JPH09170957A - Auxiliary torque detection system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To obtain an auxiliary torque detection system with high measuring accuracy, reliability and durability wherein the idling speed can be kept at low speed by using an acceleration sensor, the shift change of automatic transmission be smoothed, and the rocking of a compressor for air conditioner or stationary steering of power steering be detected additionally. SOLUTION: The change in torque due to explosion of engine makes a movable housing 13 of an automatic tensioner 9 to rock through a belt, an idler pulley 10 and an arm 14, and also makes an acceleration sensor 17 mounted on the tip end of an extension arm 15 to rock at the same time. In addition, since the output waveform of acceleration detected by the sensor 17 is synchronous with the cycle of explosion of engine, the amplitude quantity of the output waveform is measured so as to calculate the auxiliary load torque quantity.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a system for detecting load torque of an auxiliary machine of an automobile engine, such as a compressor of an air conditioner, a hydraulic pump of a power steering, an alternator, a cooling fan for a radiator and the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a general method for detecting a load torque, the amount of torque is detected by measuring the amount of distortion (torsion) of a drive shaft.

[0003]

However, the above-mentioned prior art has the following problems. 1. A strain gauge is used to measure the amount of strain, but the output characteristic of this is greatly changed depending on how the strain gauge is attached. Therefore, the measurement accuracy tends to be low because the measured values for a constant torque amount are likely to vary. 2. Since the output signal (electrical signal) is taken out after the strain gauge is adhered to the rotating shaft which is literally rotating, it is necessary to use a slip ring etc. in the electric circuit that is energized to take out the signal. Yes, it reduces the reliability and durability of the system.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and an object of the present invention is to reduce the idle speed by using a sensor such as an acceleration sensor so that a shift change of an automatic transmission can be achieved. It is to provide a new accessory torque detection system that can be smoothly performed, can add compressor lock detection of the air conditioner and stationary steering detection of power steering, and has high measurement accuracy, reliability, and durability. .

[0005]

[Means for Solving the Problems] In order to solve the above problems, the means described in claim 1 can be adopted. According to this means, the torque fluctuation of the rotary drive source swings the movable part of the auto tensioner via the belt. And
The output waveform of the sensor attached to the movable part of the auto tensioner is an output waveform synchronized with the fluctuation cycle of the rotary drive source, and the load torque amount of the auxiliary machine is calculated by measuring the amplitude amount of this output waveform. I can do things. The output torque of the accessory torque detection system of the present invention does not change depending on how it is attached to the engine. Further, since the rotating body does not have an electric output, it is not necessary to use a slip ring or the like, so that high measurement accuracy, reliability, and durability can be obtained.

[0006]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION As shown in FIG. 3, in an engine 1 mounted on an automobile, a belt pulley for driving various auxiliary machines, for example, a refrigerant compressor pulley 2 of an air conditioner and a hydraulic pressure of a power steering. Many pulleys for auxiliary machines, such as a pump pulley 3, an alternator or power generation pulley 4, and a radiator cooling fan pulley 5, are pulleys 6 of a crankshaft 30 of an engine (generally speaking, a drive). It is driven simultaneously by a series of belts 7 by a shaft pulley. An idler pulley may be used to wind one belt 7 in a meandering manner on many pulleys. In the example of FIG. 3, the idler pulley 8 is used and the tension of the belt 7 becomes a constant value. The automatic tensioner 9 that automatically adjusts as described above is also provided on the most loose side of the belt 7 together with the idler pulley 10.

As a correspondence to the features of the present invention, FIG.
The embodiment shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 2 show the mechanism of the accessory torque detection system using the automatic tensioner 9. A movable housing 13 is swingably provided around the fixed housing 11 of the auto tensioner 9.
The movable housing 13 and the fixed housing 11 are connected by a coil spring 12. Then, when the movable housing 13 swings with respect to the fixed housing 11, the coil spring 12 receives a torsional force. The idler pulley 10 is attached to a shaft 16 of an arm 14 provided at one end of the movable housing 13 via a bearing.
Is rotatably mounted. An acceleration sensor 17 is attached to the tip of an extension arm 15 obtained by extending the arm 14. When the movable housing 13 swings on the fixed housing 11 according to the tension of the belt 7, the acceleration sensor 17 swings about the shaft 16 of the arm 14 and the acceleration amplitude amount can be measured. Further, by extending the extension arm 15, the output of the acceleration sensor 17 can be increased.

Next, the operation of the embodiment of the present invention shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 to 5. As the crankshaft 30 of the engine 1 rotates in FIG. 3, the crankshaft pulley 6
With respect to the refrigerant compressor pulley 2 of the air conditioner, the hydraulic pump pulley 3 of the power steering, the alternator or power generation pulley 4, the radiator cooling fan pulley 5, the idler pulley 8, Also, the idler pulley 10 and the like of the auto tensioner 9 are rotationally driven all at once, but the torque acting on the crankshaft 30 for driving these accessory pulleys fluctuates mainly with the explosion of the engine 1. The engine torque fluctuation due to the explosion of the engine 1 is caused by the belt 7 and the idler pulley 1
The movable housing 13 of the auto tensioner 9 is swung via the armature 0 and the arm 14. When the load torque of the auxiliary machine increases, the engine torque fluctuation increases, and the movable housing 13 of the auto tensioner 9 swings strongly.

As described above, when the movable housing 13 swings on the fixed housing 11, the auto tensioner 9 is moved.
The acceleration sensor 17 attached to the tip of the extension arm 15 swings around the axis 16 of the arm 14 and detects the output waveform of acceleration. The output waveform of acceleration by the acceleration sensor 17 is an output waveform synchronized with the explosion cycle of the engine, as shown in FIG. Then, the amplitude amount of this output waveform is measured. As shown in FIG. 5, there is a certain correlation between the measured acceleration amplitude amount and the auxiliary machine load torque amount. The auxiliary machine load torque amount can be calculated from the relationship shown.

Further, instead of measuring the acceleration amplitude amount by the auto tensioner, the displacement amplitude amount or the velocity amplitude amount of the auto tensioner may be detected.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view showing an embodiment of an accessory torque detection system according to the present invention.

2 is a cross-sectional view of the embodiment of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a front view showing the overall configuration of the embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the relationship between the acceleration of the auto tensioner and the engine explosion cycle.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a relationship between an acceleration amplitude amount of an auto tensioner and auxiliary equipment load torque.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 ... Engine 2, 3, 4, 5 ... Auxiliary pulley 6 ... Crank shaft pulley 7 ... Belt 8 ... Idler pulley 9 ... Auto tensioner 10 ... Auto tensioner idler pulley 11 ... Fixed housing 12 ... Coil spring 13 ... Movable housing 14 ... Arm 15 ... Extension arm 16 ... Idler pulley shaft 17 ... Acceleration sensor 30 ... Crank shaft

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁶ Identification number Reference number within the agency FI Technical display location G01L 5/00 G01L 5/00 J (72) Inventor Koji Yamanaka 1-chome 1 Showa-cho, Kariya city, Aichi prefecture Address: Nippon Denso Co., Ltd.

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A drive shaft pulley attached to a rotary drive source for driving an accessory of a vehicle, an accessory pulley attached to at least one accessory of the vehicle, and at least one idler pulley, A belt wound around a drive shaft pulley, an accessory pulley, and an idler pulley in common, an auto tensioner for keeping the tension of the belt constant, and a sensor attached to a movable part of the auto tensioner. An auxiliary machine torque detection system, comprising: an arithmetic means for calculating the load torque amount of the auxiliary machine according to the output of the sensor. 2. The autotensioner includes a movable housing swingably provided on an outer periphery of a fixed housing, a coil spring connecting the movable housing and the fixed housing, and an arm provided at one end of the movable housing. The accessory torque detection system according to claim 1, further comprising: an idler pulley rotatably attached to a shaft of the arm, and a sensor provided at a tip of an extension arm that extends the arm. 3. The accessory torque detection system according to claim 1, wherein the rotary drive source is an engine. 4. The auxiliary machine torque detection system according to claim 1, wherein the sensor is an acceleration sensor. 5. The auxiliary machine torque detection system according to claim 1, wherein the sensor is a sensor that detects a displacement amplitude amount. 6. The sensor is a speed sensor.
The accessory torque detection system described.