| US 7,568,400 B2 | ||
| Torque detecting apparatus | ||
| Yoshitomo Tokumoto, Nabari (Japan); Toshiharu Ishihara, Kashiwara (Japan); Takanori Hamada, Kashiwara (Japan); and Naoki Nakane, Toyota (Japan) | ||
| Assigned to Jtekt Corporation, Osaka-shi, Osaka (Japan); and Denso Corporation, Kariya-shi, Aichi (Japan) | ||
| Appl. No. 11/579,948 PCT Filed May 10, 2005, PCT No. PCT/JP2005/008513 § 371(c)(1), (2), (4) Date Nov. 09, 2006, PCT Pub. No. WO2005/108943, PCT Pub. Date Nov. 17, 2005. |
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| Claims priority of application No. 2004-141496 (JP), filed on May 11, 2004; and application No. 2004-165725 (JP), filed on Jun. 03, 2004. | ||
| Prior Publication US 2008/0028870 A1, Feb. 07, 2008 | ||
| This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer. | ||
| Int. Cl. G01L 3/02 (2006.01) | ||
| U.S. Cl. 73—862.333 | 16 Claims |
| 1. A torque detecting apparatus comprising:
a first shaft and a second shaft joined coaxially to each other;
a cylindrical magnet arranged for rotating together with the first shaft;
a pair of yoke rings arranged for rotating together with the second shaft in a magnetic field induced by the cylindrical magnet;
a pair of magnetism collecting rings arranged to surround the two yoke rings respectively from the outer side; and
a magnetic sensor disposed between two opposite magnetism collecting projections provided outwardly on the outer side of the
magnetism collecting rings respectively,
wherein a torque exerted on the first and second shafts is detected from the density of the magnetic flux induced between
the two opposite magnetism collecting projections and measured by the magnetic sensor,
the magnetism collecting projections are arranged at two or more locations on the circumference of each of the pair of magnetism
collecting rings, the magnetism collecting projections being directed substantially in parallel with each other, and
the magnetic sensors are disposed between the corresponding pairs of the magnetism collecting projections.
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