Patent ID: 6644134
Filing Date: 2003-11-11
Classification: B62D,G01L

Abstract:
A torque sensing device adapted to measure the relative torque between two shafts and to send a corresponding signal comprising:a housing; an input shaft rotatably supported within said housing; a pinion shaft rotatably supported within said housing; a torsion bar positioned between and interconnecting said input shaft and said pinion shaft and adapted to allow rotational movement of said input shaft and said pinion shaft relative to one another, said input shaft and said pinion shaft being supported within said housing to allow limited axial movement of said input shaft and said pinion shaft within said housing; at least one magnet fixedly mounted to one of said input shaft and said pinion shaft and a stator assembly having a first pole and a second pole fixedly mounted to the other one of said input shaft and said pinion shaft and extending axially over said at least one magnets; a pair of flux brushes fixedly supported within said housing, each of said flux brushes being located in spaced relation to one of said first and second poles of said stator assembly, said flux brushes being spaced apart from one another by an axial distance, thereby defining a gap therebetween; a sensing device positioned within said gap adapted to measure the magnetic flux traveling between said flux brushes, which is related to the relative position of said magnet to said stator assembly.