Sensor Substrate With Tunable Flexibility For Torque Sensing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional strain gauges, including metallic and fiber optic types, often lack sufficient sensitivity to detect certain forces applied to shafts, leading to inadequate measurement of strain and torque in applications like torque sensors.
Innovation Solution
A sensor substrate with adjustable attachment points and necks that can be tuned to enhance flexibility and strain detection, allowing for increased sensitivity of embedded sense elements by controlling the amount of flexing in response to applied forces.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If conventional strain gauges are used to measure strain on shafts, then the measurement system is simple, but the sensitivity is insufficient to detect certain forces
Solution Approach 1:
The sensor substrate incorporates flexible necks with adjustable attachment points that allow the structure to dynamically adapt its flexibility. By tuning the distance between attachment points and adjusting the neck geometry, the substrate can optimize its flexing characteristics to enhance strain detection sensitivity for specific force magnitudes while maintaining a relatively simple overall structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention enables parameter adjustment of the sensor substrate by modifying the distance between attachment points and changing the neck geometry. These parameter changes allow optimization of the flexing characteristics to improve strain detection sensitivity without requiring a complete redesign of the sensor system.
2Measurement precision
If the sensor substrate is made more flexible to increase sensitivity, then strain detection sensitivity improves, but the structural stability may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The flexible necks are designed with adjustable attachment points that allow dynamic tuning of the substrate's flexibility. This enables optimization of the balance between flexibility (for sensitivity) and stability (for structural integrity) by adjusting the distance between attachment points and modifying neck geometry based on specific measurement requirements.
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 sensor substrate effectively increases the sensitivity of strain detection, enabling the measurement of previously undetectable forces by adjusting the distance and shape of attachment points and necks, thereby improving the accuracy of force measurement in torque sensors.
Implementation Method 1
The sensor substrate may be attached to a shaft that may be part of a torque sensor. The attachment points may be tuned (e.g., adjusted) to accommodate sensing a strain applied to the shaft.
Implementation Method 2
Strain may be viewed as an amount of deformation of a body due to an applied force. The amount of deformation may be a fractional change in the length of the body.
Data Source
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AI summary
In an embodiment, a sensor substrate includes a first end, a second end, and a body. The body contains provisions for accommodating one or more sense elements. The first end and the second end contain attachment points for attaching the sensor substrate to a shaft. In addition, the first end and the second end include curved portions. For a particular end, a spacing of the attachment points and/or a depth of the curved portion may define, in part, a flexibility of the end. This flexibility may be used to control a sensitivity of the sense elements.