Measuring and testing – Dynamometers – Responsive to force
Patent
1988-11-08
1990-10-02
Ruehl, Charles A.
Measuring and testing
Dynamometers
Responsive to force
7386267, G01L 510
Patent
active
049600010
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
The invention relates to a traction dynamometer in tensile junction with a cable, which serves to determine the tensile forces in the laying of the cable, the dynamometer including at least the following parts: sensor, dynamometer and transfers it to a read-out station, and between the cable pulling rope and the actual cable itself, so that it will always be possible to know what traction forces are present in the cable. The signal is transmitted through the pulling rope itself, which is made of metal. In the area of the winch is a receiver which is equipped with an electronic circuit which displays, records and monitors the values measured. On the basis of the values measured other actions can also be controlled: for example, the winch can be stopped or accelerated.
The known traction dynamometer has a housing which contains, in addition to the electronic parts, a storage battery. This is generally a rechargeable nickel-cadmium storage battery. The energy content of this battery is limited; accordingly, the length of time for which the dynamometer can operate is determined by the amount of power it consumes.
In the usual course of the use of a traction dynamometer of the kind described above, between 500 and 2000 meters of cable are pulled by the cable winch, and there is a tendency to haul still greater cable lengths. This hauling operation, which calls for many precautions, usually takes several hours for such lengths. It happens relatively often that the cable cannot be pulled any further beyond a portion of its length due to unforeseen impediments such as a fault in the pipe, because the maximum allowable tension would be exceeded. In such a case the hauling has to be interrupted. It is necessary to dig up the cable ditch or the hauling pipe in the area of the end of the cable. This causes the loss of more time during which the storage battery powered dynamometer is consuming power. In such cases, therefore, the energy in the charge is no longer sufficient to feed the dynamometer. It becomes necessary then to replace the dynamometer. This replacement involves additional delay if only on account of the necessary operations of digging it up and replacing it. Furthermore, however, the calibration of the dynamometer, which was performed before the cable pulling started, is no longer correct if the dynamometer to be recharged is replaced with a second, fully charged dynamometer.
The problem accordingly poses itself of devising a traction dynamometer of the kind described above, in which the current consumption will be reduced, so that the dynamometer will run on the same high-quality storage batteries for a longer period of time sufficient for an ordinary cable hauling and metering program which can extend over an entire day, without replacing the dynamometer.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This problem is solved by reducing the current consumption in the periods in which no measurements are being performed. This is accomplished by providing the dynamometer with an additional time switch which interrupts the power supply of at least one current-consuming element after an established time interval t.sub.1 of constant tension, and does not turn it on again until a change occurs in the tension on the dynamometer. Upon the occurrence of a change in tension during the constant-tension period, the time interval leading up to the interruption of the power supply is, of course, extended by an established amount, and the power supply remains uninterrupted during the extension of time.
The dynamometer is accordingly so designed that, after the storage battery is charged and the dynamometer is taken out of the charger, the current-consuming electronic groups, especially the output stage and the voltage-to-frequency converter, are first turned on, but in the case of relatively long maintenance and adjustment periods, exceeding 10 minutes, for example, they are turned off. Preferably the dynamometer and the preamplifier that follows it, and the control circuits, are excepted from the shutoff. They are operated at minimum
REFERENCES:
patent: 4458880 (1984-07-01), Conti
Peter Lancier Maschinebau-Hafenhutte Gmbh & Co. KG
Ruehl Charles A.
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