FEATURE Sensors


Torque sensor with separate sensing head can probe deep into machinery


Sensor Technology has extended its range of torque sensors with a model that has the sensing head and electronics in separate housings, offering two advantages: the sensing head can fit into very confined spaces, and the electronics is protected


Detection T


he new TorqSense SGR530/540 series operates on the same principle as all the other Sensor Technology SGR510/520 units, namely a full four-element strain gauge bridge. This uses four individual stain gauges affi xed to the drive shaft, each measures the defl ection of the shaft in a diff erent direction as it rotates under load. The electronics collects readings from all four gauges and calculates the torque value. Sensor Technology launched the TorqSense SGR510/520 range in 2020 as the successor to its RWT range, which worked on surface acoustic wave (SAW) measurement and detection. It has specialised in real-time torque measurement for over forty years, and pioneered the development of wireless technologies that use radio frequency pickups rather than hard-wired solutions involving delicate and unreliable slip rings. Initially launched in sizes to 500Nm,


interest in the SGR sensors was so high that the introduction of larger sizes to 13,000Nm was brought forward to December 2020. The new range is designed to meet


emerging user requirements, notably accurately recording transient torque spikes. In the past, transducers didn’t have the bandwidth to capture these spikes, so they were ignored. However, advances in automation, continuous operation and the increasing need for accurate track-and-trace data has led to the need for more detailed measurement and analysis. “A single spike could indicate, say, the


wrong amount of an ingredient being added to a compound or an oversized workpiece, both of which could aff ect product quality. A series of spikes would probably suggest the beginnings of a problem within the machinery, so their detection gives the plant engineers an early warning,” said Mark Ingham from Sensor Technology. In use, a rotor mounted ultra-miniature


microcontroller, powered by an inductive coil, measures the diff erential values in each strain gauge and transmits them back to the stator


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Wireless Communication


digitally, via the same coil. The SGR510/520 series transducers then use state-of-the-art strain-gauge signal-conditioning techniques to provide a high-bandwidth, low-cost torque measuring solution with high overrange and overload capabilities. The SGR torque sensors automatically compensate for any extraneous forces, such as bending moments, inadvertently applied to the sensor. They also off er high sensitivity and have a wide temperature tolerance, attributes that are increasingly required and as production machinery becomes more sophisticated and performance demands rise.


Other advantages of the SGR range include elimination of noise pickup and signal corruption associated with slip rings and hard- wired solutions, a 400% mechanical overload limit with accurate torque measurement even at these extremes, and multipoint calibration to eliminate linearity errors within the sensor. All units are accurate to ±0.1% and


resolution to ±0.01% of the transducer’s full scale. Other features include an adjustable moving average fi lter, power supply range from 12VDC to 32VDC, user settable analogue output voltages and RS232, USB, CANbus and Ethernet comms options.RWT sensors


CONTACT:


Sensor Technology www.sensors.co.uk


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More than 20,000 sensors. Factory Automation. Process Automation. Hazardous Areas. Harsh Environments. Measurement & Inspection. LED Lighting. Vision Systems. Machine Safety. Vehicle Detection. Flow & Temperature.


Turck Banner Ltd. Blenheim House, Blenheim Court, Wickford, Essex, SS11 8YT


Tel: 01268 578888 more@turckbanner.co.uk www.turckbanner.co.uk


Automation | June 2022 19


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