Measuring and testing – Dynamometers – Responsive to torque
Patent
1997-06-02
1999-12-28
Fuller, Benjamin R.
Measuring and testing
Dynamometers
Responsive to torque
G01L 320
Patent
active
060066113
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
FIELD OF INVENTION
The invention comprises a dynamometer for testing or analysing the torque and power output of an engine, such as the engine of a motor vehicle.
SUMMARY OF INVENTION
In broad terms the invention comprises a dynamometer comprising: and output torque and/or power and capable of controlling the valve means to vary the load applied to the engine to operate the engine under programmed varying speeds and/or loads, and torque at one or a range of engine speeds.
In a dynamometer of the invention which is intended for use with conventional motor vehicles such as motor cars, a hydraulic pump is coupled to the driven wheels on either side of the motor vehicle. Preferably each hydraulic pump has an associated hub coupling adapted to be coupled to the wheel hub after removal of the road wheel, using the wheel studs of the hub. The hydraulic pumps, one for each of the two driven wheels of the motor vehicle, may each form part of a wheel unit which is positioned one on either side of the vehicle adjacent the driven wheels of the vehicle. Each such wheel unit may be self contained comprising its own hydraulic reservoir and heat exchanger for removing heat from the hydrnc fluid, or alternatively pipes may connect the hydraulic pump of each wheel unit to a separate common reservoir for both of the wheel units for example.
Preferably the computerised control means comprises a computer having an associated VDU and input keyboard of some type and optionally a printer, and a separate servo control unit which directly controls the wheel units to maintain the engine at a constant speed when the dynamometer is in a set speed mode and to maintain the load on the engine conant when the dynamometer is in a set load mode. The computer passes the programmed set speed or set load information to the servo control unit and the servo control unit passes information indicating output speed and output power to the computer for analysis and display or printing.
In a preferred form, the dynamometer also comprises an auoplot mode in which the computer controls the servo control unit lo cause the servo control unit to allow the engine speed to increase over time with the computer logging information indicating the engine power and/or torque output at set engine speeds spaced over the engine operating range or a part thereof The computer may display this data graphically on the VDU or print it graphically or in tabular form. The test regime to be applied by the dynamometer when in autoplot mode may be programmed into the computer by an operator.
In a preferred form the mode of the dynamometer and the set load and set speed points may also be entered into the dynamometer via a separate handset control which operator may carry while moving around the vehicle for example.
DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
A preferred form dynamometer will now be described referring to the accompanying drawings, by way of example.
In the drawings:
FIG. 1 shows the major components of the preferred form dynamometer of the invention,
FIG. 2 shows the wheel units of the preferred form dynamometer applied to the hubs of the two driving wheels of a car,
FIG. 3 shows one of the wheel units of FIG. 2 in the direction of arrow A of FIG. 2,
FIG. 4 is a partly sectional view of one of the wheel units, along line B--B of FIG. 3,
FIG. 5 is a block diagram of the servo control unit of the preferred form dynamometer shown in FIG. 1,
FIG. 6 is a block diagram of the control structure of the servo control unit of FIG. 5 when the dynamometer is in set speed mode as will be described,
FIG. 7 is a block diagram of the control structure of the servo control unit of FIG. 5 when the dynamometer is in set load mode,
FIG. 8 shows the VDU screen of the dynamometer when in set load mode,
FIG. 9 shows the VDU screen of the dynamometer when in autoplot mode, and
FIGS. 10 and 11 show the VDU entry screens of the dynamometer when information regarding the vehicle such as the vehicle registration number, model etc is entered at the commencement of a test.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF P
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patent: 4457182 (1984-07-01), McFarland
patent: 4807467 (1989-02-01), Kugler
patent: 5195038 (1993-03-01), Yagi et al.
patent: 5465612 (1995-11-01), La Belle
patent: 5623104 (1997-04-01), Suga
Galvin Mark
Harris Paul David
Fuller Benjamin R.
Industrial Research Limited
Thompson Jewel V.
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