Abstract: Fluid flow along a fluid path is determined by measuring the travel time between two transducers of two oppositely travelling acoustic burst waves. A pair of phase reference signals in phase quadrature are compared with the signals received by each transducer to determine the phase difference therebetween. The phase difference values are used to calculate the flow velocity.After each phase difference determination has been made, the transducer drive signals are adjusted so that the launch time of the next pair of burst waves reduces the phase difference between the previously received signals and the phase reference to zero in the absence of any changes in flow velocity. The duration of each acoustic burst is sufficient to ensure that a predetermined number of successively received cycles in each burst are used in the phase comparison process.

Abstract: Apparatus for determining the tension in a chain, for example, has a pair of bearings in a housing mounting a shaft for rotation. The shaft bears a chain wheel. The bearing nearest the chain wheel is fixed in the housing while the opposite bearing is fitted into a floating ring which bears on the ends of a pair of bolts incorporating strain gauges.

Abstract: A device for measuring the tensile force in a winch wire. The apparatus includes a frame and three wheels connected to the frame. The first and third wheels are mounted on a common shaft, and the second wheel is mounted adjacent to the other wheels. A winch wire is trained over the first wheel, along a common tangent with the second wheel, over the second wheel and along a common tangent with the third wheel and thereover the third wheel. Conventional force measuring means can be used to measure the force pulling the first and second wheels together, which is caused by the tensile force in the winch wire. A tachometer is coupled to the common shaft of the first and third wheels, which can be used to measure the length of wire payed out from the device.

Abstract: The force and moment sensor of the present invention has first and second load paths for transferring forces and moments from an input member to the output member. The first and second path forming members cooperating with one another to divide the forces and moments which are transferred through the sensor whereby minor components of the moments and substantial components of the forces are transferred through the second load path forming means. Strain sensors are located in the second load path for sensing the forces and moments applied to the second load path forming members from which the total value of the forces and moments transferred from the input member to the output member may be determined while simultaneously transferring large moments and small forces.

Abstract: The cylindrical internal surfaces of inner races of antifriction bearings between the end portions of a deformable shell and the stationary carrier for the shell in a roll for use in calenders surround with some clearance the adjacent cylindrical external surfaces of the carrier. The magnitude of stresses between the pairs of internal and external surfaces is monitored by several sensors at least some of which have pockets machined into the respective internal and/or external surface. The pockets receive a pressurized hydraulic fluid which leaks along paths defined by the respective pair of surfaces to be collected in a tank. An evaluating system monitors the pressure in the pockets and serves to regulate the pressure of supplied fluid and/or the hydrostatic or other supporting elements between the carrier and the shell.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for detecting fluid flow behind an acoustically reflective structure using pulse echo techniques which do not depend upon measurement of a Doppler effect. A transducer is provided for generating a high frequency beam of acoustical energy in the form of pulses. The transducer is placed proximate, preferably adjacent, the reflective structure such that the acoustic beam is directed toward such structure. A transducer is also provided for detecting the acoustic reflections of the pulses, proximate the position from which the pulses originated, and generating corresponding electrical signals. An electric circuit is provided for subtracting a pair of acoustic reflection signals separated by a short interval of time to produce a difference signal from which the presence or absence of fluid flow behind the acoustically reflective surface can be determined.

Abstract: A bicycle power meter having components which replace the rear axle hub assembly of a conventional chain driven bicycle. Inner and outer hubs are coupled to the usual freewheel chain drive cluster and to the rear wheel, respectively. The hubs are interconnected by a plurality of torsion rods which transmit driving torque form the inner hub to the outer hub. The torsional deflection of the rods is evidenced by a change in the relative angular displacement between a pair of hub disks attached to the hubs, respectively. The rate of rotation of the outer hub disk reflects wheel speed. A sensor head converts the relative angular displacement between the disks, and the rate of rotation of the outer hub disk, into signals which are applied to a processing and display module that calculates and displays horsepower.

Abstract: A measuring device for determining a torque of a rotating mechanical part includes a torsion element formed as a spoke wheel with at least one radially extending bending rod, a rigid part, and at least one spoke, and a measuring pickup having a measuring element connected with the rigid part, and another measuring element connected with the one spoke. Each of the measuring elements has a disc having a layer of an electroconductive non-magnetic material and a plurality of uniformly spaced regions of an electrically non-conductive material. The measuring device further includes at least one coil which changes impedance in accordance with a relative position of the measuring elements which relative position changes dependent on bending of the bending rod.

Abstract: The invention provides a device for testing trailer couplings which transmit a traction to a trailer by way of a trailer coupling ring on the drawbar of the trailer, the test being carried out under loading conditions similar to those occurring in practice, preferably with inclusion of the construction for fixing the trailer coupling, in particular the tail cross-member to which the trailer coupling is attached and optionally frame parts adjoining the tail cross-member. A longitudinal force generating device which produces a longitudinal force acting in the direction of traction of the connection between the trailer coupling and the trailer coupling ring and a vertical force generating device which produces a vertical force extending perpendicularly or approximately perpendicularly to the direction of action of the traction are coupled to a force transmitting connecting member to which can be attached the trailer coupling ring which is connected to the trailer coupling.

Abstract: A force gage (10) for measuring normal forces (F) is comprised of a silicon element (12) having diffused in an edge surface (14) thereof a piezoresistive sensor area (16) which changes resistance responsive to applied stress caused by (F) acting in compression on the said silicon element.

Abstract: A sonic-type fluid flow measuring system wherein reflections or echoes of an ultrasonic acoustic emitter are sensed and typically comprise a number of frequencies representative of a number of discrete velocities of flow in a volume of fluid. As a sample, they simply appear as a voltage plot as a function of time and wherein the time width of a given signal excursion relates to the frequency of a given signal. Thereafter, this time domain signal sample is converted to a frequency domain sample whereby the presence and magnitude of each frequency component, or velocity component, is isolated, this being typically done by what is known as a Fast Fourier Transform. The highest frequency, velocity, signal from each of a rapid succession of samples is then obtained and stored in a memory. The highest and lowest of these are then discarded, and the remaining are averaged to obtain more likely representations of velocity.

Abstract: The invention relates to a device for non-contact measuring of stresses including bending stresses in a bar-shaped body (1), e.g. a cylindrical bar, shaft or the like. In at least one transverse zone (2, 3) the bar (1) is provided with a number of thin strips (4) of an amorphous magnetoelastic material, distributed along the circumference of the zone, said strips (4) being affixed to the circumferential surface of the zone and extending at a pitch angle therealong, a preferably at a pitch angle of 45.degree.. Means (5) are provided for generating a magnetic field over said zone (2, 3) and a pick up coil (6-13) encircling the bar is provided for each zone (2, 3), said pick up coil being connected to a measuring unit (16, 16A) for indicating signals generated in the coil.

Abstract: A web tension monitoring system in which a guide roll is supported for rotation upon bearings which are mounted on stub shafts extending inwardly from frame members. Load cells which include strain gauges are cantilever-mounted adjacent the internal ends of said stub shafts within the guide roll. Guide rolls and frame spacing of different lengths are accommodated by adjustable casing sleeves which permit variation of the amount of insertion of the stub shafts into the guide roll without affecting the operation of the load cells. Adaptors are provided to permit the use of guide rolls of differing diameters.

Abstract: In an inductive flow meter, the magnetic field generator (11), provided for generating a magnetic field within a tube (10), is connected to a alternating current voltage source via an electronic switch (13). The switch (13) is controlled in such a manner that it becomes conducting only at a zero crossing of the alternating current, respectively, and subsequently remains in the conducting state until the next zero crossing of the exciting current (i) occurs.

Abstract: An image pickup device is capable of picking up images while electrically enlarging the same. In enlarging image pickup, horizontal transfer pulses H.sub.1, H.sub.2, a reset pulse R, a clock signal CLK, sampling pulses SP.sub.1, SP.sub.2 and so on having the periods twice as long as those in the normal image pickup are generated from a horizontal transferring circuit in a timing pulse generating circuit. Thereby, charges stored in a CCD image sensor (6) are horizontally transferred by these signals. A vertical transfer circuit sets vertical transfer pulses V.sub.1 to V.sub.4 at arbitrary timings during 1H of a video period to output the same once in every 2H and outputs high speed vertical transfer pulses in two periods in a vertical blanking period and outputs a reading pulse TG between the first high speed vertical transfer period and the next high speed vertical transfer period. The charges stored in the CCD image sensor are then transferred in the vertical direction in response to these signals.

Abstract: A device for determining the torque transmitted in a shaft, which device comprises two pick-ups arranged at an axial distance from each other on the shaft, with which sensors are contactlessly associated, characterized in that each pick-up is arranged in the immediate vicinity of an end face of a radial shaft bearing.

Abstract: A stress wave load cell comprises a propagation member to which is acoustically coupled a transducer. Electrical pulses are supplied to the transducer from a pulse generator and the electrical pulses are converted into stress wave signals which propagate through the propagation member. The transducer also detects the stress waves after propagation through the propagation member and supplies an electrical signal to processor which gives a measure of the load applied to the load cell.Damping members which have profiled surfaces are caused to move into damping contact with the propagation members when a load is applied to the load cell. The damping members damp the propagation of the stress waves in the propagation member and the damping is proportional to the area of damping contact, the area of damping contact increases with the load applied. May be used to measure tensile load or compressive load and may be used as a touch sensitive panel.

Abstract: A tension gauge for measuring the principal tensions in an elastic material and providing specific information about the magnitude and direction of the principal tension. The tension gauge employs a frame structure over which an elastic material is stretched. A depressing device depresses the center of the elastic material a known distance and the force required for this activity is measured. In the device, either the contact surface of the depressing device or the frame structure is non-symmetric about two orthogonal axes. In either case, because of the non-symmetric nature, the relative sensitivity of the tension gauge to the major axis tension and minor axis tension in the elastic material will be different and fixed by the ratio of the major and minor axis of either the frame structure or the contact surface of the depressing device, whichever is non-symmetric. The principal tensions in elastic material and information about their magnitude and direction are determined.

Abstract: Detectors consisting of electric strain gages placed on one end of a bicycle wheel spindle and incorporated in the wheel hub are connected to an electric circuit which includes an apparatus for indicating the value of torque transmitted by the wheel. The strain gages can be influenced only by variations in the force applied to the spindle end in the horizontal plane which passes through the center of the spindle. There is thus measured only the horizontal component of the shearing force applied to the wheel spindle, from which it is possible to deduce the value of torque transmitted to the wheel. Instead of being fixed directly on one end of the wheel spindle, the strain gages can be fixed on a member which is associated with the spindle end, the member being capable of bending or undergoing deformation in the horizontal plane which passes through the center of the wheel spindle.

Abstract: The problem of providing a high speed torque measuring apparatus (10) is solved by first and second coaxial members (18, 20) having an elastic coupling (25) which interconnects the coaxial members for allowing relative angular displacement in proportion to the magnitude of a torque load applied to one of the members. First and second concentric apertures (32 and 34a, 34b) are provided in the first and second coaxial members, respectively, for movement into overlapping relationship in response to the relative angular displacement of the coaxial members. A light source (40) is provided on one side of the coaxial members for transmitting light through the aperture in both members when in their overlapping relationship whereby the transmitted light intensity is in proportion to the amount of overlap between the apertures. A light intensity detecting device (42) is provided for receiving the light transmitted through the overlapped apertures.