Abstract:
The invention relates to a device for transmitting force, comprising a movable means which receives the force to be transmitted and produces an electric current depending on the value of the said force, a movable coil fed by this electric current and rotating according to an angle depending on its value, a spring mechanically connected, on the one hand, to the means which receives the force and, on the other, to the movable coil, the coupling forced on the spring from the movable coil being opposed to the displacement of the movable means which receives the force.
Abstract:
Improved force measuring apparatus of the one- or two-string type, including means for applying to the movable member of the apparatus a corrective force that compensates for non-linearities in the response of the apparatus over the full range of travel of the pan carrier member between the no-load and full-load positions, thereby to produce a linear variation in the resulting oscillation frequency with respect to load. In the one-string embodiment, linearization means are provided for applying to the oscillatory string means a corrective force that varies quadratically with the displacement of the movable member over its full range between the no-load and full-load positions. In the two-string embodiment, decoupling spring means are provided for independently connecting the two strings in opposite senses between the frame and pan carrier members. The aforementioned linearization means and/or temperature compensation means are also provided for improving the operation of the two-string embodiment.
Abstract:
Embodiments of the invention relate to a thrust stand and a method of measuring thrust. Embodiments of the invention pertain to a method of calibrating a thrust stand. Embodiments of the subject thrust stand can incorporate a passive eddy current based damper. Specific embodiments of the passive eddy current based damper can function without contact with the balance arm. Further specific embodiments of the passive eddy current based damper can be used in a vacuum. Embodiments can utilize signal analysis techniques to identify and reduce noise. A logarithmic decrement method can be used to calibrate the thrust stand. Force measurements can be made with embodiments of the subject thrust stand for a standard macroscale dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma actuator and/or other thrust producing devices.
Abstract:
A force transducer, in particular a weighing cell, includes a spring body, which deforms under the action of a force or load to be measured, and a sensor that includes two separate sensor parts mounted at different locations of the spring body and that generates a sensor signal which is dependent on the relative position of the sensor parts with respect to each other. In order to improve the adaptation of the sensor to the spring body, one of the sensor parts is attached to the spring body with interposition of an electromechanical actuator and a control device is present, which controls the actuator dependent on the sensor signal in the direction of a reduction in the positional difference of the sensor parts.
Abstract:
A method and apparatus for comparing a force to a signal, or comparing two signals, through mechanical movement of capacitive plates in a transducer. The transducer plates are separated by d, which in one embodiment is preferably a linear function of a pressure or force F. In that embodiment, application of a signal i(t+&tgr;) to the plates will cause a voltage representing a correlation between F and i to appear between the plates. In another embodiment, instead of an external mechanical force or pressure, an electrical signal V related to a signal S may drive the transducer plates to achieve a voltage indicating a correlation between S and the signal input i(t+&tgr;). Transducers to practice the invention may be microelectromechanical devices fabricated using integrated circuit techniques to permit small size and low cost.
Abstract:
A magnetically levitated force/weight measurement apparatus includes a system core with a plurality of layered circular segments having apertures that define an internal chamber. The segments include, inter alia, upper and lower magnetic bearing segments, a coil segment and an optical detector segment, each of which cooperate to generate magnetic fields for levitating a mass disposed within the chamber. Levitation magnets, rigidly disposed within the mass along a center axis, are arranged such that similar poles are in facing relation. This novel arrangement generates a static magnetic field that radiates orthogonally and symmetrically from the mass and generates a force vector for levitating the mass along the center axis. Bearing magnets, disposed within the magnetic bearing segments, i.e., core bearing magnets, and the spool, i.e., spool bearing magnets, are also arranged such that the polar axes of the core bearing magnets are aligned in the same direction as the polar axes of their corresponding spool bearing magnets. A self-dampening optical and current feedback system ensures that, upon displacement of the spool along the center axis, the spool returns to a stable equilibrium position.
Abstract:
The invention to a yarn tension sensor, in particular for yarns traveling at high speed, to accurately ascertain even short-term yarn tension fluctuations. According to the invention, a yarn guide element is mounted on one head end of a plunger coil disposed in a magnetic field. A position sensor is disposed in the region of the plunger coil and detects even minimal changes in position of the plunger coil. These changes in position are reported to a controller, at whose output variations in current are generated and supplied to the winding of the plunger coil, the variations being such to compensate for the axial force generated by the yarn and acting upon the plunger coil, thereby making the plunger coil virtually motionless.
Abstract:
A method and apparatus for generating and detecting changes in interference patterns such as may be used to measure small displacements. A collimated beam is diffracted to produce a standing wavefront along a surface. The surface is coincident with the surface of a device which emits a signal in response to changes in the intensity of the wave front. In one embodiment, the diffracting means is a grating and the signal emitting means includes a beam splitter that generates an interference pattern responsive to the intensity of the wave front. In another embodiment, the signal emitting means is a membrane that emits a signal in response to changes in the wavefront. The apparatus and method can be used in applications which include measurement of displacement and measurement of force in which no displacement takes place.