Patent ID: 7360458

Claim:
A method for determining the torque on transmission shafts, the method comprising the steps of: cyclically measuring a rotational speed of a first gear shaft ( 2 , 19 ) and a rotational speed of a second gear shaft ( 3 , 22 ) of transmission with a constant transmission ratio, a first torque being present on the first gear shaft ( 2 , 19 ) and a second torque being present on the second gear shaft ( 3 , 22 ), and the second gear shaft ( 3 , 22 ) being driven one of directly and indirectly by the first gear shaft ( 2 , 19 ) via at least a two gears ( 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 ; 20 , 21 ); computing a value from the rotational speed of the first gear shaft ( 2 , 19 ) and the rotational speed of the second gear shaft ( 3 , 22 ) and storing the computed value; comparing a current value with a value of a previous value; deriving a change in the torque of the first gear shaft ( 2 , 19 ) by a difference between the current value and the previous value; determining the rotational speeds of the two gear shafts ( 2 , 3 ; 19 , 22 ) by rotational speed sensors ( 12 , 13 ; 25 , 29 ), which generate speed-related electrical impulses; and determining one of a phase or angle shift (α) from measured electric impulses of the rotational speed sensors ( 12 , 13 ; 25 , 29 ) on the two gear shafts ( 2 , 3 ; 19 , 22 ), which is proportional to transmitted torque and to elasticity of torque-transmitting components of the transmission and is also a characteristic of input torque.