Source: http://www.google.com/patents/US4890059?ie=ISO-8859-1&dq=4393663
Timestamp: 2014-12-29 00:04:38
Document Index: 121788200

Matched Legal Cases: ['art 1', 'art 2', 'art 1', 'art 1', 'art 2', 'art 2', 'art 2', 'art 2', 'art 2', 'art 2', 'arts 5', 'art 2']

Patent US4890059 - Digital tachometer with air gap adjusting yoke insertable through holes in ... - Google PatentsSearch Images Maps Play YouTube News Gmail Drive More »Sign inAdvanced Patent SearchPatentsA magnet equipped rotating generator wheel cooperates with a stationary sensor cassette containing wire pulse sensors. The sensor cassette is electrically and mechanically fixed to a stiff circuit board to form a structural unit. The generator wheel and structural unit are enclosed within a housing having...http://www.google.com/patents/US4890059?utm_source=gb-gplus-sharePatent US4890059 - Digital tachometer with air gap adjusting yoke insertable through holes in the tachometer housingAdvanced Patent SearchPublication numberUS4890059 APublication typeGrantApplication numberUS 07/255,978Publication dateDec 26, 1989Filing dateOct 11, 1988Priority dateOct 23, 1987Fee statusLapsedAlso published asDE8714182U1, EP0314957A1Publication number07255978, 255978, US 4890059 A, US 4890059A, US-A-4890059, US4890059 A, US4890059AInventorsHerwig GuentnerOriginal AssigneeSiemens AktiengesellschaftExport CitationBiBTeX, EndNote, RefManPatent Citations (9), Referenced by (16), Classifications (9), Legal Events (4) External Links: USPTO, USPTO Assignment, EspacenetDigital tachometer with air gap adjusting yoke insertable through holes in the tachometer housingUS 4890059 AAbstract A magnet equipped rotating generator wheel cooperates with a stationary sensor cassette containing wire pulse sensors. The sensor cassette is electrically and mechanically fixed to a stiff circuit board to form a structural unit. The generator wheel and structural unit are enclosed within a housing having inner and outer parts, the outer part having a planar front surface. The structural unit is adjustably mounted to the planar front surface of the outer part of the housing of the tachometer. A pair of holes are formed in the circuit board at the air gap location and a corresponding pair of holes in the planar front surface so that the air gap between generator wheel and sensor cassette can be adjusted by inserting a spacing yoke.
I claim: 1. A digital tachometer adapted to be mounted on a shaft projecting from a machine housing comprising:(a) a generator wheel, having an axis, a circumference and a plurality of set and reset magnets distributed about the circumference, adapted to be coupled to a machine shaft; (b) a housing having a lower part adapted to be fastened to a machine housing from which the machine shaft projects and an upper part enclosing said generator wheel, said upper part having a planar front surface perpendicular to the axis of said generator wheel; (c) a structural unit comprising:i. a stiff circuit board; ii. a sensor cassette containing therein one or more wire pulse sensors, said sensor cassette extending over a part of the generator wheel circumference such that the wire pulse sensors therein are spaced from the circumference of said generator wheel by an air gap; and iii. means for electrically connecting and mechanically coupling said sensor cassette to said stiff circuit board; (d) means for mounting said structural unit to the planar front surface of said upper part within said housing such as to be adjustable in a plane parallel to said planar front surface; (e) two adjusting holes in said stiff circuit board, at the location of the air gap between said sensor cassette and said generator wheel, and two corresponding holes in said planar front surface of said upper part, whereby two legs of an adjusting yoke can be inserted through the holes in said planar front surface and the holes in said stiff circuit board to accurately establish a uniform air gap, whereupon said structural unit can be fixed relative to said planar front surface and said yoke then removed. 2. A digital tachometer according to claim 1 wherein said means for mounting said unit comprise:a plurality of spacer bolts of equal length having stop surfaces at their faces extending from said circuit board, each of said spacer bolts having thinner threaded end parts extending from said stop surfaces; an equal plurality of openings, larger than said thinner end parts but smaller than said stop surfaces, formed in said planar front surface, said thinner end parts extending through said openings; lockwashers on the outside of said planar front surface surrounding said protruding thinner end parts; and fastening nuts threaded onto said thinner parts, whereby said fastening nuts can be screwed down on said threaded thinner parts to thereby clamp said unit into position after it is properly located utilizing a yoke. 3. A digital tachometer according to claim 1 and further including depressions in said planar front surface for receiving said lockwashers.
4. A digital tachometer according to claim 2 and further including depressions in said planar front surface for receiving said lockwashers.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The invention relates to a digital tachometer having stationary wire pulse sensors that are separated from a magnet equipped generator wheel by an air gap. Such a tachometer requires accurate adjustment of the air gap between the wire pulse sensors and set and reset magnets mounted on the circumference of the generator wheel. This adjustment has been complex and difficult. For this purpose several sensors mounted in series as viewed in the circumferential direction of the generator wheel housed in a sensor cassette which extends over a portion of the generator wheel have been used. A need exists for a tachometer of this type in which the separation between the wire pulse sensors and the generator wheel is established in a simple and reliable manner.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides a simple, functionally reliable, rugged and easily adjusted tachometer that requires few parts. Basically, the one or more wire pulse sensors are disposed within a sensor cassette which matches the curvature of the generator wheel. The sensors extend over a part of the circumference of the generator wheel. The sensor cassette is electrically and mechanically mounted to a stiff circuit board to form a structural unit. This unit is in turn mounted to an outer part of the housing of the tachometer, such as to be adjustable in a plane perpendicular to the generator wheel axis, and parallel to a front surface of the housing. Two adjustment holes in each of the housing and circuit board are aligned with the air gap to permit the legs of an adjusting yoke to be inserted and establish the air gap between the sensors and the generator wheel. After the air gap is established and the structural unit fixed in place, the adjusting yoke is removed.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 shows a cross-sectional view of a tachometer according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 shows a front view of the generator wheel shown in cross-section in FIG. 1.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION As illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, the tachometer is coupled to a machine shaft 10A and detachably fastened to the machine housing 10. A two-piece housing includes an inner part 1 which is mounted to machine housing 10. A cap shaped outer part 2 connects to the inner part 1 to form a housing for a generator wheel 3. Set and reset magnets 3A, 3B are provided at the periphery of generator wheel 3. Shaft end 10A protrudes through a shaft hole 1A in inner part 1. A fixed sensor cassette 4 is mounted in the housing opposite the periphery of the generator wheel 3 and separated therefrom by an air gap 7. The sensor cassette 4 contains wire pulse sensors that are electrically connected to a rigid circuit board 6 which is adjustably mounted to outer part 2. Rigid fasteners 4A hold sensor cassette 4 in place as a unit on the circuit board 6. The strip conductors of circuit board 6 are connected to terminals 6A which are in turn connected to externally accessible line connectors 2D on the outer part 2. The sensor cassette 4 covers a segment of the periphery of the generator wheel 3 determined by the number of wire pulse sensors. The sensor cassette matches the curvature of the circumference of the generator wheel so that the thickness of the air gap 7 is the same over its entire extent once sensor cassette 4 is adjusted.
To permit the adjustment of air gap 7, circuit board 6 including sensor cassette 4, must be mounted to the front planar surface 2A of the outer part 2 in a manner such that the circuit board and sensor cassette can be adjusted in all directions while held in a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the shaft. The planar front surface 2A of the outer part 2 is aligned parallel to a plane that is perpendicular to the shaft.
To accomplish this mounting, spacing bolts 5 are fastened to and extend perpendicular to the circuit board 6. Each spacing bolt has the same length and a stop surface 5A at one end. Central pinshaped end parts have a relatively small cross section as compared to the stop surfaces 5A with screw threads 5B. The end parts extend through connecting holes 2B in the planar front surface 2A of the upper part 2. Lockwashers 8 on the outside of front surface 2A cover the smaller connecting holes. Fastening nuts 5C press lockwashers 8 against the outside of the front surface 2A. The circuit board 6 and the sensor cassette 4 on the outer part 2 are thus held in place. The diameter of the connecting holes 2B are smaller than that of the stop surfaces 5A and lockwashers 8 but larger than the pinshaped end parts 5B so as to facilitate adjustment.
The air gap 7 is adjusted as follows. Fastening nuts 5C are loosened. Two adjusting holes 2C aligned with the air gap area are formed in the outer surface 2A and two associated adjusting holes 6B are provided in circuit board 6. An adjusting yoke 9 is inserted through the adjusting holes in both the outer surface 2A and in circuit board 6. Adjusting yoke 9 has two parallel legs and a thickness that establishes the thickness of the air gap. The circuit board is clamped to outer part 2 in correct position by the fastening nuts 5C after first moving the loosened circuit board and inserting the adjusting yoke to obtain alignment. The adjusting yoke 9 is then removed. The tachometer mounted to the housing 10 of the machine can then operate.
The lockwashers 8 may be recessed in depressions 2E on the outside of front surface 2A. The depressions should have a larger diameter than the nuts 5C and lockwashers 8 so as not to hinder the adjustment movements.
Patent CitationsCited PatentFiling datePublication dateApplicantTitleUS3742243 *Sep 27, 1971Jun 26, 1973Veeder Industries IncPulse generatorDE2940610A1 *Oct 6, 1979Apr 16, 1981Bosch Gmbh RobertInduktiver impulsgeber, insbesondere drehgeschwindigkeitsgeber fuer kraftfahrzeugeDE3219491A1 *May 25, 1982Dec 1, 1983Bbc Brown Boveri & CieArrangement for pulse generation for high-resolution measurement of the speed and position of rotating machine partsEP0194932A1 *Mar 6, 1986Sep 17, 1986LabinalRotor position detecting device for an electric latheFR2010099A1 * Title not availableFR2478897A1 * Title not availableGB2009939A * Title not availableJPS6086414A * Title not availableJPS57141509A * Title not available* Cited by examinerReferenced byCiting PatentFiling datePublication dateApplicantTitleUS5051693 *Sep 7, 1990Sep 24, 1991The Torrington CompanyBearing seat encoder mount for rotational parameter sensor apparatusUS5293125 *Jan 17, 1992Mar 8, 1994Lake Shore Cryotronics, Inc.Self-aligning tachometer with interchangeable elements for different resolution outputsUS5336994 *Nov 20, 1992Aug 9, 1994Lake Shore Cryotronics, Inc.Magneto-resistive tachometer assembly with reversible cover and related methodUS5424635 *Nov 18, 1992Jun 13, 1995Case CorporationShaft speed signal indicatorUS5495758 *Jun 17, 1993Mar 5, 1996Lake Shore Cryotronics, Inc.Tachometer assembly with integral internal wrenchUS5514955 *Mar 11, 1994May 7, 1996Lake Shore Cryotronics, Inc.Slim profile digital tachometer including planar block and rotor having spokes and clampUS5608277 *Dec 22, 1994Mar 4, 1997Avtron Manufacturing, Inc.Rotary pulse generator having preset sensor gapUS5654633 *May 5, 1995Aug 5, 1997Lake Shore Cryotronics, Inc.For monitoring the speed/direction of rotation of a rotatable shaftUS5900727 *Feb 14, 1997May 4, 1999Lake Shore Cryotronics, Inc.Magneto-resistive tachometer kit including two sensor modules providing different resolution quadrature outputs from the same rotorUS6098025 *Aug 26, 1998Aug 1, 2000Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.Apparatus and method for calibrating moment-of-inertia and center-of-gravityUS6124710 *Nov 13, 1998Sep 26, 2000Cts CorporationRotary magnetic encoder using hall effect for detecting revolution of a shaftUS6246233May 27, 1997Jun 12, 2001Northstar Technologies Inc.Magnetoresistive sensor with reduced output signal jitter and temperature compensationUS6300758Dec 2, 1999Oct 9, 2001Northstar Technologies Inc.Magnetoresistive sensor with reduced output signal jitterUS7017433 *Oct 4, 2002Mar 28, 2006Ssi Technologies, Inc.Non-contacting sensor multichip module with integral heat-sinksUS7300203Oct 6, 2005Nov 27, 2007Bourns, Inc.Non-contacting sensor multichip module with integral heat-sinksDE4211704A1 *Apr 8, 1992Oct 14, 1993Elster Produktion GmbhMe�anordnung zur ber�hrungslosen Drehzahlerfassung* Cited by examinerClassifications U.S. Classification324/174, 324/156, 361/758International ClassificationG01P3/487, G01P3/481Cooperative ClassificationG01P3/487, G01P3/4815European ClassificationG01P3/487, G01P3/481WLegal EventsDateCodeEventDescriptionMar 8, 1994FPExpired due to failure to pay maintenance feeEffective date: 19931226Dec 26, 1993LAPSLapse for failure to pay maintenance feesJul 27, 1993REMIMaintenance fee reminder mailedOct 11, 1988ASAssignmentOwner name: SIEMENS AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT, MUNCHEN, GERMANYFree format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST.;ASSIGNOR:GUENTNER, HERWIG;REEL/FRAME:004959/0842Effective date: 19880923Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNOR:GUENTNER, HERWIG;REEL/FRAME:4959/842Owner name: SIEMENS AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT,GERMANYFree format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNOR:GUENTNER, HERWIG;REEL/FRAME:004959/0842RotateOriginal ImageGoogle Home - Sitemap - USPTO Bulk Downloads - Privacy Policy - Terms of Service - About Google Patents - Send FeedbackData provided by IFI CLAIMS Patent Services©2012 Google