Fork Shaft Recess Layout for Protected Sensor Integration
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing designs for cardan shafts with integrated sensors are vulnerable to external influences and weaken the fork shaft, compromising strength and requiring complex manufacturing.
Innovation Solution
A recess is formed in the fork shaft to house a sensor assembly, protected from mechanical influences and operating fluids, with a geometry that compensates for reduced strength and allows for easy installation and maintenance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a sensor assembly is integrated into the fork shaft, then measurement data can be acquired, but the fork shaft strength is reduced due to the recess
Solution Approach 1:
The recess is positioned specifically on the fork side rather than in the shaft portion, localizing the structural modification to an area where it has minimal impact on overall shaft strength while still enabling sensor integration for measurement data acquisition
2Ease of operation
If the sensor is exposed on the outside of the fork shaft, then it is easy to access, but it is vulnerable to external influences such as operating fluids and dirt
Solution Approach 1:
The sensor assembly is nested within a recess that is formed in the fork side of the shaft, allowing the sensor to be protected from external environmental factors while remaining accessible for installation and maintenance operations
3Reliability
If the recess is formed in the shaft portion, then the sensor is protected, but the shaft geometry and design are affected
Solution Approach 1:
The shaft is segmented into distinct functional zones: the shaft portion for torque transmission and the fork side for sensor integration. By placing the recess in the fork side rather than the shaft portion, the design separates the sensing function from the mechanical transmission function, avoiding complications to shaft geometry while maintaining sensor protection
Data Source
Figure 1~4a
Figure 1
Figure 5
AI summary
The invention relates to a shaft 1 with a device for the indirect acquisition and transmission of measurement data from the shaft 1 resulting from a mechanical stress on the shaft 1, wherein the shaft 1, with a central axis M as part of a cardan shaft, has a first end section 1.2 and the shaft 1 is combined with a fork 2 for transmitting torques to a cross pin 2.1, and the shaft 1 and the fork 2 form a shaft end E. The device is intended to be easier to manufacture and, at the same time, to better protect the sensor against external influences. A recess 1.1 for receiving at least part of a sensor arrangement 3 is provided in the shaft 1, wherein the recess 1.1 is introduced into the shaft end E from the outside, from the side of the fork 2 and coaxially with the central axis M.