspect, the invention provides a method for producing such a measuring device, comprising providing the measuring device according to one of the preceding embodiments, variably adjusting the position of the at least one measuring sensor on the carrier part - in particular for adjusting the distance between the measuring sensor and the test object - and firmly connecting or soldering the measuring sensor and the carrier part.

[0024] According to a further aspect, the invention provides a use of a measuring device or a measuring apparatus or a measuring arrangement according to one of the preceding embodiments for measuring a torque, a force or a voltage in or on the test object.

[0025] The invention lies in the technical field of electrical engineering, construction and sensor technology.

[0026] Preferred embodiments comprise a measuring device with a displacement system. Preferably, the displacement system allows the position of a measuring sensor on a carrier part that supports and electrically connects the sensor to be selected.

[0027] Preferred embodiments of the invention relate to a measuring device, measuring apparatus, or measuring arrangement for contactless measurement of any material parameter, in particular a mechanical load. At least one support component—hereinafter referred to as the support part—is provided, on which at least one measuring sensor can be mounted. The measuring sensor(s) or connecting pieces to the measuring sensors are designed such that the measuring sensor(s) can be mounted variably along at least one axis relative to the support part.

[0028] Some embodiments relate to a load measuring device in which the assembly of the carrier part and the measuring sensor is carried out by soldering.

[0029] In a preferred load measuring device, at least one component has at least one contact rail, which allows the positioning of the connection to be selected variably.

[0030] Preferably, contact rails are formed by exposed conductor tracks on a PCB.

[0031] Preferably, the at least one measuring sensor is designed for magnetic inductive measurements.

[0032] Preferably, the at least one measuring sensor is first connected to a connecting element which has solder bars.

[0033] Preferably, the at least one measuring sensor is designed as a semi-flexible or rigid-flexible PCB.

[0034] Preferably, the at least one measuring sensor or the connecting pieces have positioning aids for assembly.

[0035] In some embodiments, a stable signal transmission is established from one board to another board, which can be transmitted with identical components in different positions.

[0036] Preferred embodiments of the invention make it possible to transmit a signal from one circuit board to another circuit board, which is adjustable in position during the assembly process of the two circuit boards and is stable against vibration and similar environmental influences.

[0037] With preferred embodiments of the invention, for example, distance-sensitive torque sensors can be developed which can be adjusted to different distances in the assembly process with identical components.

[0038] An exemplary embodiment is explained in more detail below with reference to the attached drawings. They show: Fig. 1 a plan view of a measuring arrangement according to a comparative example not covered by the invention with a shaft as test object, a carrier part and several measuring sensors arranged on the carrier part; Fig. 2 a plan view of a measuring device according to an embodiment of the invention, which also has the carrier part and the plurality of measuring sensors, but which are connected to the carrier part by a variable connecting device; Fig. 3 an exploded view of one of the connecting devices, and; Fig. 4a, Fig. 4b shows a view of the connecting device in different positions.

[0039] Fig. 1 shows a conventional measuring arrangement 10 for the contactless detection of a material parameter on a test object 12. The measuring arrangement 10 is designed as a load measuring arrangement for the magnetically inductive detection of a load in the test object 12, for example for measuring a torque in a shaft 14 provided as the test object 12.

[0040] The measuring arrangement 10 comprises the test object 12 and a measuring device 16. The measuring device 16 has at least one measuring sensor 18, for example a first and a second measuring sensor 18a, 18b, which is to be arranged at a specific distance from the test object 12 in order to record the material parameter. A measuring sensor known from [1] to [5] with a plurality of magnetic detection elements, in particular measuring coils, and here also with at least one generator coil, is used as the measuring sensor 18, 18a, 18b.

[0041] The measuring sensors 18, 18a, 18b, which are implemented on a circuit board (e.g. printed circuit board), are arranged on a carrier part 20, which is also designed as a circuit board (printed circuit board - PCB), which carries the measuring sensors 18, 18a, 18b and is electrically connected to an electronic unit (in Fig. 1 not shown). The electronics unit supplies the sensors 18, 18a, 18b with energy, receives their signals, and converts them into a measurement signal indicating the material parameter, as is well known from the cited literature.

[0042] To ensure stable signal transmission, the carrier part board and the respective board of the sensor are firmly soldered together.

[0043] As a rule, the measurements depend on the distance between the measuring sensors 18, 18a, 18b and the test object 12. As described in [3] and [4], for example, in magnetic-inductive measurements, a short distance is generally advantageous for achieving a good signal strength. Therefore, separate circuit boards are required for different measurement situations, at least for the carrier part 20. The carrier part 20 is arranged in a ring around the shaft 14, for example. If a shaft with a different diameter is to be measured as the test object 12, a carrier part 20 with a correspondingly adjusted inner diameter is used.

[0044] Fig. 2 shows a plan view of a measuring device 22 for forming a measuring apparatus 16 according to an embodiment of the invention, which corresponds to the measuring apparatus 16 described above according to the comparative example except for the differences explained in more detail below.

[0045] The measuring device 22 comprises the support part 20, on which the electronics unit 24 is also arranged, and the at least one measuring sensor 18, which can be connected to the support part 20 by means of a connecting device 26. The connecting device 26 is designed such that the at least one measuring sensor 18 can be variably mounted on the support part 20 along at least one axis.

[0046] The connecting device 26 is designed as a sliding system so that the measuring sensor 18 and the support part 20 can be moved relative to one another in order to adapt the position of the measuring sensor 18 during assembly of the measuring device 16 for a specific measuring situation.

[0047] For this purpose, the connecting device 26 has a plurality of elongated contacts in the form of contact rails 28, 30 on the support part 20 and on the at least one measuring sensor 18. First contact rails 28 are provided on the at least one measuring sensor 18, while the support part 20 has second contact rails 30. The contact rails 28, 30 can be brought into contact with one another in different positions in the longitudinal direction to ensure stable signal transmission.

[0048] In particular, the connecting device 26 creates a connection system in the form of exposed conductor tracks (contact rails / solder rails) in order to be able to transmit signals over a predetermined distance, regardless of position.

[0049] In the Fig. 2, a first to fourth measuring sensor 18a-18d are arranged around an inner opening 32 of the carrier part 20. The measuring sensors 18a-18d have, as the measuring sensor region 38, a circuit board of the type known from [1] to [5] with measuring coils and a generator coil. In addition, a connecting piece 34 is provided on each of the measuring sensors 18a-18d as a connecting region, which is also designed as a printed circuit board and to which the circuit board with the coils is soldered. In some embodiments, the circuit board of the measuring sensor region and a circuit board of the connecting piece are manufactured separately and connected at an angle to one another, for example, soldered together. In some embodiments (not shown), the measuring sensor region 38 and the connecting piece 34 are provided on the same circuit board designed as a semi-flexible or rigid-flexible PCB.

[0050] The Fig. 3 and Fig. 4a and 4b each show one of the connecting pieces 34 together with the corresponding area of ​​the carrier part 20. As can be seen therefrom, the contact rails 28, 30, which can be used in particular as soldering rails for a solder connection at the selected position, are designed as exposed conductor tracks on the respective circuit boards / PCBs.

[0051] In the illustrated embodiments, a plurality of first contact rails 28 and respectively associated second contact rails 30 are provided. The first contact rails 28 and the second contact rails 30 each extend parallel to one another. The number of respectively provided first contact rails 28 (and associated second contact rails 30) depends on the number of required electrical lines between the electronics unit 24 and the respective measuring sensor 18. The embodiment illustrated here is designed for contacting a generator coil and four measuring coils (e.g. in an X arrangement, see [1], [2], [5]). Of course, a measuring sensor with only two measuring coils (V arrangement) can also be attached here, in which case some of the contact rails may remain unused.

[0052] Fig. 3 shows solder bars on a coil carrier PCB (example for sensors 18, 18a, 18d, here on the connector 34, in other versions directly on the coil board) for a modular adjustable torque sensor. On the right in Fig. 3 shows the corresponding counterpart (here the corresponding area of ​​the support part 20).

[0053] By exposing the conductor tracks to a so-called soldering rail or contact rail 28, 30, it is possible to connect the components along the rail axis in different positions, two examples of which are shown in the Fig. 4a and Fig. 4b are shown.

[0054] To manufacture the measuring device 16, the carrier part 20 and the measuring sensors 18a-18d, optionally with the associated connecting piece 34, are first provided. As shown in Fig.2 by the arrows, the position of the respective measuring sensors 18a-18d can be variably adjusted. Positioning aids 36, e.g., stops or markings for specific measuring arrangements 10 (e.g., specific shaft diameters), can be provided for this purpose. Once the position has been appropriately selected, the measuring sensors 18a-18d can be connected to the carrier part 20 by soldering, thus creating the measuring device 16 adapted to the predetermined measuring arrangement 10. Thus, different measuring devices 16 can be mass-produced using the same measuring device 22, each with the same components.

[0055] Although the connecting device 26 designed as a displacement system has been described using the example of a measuring arrangement 10 for detecting loads, in particular torques or forces, by magnetic inductive measurements, it should be clear that this principle can also be used to adjust the position of the measuring sensors in other material parameter measuring devices.

[0056] In order to be able to provide measuring devices (16) constructed from identical modules and adapted for different measuring geometries for the contactless measurement of a material parameter, in particular a load, in a test object with stable signal transmission quality even under harsh operating conditions, the invention provides a measuring device (22) for the contactless detection of a material parameter on a test object (12), with a measuring sensor (18, 18a-18d) for the distance-dependent contactless detection of the material parameter and a carrier part (20) to which the measuring sensor (18, 18a-18d) can be attached, as well as a connecting device (26) for the mechanical and electrical connection of the measuring sensor (18, 18a-18d) and the carrier part (20) in order to transmit a signal, wherein the connecting device (26) is designed such that the measuring sensor (18, 18a-18d) can be variably selected along at least one axis on the support part can be attached. List of reference symbols: 10 Measuring arrangement 12 test objects 14 Wave 16 Measuring device 18 sensors 18a first sensor 18b second sensor 18c third sensor 18d fourth sensor 20 support part 22 Measuring device 24 Electronic unit 26 Connecting device 28 first contact rail 30 second contact rail (example for second contact) 32 interior opening 34 connecting piece 36 Positioning aid 38 sensor range

Claims

[1] Measuring device (22) for the contactless detection of a material parameter on a test object (12), with a measuring sensor (18, 18a-18d) for the distance-dependent contactless detection of the material parameter and a carrier part (20) to which the measuring sensor (18, 18a-18d) can be attached, as well as a connecting device (26) for the mechanical and electrical connection of the measuring sensor (18, 18a-18d) and the carrier part (20) in order to transmit a signal, wherein the connecting device (26) is designed such that the measuring sensor (18, 18a-18d) can be attached to the carrier part in a variably selectable manner along at least one axis. [2] Measuring device (22) according to claim 1, designed as a load measuring device for contactless detection of a mechanical load in the test object (12), wherein the measuring sensor (18, 18a-18d) is designed for magnetic inductive measurement on the test object (12). [3] Measuring device (22) according to claim 2,characterized by that the measuring sensor (18, 18a-18d) has a first measuring coil and a second measuring coil as a magnetic field detection device and further has at least one magnetic field generating device for actively generating a magnetic field in the test object (12). [4] Measuring device (22) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the connecting device (26) has at least one elongated first contact or a contact rail (28) on at least one of the components measuring sensor (18, 18a-18d) and carrier part (20), which can be variably contacted along its / its longitudinal direction with a second contact (30) on the other component. [5] Measuring device (22) according to claim 4, characterized bythat a plurality of parallel contact rails (28, 30) are provided both on the measuring sensor (18, 18a-18d) and on the carrier part (20), wherein the contact rails (28) of the measuring sensor can be contacted with the contact rails (30) of the carrier part (20) in positions that can be variably selected along the longitudinal direction of the contact rails (28, 30). [6] Measuring device (22) according to claim 4 or 5, characterized by that the measuring sensor (18, 18a-18d) has a printed circuit board and / or the carrier part (20) has a printed circuit board, wherein the at least one contact rail (28, 30) is designed as an exposed conductor track on the printed circuit board. [7] Measuring device (22) according to one of claims 4 to 6, characterized by that the measuring sensor (18, 18a-18d) is formed on a semi-flexible or rigid-flexible PCB. [8] Measuring device (22) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized bythat the carrier part (20) is annular or C- or U-shaped around an opening (32), wherein several of the measuring sensors (18, 18a-18d) can be mounted radially variably on the carrier part (20) at a distance from one another in the circumferential direction. [9] Measuring device (22) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the measuring sensor (18, 18a-18d) has a measuring sensor region with at least one sensitive element and a connection region (34) extending at an angle to the measuring sensor region with the first or second contact (28) or the printed circuit board with the at least one open conductor track. [10] Measuring device (22) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that positioning aids (36) for the relative positioning of the measuring sensor (18, 18a-18d) and the carrier part (20) at several predetermined positions are provided on at least one of the components measuring sensor (18, 18a-18d) and carrier part (20). [11] Measuring device (16) comprising a measuring device (22) according to one of the preceding claims, and a fixed connection or soldered connection with which the at least one measuring sensor (18, 18a-18d) and the carrier part (20) are connected or soldered to one another in the variably selected position. [12] A series of measuring devices (16) comprising a plurality of the measuring devices (16) according to claim 11, in which the measuring sensors (18, 18a-18d) are fastened or soldered to the respective carrier part (20) at different of the variably selectable positions. [13] Measuring arrangement (10) comprising a measuring device (16) according to claim 11 or a measuring device (22) according to one of claims 1 to 10 and the test object (12). [14] Method for producing a measuring device (16) according to claim 11, comprising providing the measuring device (22) according to one of claims 1 to 10, variably adjusting the position of the at least one measuring sensor (18, 18a-18d) on the carrier part (20) and firmly connecting or soldering the measuring sensor (18, 18a-18d) and the carrier part (20). [15] Using a measuring device (22) according to one of claims 1 to 10, a measuring apparatus (16) according to claim 11 or a measuring arrangement (10) according to claim 12 for measuring a torque, a force or a voltage in or on the test object (12).

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