This invention relates to positional sensors for use in regenerative energy systems in general, and more particularly to a liner positional sensor for use in a hydraulic accumulator.
With interest in improved energy efficiency and the use of alternative energy sources, it has been recognized that vehicles, especially those that make frequent stops and starts such as delivery vehicles, could be made more efficient if the energy normally lost in decelerating or braking the vehicle could be somehow collected, stored and reused to accelerate the vehicle. Hydraulic accumulators can be used to store such energy.
A hydraulic accumulator is a device that stores potential energy in the form of a compressed gas or spring, or by a raised weight to be used to exert a force against a relatively incompressible fluid. It is often used to store fluid under high pressure or to absorb excessive pressure increases. The increase in pressure within an accumulator is directly related to the amount of stored energy (charge) available in the accumulator at any given instant. To reliably utilize the stored energy within an accumulator, and optimize a hybrid type system, a sensor is required to accurately measure and report the potential energy stored within an accumulator.
For example, accurately knowing the amount of charge in an accumulator allows control software to “project” the contribution the main engine will have to provide in order to maintain the proper power reserves during operation. Accurate charge data also allows for full utilization of the accumulator charging range. Additionally, having an accurate sensor with the ability to monitor an accumulator's charge state allows a system to quickly detect hydraulic leaks.
Traditionally, pressure transducers have been used to obtain approximate charge state data in accumulators. This approximation, however, is insufficiently accurate to be used in a regenerative system because of changes in ambient temperature. Due to these changes the pressure of a gas within an accumulator may vary significantly for a given volume. Additionally, by using pressure alone to determine charge state, one must assume that there are no leaks or changes in the gas charge.
The most direct method for determining the charge state of an accumulator is to measure the position of a piston or bladder inside the accumulator. A piston or bladder's position within an accumulator is directly proportional to the available energy in the accumulator. However, obtaining an accurate position of the piston or bladder within an accumulator can be a difficult task. Internal pressures within an accumulator can exceed 5000 psi and a visible detection method is not possible or is often very inaccurate or difficult to implement. Additionally, an accumulator contains hydraulic fluid and any sensor with direct contact must be able to operate within such conditions and provide adequate sealing capabilities.
Therefore it is advantageous for sensing technology used in hydraulic system to be highly accurate, easily integrated, operate under high pressure and not interfere with the sealing required to maintain the high hydraulic pressure in which it operates.
Sensors, such as a linear variable displacement transducer (LVDT), are inductive sensor used to measure relatively short displacements within such a hydraulic systems. A critical drawback to any LVDT is its relatively short measurement range. Such a sensor is not practical suited to directly measure a long linear translation within a hydraulic accumulator.
It is therefore desirable to have a hydraulic accumulator with a linear position sensor installed inside the pressure vessel to provide positional information for the moveable element inside of the accumulator, such as a piston or bladder, however other type of accumulators are also contemplated. Such positional information provides the accumulator charge condition data for use in hydraulic systems such as vehicular regenerative braking systems and generalized industrial accumulator systems. Access to such charge condition data allows for optimized control and operation of the hydraulic system. The sensor may include a high-pressure signal connector for conveying the electrical signals into and out of the pressure vessel. The sensor may be fixed to the case of the accumulator or mounted in the neck of the accumulator and has a connecting cable that is attached to the moving element inside the accumulator. The accumulator may be of several types, including a piston-type accumulator or a bladder-type accumulator. The sensor may be installed on either the gas side of the pressure vessel or on the oil side of the pressure vessel.
The use of linear sensors to accurately measure distance within hydraulic pistons is known, as described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,234,061 and 6,694,861, both by Glasson and incorporated herein by reference. However, use of such a sensor in combination with a hydraulic accumulator to accurately measure stored potential energy for use with a regenerative energy source is previously unknown.
In order to use a hydraulic accumulator in a regenerative system, accurate measure of the stored energy within a hydraulic accumulator must be known. To determine this, one needs to utilize a sensor capable of operating within the required pressures of the hydraulic vessel, a sensor that is easy to install, a sensor that does not interfere with the sealing of the hydraulic chamber, and a sensor that is capable of measuring long piston displacement within a hydraulic accumulator. One such sensor is the SL720 linear position sensor, from Control Products Inc., of East Hanover, N.J.
An exemplary sensor such as the SL720, uses a fine lead screw to couple an LVDT to a recoil spool. When the spool rotates, it causes the screw thread to turn and produce a small linear translation that is read by the LVDT. In this way, the LVDT is coupled to the long translations of an object such as a piston in an accumulator, producing accurate absolute measurement of piston motion and position.
The recoil spool approach provides some other advantages. For example, the sensor's range does not need to be matched to the specific travel requirement of a particular application. In this configuration, a sensor package covers any stroke up to at the maximum length of the flexible connector, and because of the flexible connector, some misalignment is tolerated. This allows the sensor to be integrating with, for example, a bladder-type accumulator or a telescoping cylinder that may not be optimally aligned.
Such a sensor can be used in either the gas side or the oil side of an accumulator and fulfills the requirement for minimal design impact. The accumulator of the present invention therefore contains a linear position sensor suitable for use with a high-pressure electronics connector and integral signal conditioning, thereby solving the problem of conducting electrical signals into and out of the pressure environment.
In an exemplary embodiment, the sensor mounts inside a hydraulic accumulator mounted on a vehicle for use as a regenerative energy source. The sensor within the accumulator provides a voltage or current signal indicative of the position of a piston within the accumulator and directly related to the amount of stored potential energy within the accumulator. The sensor provides a connector, attached between a moving reference point within the accumulator and a converting element, for sensing the displacement of the reference point. The converting element converts the accumulator displacement to a proportional displacement of a translating member. A precision transducer senses the displacement of the translating member and provides an electrical output signal proportional to the reference point's position within the accumulator.
In one exemplary embodiment according to the principles of the invention, a flexible connector of the sensor, such as a cable is attached to the end of a piston or bladder within the hydraulic accumulator. A converting element on the sensor comprises a pick-up spool coupled to the other end of the connector and rotatable about an axis. The spool is under tension from a recoil mechanism, such as a spring, coupled to the spool. A translating member, which can be a lead screw, engages threads on the interior of the spool, and translates along an axis when the spool rotates. A transducer is disposed to sense a position or motion of the translating member, and provides an output signal proportional to, and therefore indicative of, the position of the translating member. The transducer can be a linear variable differential transformer (LVDT), which is a non-contacting transducer. Of course, other transducers, including those using contacting components, can be used.
For use in a hydraulic accumulator, the sensor operates as follows. The converting element is attached to the accumulator. As a piston or bladder moves within the accumulator, the spool feeds out or draws in cable, thereby tracking the piston or bladder's linear displacement. As the piston or bladder moves toward the spool, the spring causes the spool to wind the cable. When the piston or bladder moves away from the spool, the cylinder force overcomes the spring tension and pulls cable off the spool. The spool is in threaded engagement with a lead screw. As the spool rotates, the spool and lead screw convert the rotary motion of the spool to a linear displacement of the lead screw. The displacement is proportional to the piston or bladder displacement and accordingly, the stored energy. The lead screw is attached to an LVDT core that moves within an LVDT body when the cylinder moves. The LVDT delivers an electrical signal at its output, which can be configured as a position signal.
It will be appreciated by one skilled in the art, that other sensor configurations may be utilized and the scope of the invention is not limited to the embodiments disclosed herein.
A hydraulic accumulator with a linear positional sensor according to the principles of the invention is capable of providing accurate positional information of the movable elements inside the accumulator. Such accurate positional information provides accumulator charge condition data for use in hydraulic systems such as vehicular regenerative braking systems and generalized accumulator systems. Access to such charge condition data allows for optimized control and operation of the hydraulic system.
Sensor 61 maybe of a type containing a flexible connection or filament to measure the distance traversed within cylinder 30. Flexible connector 62 connects to connector extension rod 52 via connector 53. Extension rod 52 passes through the center of centering disk 53 to ensure that the connector does not contact the sides of cylinder 30. Further, centering disk 53 also serves to hold sensor extension 52 in place. Sensor extension 52 allows connection of flexible connector 62 to the bottom of piston assembly 40 with no “dead length”. Dead length refers to length that flexible connector 62 has to traverse, but which is not used in the actual operation of the system (i.e. no measurement travel). In operation, as the amount of fluid within cylinder 30 is increased or decreased piston assembly 40 and accordingly the charge reference point will traverse the length of cylinder 30 causing flexible connector 62 to extend and recoil with the amount of fluid present. Knowledge of this positional information allows one to accurately know the charge or potential energy stored in the accumulator. Position information from sensor 61 is output to signal conditioner 14 as an electrical signal. This signal can be conditioned and used in a feedback control system, a user interface or any system where such a signal is desirable.
As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the above invention is not limited to the embodiments disclosed, as other mechanisms may be utilized without departing from the spirit of the invention.
This application claims priority from U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/183,752 filed Jun. 3, 2009, entitled “Position Sensor” which is incorporated herein by reference.
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