Resilient Serpentine Timing Wheel for Accurate Shaft Position Monitoring
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for establishing mechanical angular position of rotating shafts using timing wheels are inaccurate due to incorrect shaft diameter measurements, leading to improper fitting, kerf issues, and increased complexity and cost, as well as the need for machinery disassembly for installation.
Innovation Solution
A resilient, serpentine-shaped multi-event timing apparatus with undulations that can be wrapped around the shaft, featuring end portions that secure together to provide evenly spaced event members detectable by sensors, allowing for accurate rotational position monitoring without disassembly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If a timing wheel is custom designed and fabricated to fit a specific shaft diameter, then the timing wheel can be precisely fitted to the shaft, but the manufacturing complexity and cost increase due to custom design requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The timing wheel is designed with a resilient material that allows its inner diameter to be elastically expanded during installation. This parameter change enables a single standardized timing wheel design to adapt to different shaft diameters, eliminating custom design requirements while maintaining precise fit through controlled elastic deformation
Solution Approach 2:
The timing wheel is divided into two halves that can be separately installed on the shaft and then joined together. This segmentation allows the timing wheel to be fitted around the shaft without requiring custom design for each shaft diameter, as the two halves can be expanded to accommodate the shaft and then secured together
2Ease of operation
If the timing wheel is split in half and clamped around the shaft, then the timing wheel can be installed on the shaft, but the kerf created by splitting reduces the spacing of events and causes measurement errors
Solution Approach 1:
The resilient material allows the timing wheel to be elastically expanded during installation, creating a uniform gap between the two halves that compensates for the kerf width. This parameter change in the material's dimensions enables the event spacing to remain accurate despite the presence of the kerf, as the elastic expansion uniformly distributes the gap throughout the circumference
Solution Approach 2:
The resilient material inherently compensates for the kerf width by providing elastic compliance. This beforehand cushioning effect ensures that the event spacing remains accurate by allowing the material to deform and absorb the dimensional discrepancy caused by the kerf, preventing measurement errors
3Ease of operation
If the timing wheel is installed on exposed locations of the shaft adjacent to bearings or rigid couplings, then the timing wheel can be installed without disassembly, but the installation location may not be suitable for accurate timing measurements
Solution Approach 1:
The resilient timing wheel can dynamically adapt to various installation locations on the shaft, including areas adjacent to bearings or couplings. The elastic material allows the timing wheel to maintain proper tension and event spacing regardless of the specific installation location, enabling reliable measurements even in previously unsuitable positions
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The apparatus ensures accurate rotational position monitoring with reduced production costs and minimal machinery disassembly, providing improved accuracy and ease of installation by maintaining tension and evenly distributing event members around the shaft.
Implementation Method 1
a resilient, serpentine-shaped middle portion 16 for extending around the shaft
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus for providing an indication of rotational position of a shaft by parameter change. The apparatus includes a resilient, serpentine-shaped middle portion, a first end portion located at one end of the middle portion, and a second end portion at another end of the middle portion. The second end portion is for location adjacent to the first end portion to permit securing of the first and second ends together subsequent to the middle portion being resiliently extended around the shaft. The serpentine-shaped middle portion is sized to be taut on the shaft and is shaped to have a plurality of undulations. The undulations providing a plurality of event members each having at least one characteristic that causes a change of a parameter that can be sensed by a sensor when the event member rotates past the sensor.