JP2006071452A - Measuring device for chain operation status - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To obtain a measuring device for chain operation status which is capable of measuring the chain performance, with ease and at a low cost. <P>SOLUTION: The device comprises a semiconductor strain gauge (20) fixed on a member to be measured (10), a transmission module (30) consisting of an integrated circuit fixed to the member to be measured for radio-transmitting the output of the semiconductor strain gauge, and a small battery (40) fixed to the member to be measured for supplying electric power to the semiconductor strain gauge and the transmission module. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a chain operating state measuring apparatus, and more particularly to an apparatus for measuring chain tension.

  Conventionally, for measuring the chain operating state, for example, measuring the chain tension, a sensor comprising a strain gauge using a metal resistance wire is attached to a link of the chain as a member to be measured, and the sensor and the analysis device are connected by a wire. It is done by that.

  As another measurement method, it is also known that the output of the strain gauge is transmitted to a receiving device by a wireless transmitter.

  However, in the measurement method in which the sensor and the analysis device are connected by a wire, the wire is entangled or twisted with the rotation of the chain. Therefore, the chain cannot be continuously rotated, and considerable time is required for measurement. . On the other hand, in the measurement method in which the output of the strain gauge is transmitted to the receiving device by the wireless transmitter, the problem related to the wire entanglement is eliminated. It must be large and expensive.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a chain performance measuring apparatus that can measure the operating state of a chain in a smaller, lighter and lower cost.

  In order to achieve the above object, a chain operating state measuring device according to claim 1 is a semiconductor strain gauge fixed to a member to be measured, and an integration fixed to the member to be measured that wirelessly transmits the output of the semiconductor strain gauge. The transmitter module is composed of a circuit, and a semiconductor strain gauge and some power supply means fixed to a member to be measured that supplies power to the transmitter module.

  In addition to the structure of the chain operating state measuring device according to claim 1, the chain operating state measuring device according to claim 2 includes a plurality of small batteries in which the power feeding means is divided and fixed to a plurality of links. Power is supplied to the strain gauge and the transmission module.

  The chain operating state measuring device according to claim 1 is a semiconductor strain gauge fixed to a member to be measured, a transmission module comprising an integrated circuit fixed to the member to be measured for wirelessly transmitting the output of the semiconductor strain gauge, and a semiconductor strain gauge. And the power supply means fixed to the member to be measured for supplying power to the transmission module, the chain performance can be measured more easily and at low cost.

  That is, the output of a semiconductor strain gauge is large, for example, 50 to 100 times that of a strain gauge using a metal resistance wire, and a required measurement can be performed without an amplifier circuit. The circuit configuration can be simplified, and an integrated circuit can be formed at a low cost and a small size. In addition, the power consumption of the transmission module is low, and power can be supplied by a small-capacity power supply means together with the semiconductor strain gauge. Can be manufactured. And since a transmission module becomes small, these can be easily fixed to the link of a chain, for example.

  The chain operating state measuring device according to claim 2 includes, in addition to the effects exhibited by the chain operating state measuring device according to claim 1, a plurality of small batteries that supply power to each of the semiconductor strain gauge and the transmission module. Therefore, the power source is divided, and the degree of freedom of installation with respect to the member to be measured can be further improved.

  Embodiments of the chain operating state measuring device of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the chain operating state measuring apparatus shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the member to be measured is a chain, and the chain tension is measured.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, both ends of the inner link 11 and the outer link 12 are connected to each other by pins 13 so that the chain 10 can be bent. The chain 10 is wound around the sprockets 14 and 15 and is rotated in the direction of arrow A by driving one of the sprockets 14 with a motor or the like.

  A semiconductor strain gauge 20 is attached to the outer link 12. In the mounting, the semiconductor strain gauge 20 is arranged on the outer link 12 so that the semiconductor strain gauge 20 outputs an electric signal due to a change in the tension of the chain 10, and as shown in FIG. 12 and covered with a coating material 22.

  A transmission module 30 is attached to another outer link 12 and is electrically connected to the semiconductor strain gauge 20 by a wire 31. The transmission module 30 includes a semiconductor integrated circuit including a bridge circuit and a transmission circuit each having a semiconductor strain gauge as one side, and does not include an amplifier circuit or a calibration circuit for the strain gauge. A SAW resonator that is less affected by vibration is used for the oscillation circuit of the transmission circuit. The transmission module 30 is also fixed to the outer link 12 with an adhesive and is covered with a coating material.

  Further, a button-type battery as a power source is fixed to another outer link 12 with an adhesive and is covered with a coating material. There are two button-type batteries 40a and 40b, and the button-type battery 40a is electrically connected to the transmission module 30 by a wire 41a. The button-type battery 40b is electrically connected to the semiconductor strain gauge 20 by a wire 41b. For this reason, a power supply is divided | segmented and the freedom degree of installation is high.

  The receiving device 50 has a receiving circuit that can receive a signal from the transmitting module 30 and is arranged independently of the chain 10.

  In such a chain operating state measuring device, when the chain 10 rotates, the outer link 12 expands and contracts due to the chain tension. The semiconductor strain gauge 20 converts this expansion / contraction of the outer link 12 into an electrical signal and outputs it to the transmission module 30. The reception device 50 receives a signal from the antenna 32 of the transmission module 30 by the antenna 51 and outputs the signal to an analysis device or the like.

  At this time, the reception device 50 causes the antenna 51 to be always located in the electric field of the transmission module 30 in accordance with the radio wave intensity output from the transmission module 30. For example, the receiving device 50 arranges the antenna 51 so as to be on the path of the chain 10 or on the locus of the transmission module 30 so that the radio waves from the transmission module 30 are always reliably caught. Furthermore, if necessary, another complementary receiving device is prepared and arranged in a place with a poor reception state in the chain path, and the reception of the receiving device 50 is complemented.

  As described above, the chain operating state measuring apparatus according to the present invention has a large output from the semiconductor strain gauge 20 and does not require an amplifier circuit or a calibration circuit in the circuit of the transmission module 30. Since the power consumption of the strain gauge 20 and the transmission module 30 is small, the device can be manufactured at low cost. Furthermore, since the semiconductor strain gauge 20, the transmission module 30, and the power supply means 40 such as a battery can be simply mounted on a member to be measured such as the outer link 12 or the shaft, the required measurement can be performed easily. Can be done at low cost. In addition, since it is small and lightweight, the influence on the chain movement itself is small, and the operating state of the chain can be measured with high accuracy.

  In the embodiment described above, a discrete configuration is used. However, the transmission module 30 and the small battery 40 may be mounted on a printed wiring board.

Explanatory drawing which shows the structure of one Example of the chain operating state measuring apparatus of this invention. The expansion perspective view of the chain operation state measuring apparatus shown in FIG. The expanded sectional view which follows the 3-3 line of FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Chain 11 ... Inner link 12 ... Outer link 13 ... Pin 14 ... Sprocket 15 ... Sprocket 20 ... Semiconductor strain gauge 21 ... Adhesive 22 ... Coating Material 30 ... Transmitting module 32 ... Antenna 40 ... Small battery (button-type battery)
50 ... Receiving device 51 ... Antenna

Claims (2)

  A semiconductor strain gauge fixed to a member to be measured such as a chain link, a transmission module including an integrated circuit fixed to the member to be measured for wirelessly transmitting an output of the semiconductor strain gauge, the semiconductor strain gauge, and the transmission module A chain operating state measuring device comprising: power supply means fixed to the member to be measured for supplying electric power to the member.   The chain operating state measuring device according to claim 1, wherein the power supply unit includes a plurality of small batteries and is divided and fixed into a plurality of links.

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