Fluid position sensor

摘要

993, 336. Determining angles. SPERRY RAND CORPORATION. March 29, 1963 [April 11, 1962], No. 12546/63. Heading G1X. [Also in Division B3] A lathe bed 11, Fig. 1, 2, contains ports 12, each of which communicates with a fluid amplifier 13 by conduits 14. A tool carriage 10 movable on the bed carries a bar 15 containing ports 16, each of which is connected to a source of pressurized fluid via a conduit 18. Ports 12, Fig. 4, may be spaced so that their diameters overlap in the direction of movement of bar 15, so that when one of the ports 12 is aligned with its respective port 16 in bar 15, thus supplying full pressure through this port, the next port 12 is partially aligned with its respective port 16, thus supplying a partial pressure through that port. The transmission of these pressures to fluid amplifiers can control the positioning of carriage 10 by means of servomechanisms. Ports 12 may be arranged so that a greater overlap, or not overlap is provided. In a modification, Figs. 6 and 7, the angular rotation of a lathe headstock shaft 24 is sensed or measured by ports 21 in a non rotary cylinder, which co-operate with ports 25 located in a bar 23 rotatable with the shaft. Advantage can also be taken of the axial spacing of ports 21 by moving the cylinder 20 axially. In a further modification the angular rotation of shaft 30, Figs. 8 and 9, is measured by ports 33 in a plate 32, which co-operate with ports 34 carried by a bar 31 rotatable with shaft 30. Each port 33 lies in a different segment 1, 2, 3 &c. and the ports have an angular overlap with each other due to the increase of the port size, according to the distance of the port from shaft 30. To maintain the same maximum pressure in each port 33 the output channels 36 from the ports are reduced to the size of channel 36 1 . The pressure may be maintained by supplying each port 34 from a different source of fluid at a different pressure. In a modification the ports supplying the fluid are stationary and the output ports are movable. In a further modification fluid is supplied at a point between the output ports, and the control circuitry with a plate having a row of ports is passed over the output ports to uncover them one at a time.