Device for producing a torque or torsion responsive signal

Claim 1

A SYSTEM COMPRISING A POWER SOURCE, A POWER TRANSMITTING ROTATING BODY OPERATIVELY CONNECTED TO THE POWER SOURCE FOR ROTATION THEREBY AND A LOAD CONNECTED TO SAID TRANSMITTED BODY, IN COMBINATION: AN APPARATUS FOR SENSING DIFFERENCES IN ROTATIONAL DISPLACEMENTS OF AXIALLY SPACED PARTS OF THE ROTATING BODY, COMPRISING TWO MEMBERS EACH FIXEDLY MOUNTED ON AXIALLY SPACED PARTS OF SAID BODY FOR ROTATION THEREWITH, SAID MEMBERS EACH HAVING A PLURALITY OF MAGNETIZED REGIONS DISTRIBUTED DISCONTINUOUSLY CIRCUMFERENTIALLY THEREOF AT UNIFORM DISTANCES, SEMICONDUCTOR HALL VOLTAGE GENERATOR PLATES RESPECTIVELY MOUNTED NEAR THE TRAVEL PATHS OF SAID MEMBERS TO BE SUBTRODE MEANS TO TAKE OFF THE RESPECTIVE HALL VOLTAGES, THE GAPS BEING EACH LOCATED AT THE SAME DISTANCE FROM THE MAGNETIC CIRCUIT HAVING A GAP TRANSVERSE TO THE DIRECTION OF ROTATION OF SAID MEMBERS, THE HALL PLATES HAVING HALL ELECTRODE MEANS, CIRCUIT CONNECTIONS TO SAID HALL ELECTRODE MEANS TO TAKE OFF THE RESEPCTIVE HALL VOLTAGES, THE GAPS BEING EACH LOCATED AT THE SAME DISTANCE FROM THE RESPECTIVE TRAVEL PATHS OF SAID MEMBERS, THE CIRCUMFERENTIAL SPACING OF THE MAGNETIZED REGIONS OF THE TWO MEMBERS BEING THE SAME, THE ANGULAR RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE MAGNETIZED REGIONS OF THE RESPECTIVE MEMBERS BEING PRESET, AND COMPARATOR MEANS TO SENSE THE DEGREE OF RELATIVE DISPLACEMENT OF THE CURRENT PULSES DERIVED FROM THE HALL PLATES, SAID DIFFERENCES IN ROTATIONAL DISPLACEMENT BEING CORRELATIVE WITH THE TORQUE AND THEREFORE WITH THE LOAD, SO THAT SAID SENSED DIFFERENCES ARE CORRELATIVE WITH THE LOAD.