SENSOR FOR DETECTING MECHANICAL CHANGES AT AN EARLY STAGE

Abstract

The present invention relates to a sensor system (1) for detecting mechanical changes, in particular material fatigue and wear and tear, at an early stage, comprising a sensor housing (2) having a receiving region (21) and a sensor head (4), wherein the sensor head (4) is maintained on the receiving region on the sensor housing (2) and is at a distance, at least in regions from the sensor housing (2). The sensor head (4) comprises a breaking body (40) having at least one measuring conductor (50). The at least one measuring conductor (50) is electrically connected by means of at least one electronic measurement unit (25) in the sensor housing (2), and the electrical resistance of the at least one measuring conductor (50) can be detected by the electronic measurement unit (25).

Claims

1. A sensor system (1) for the early detection of mechanical changes, in particular material fatigue and wear, comprising a sensor housing (2) with a receiving region (21) and a sensor head (4), wherein the sensor head (4) is held on the receiving region (21) on the sensor housing (2) and protrudes at least in some areas from the sensor housing (2), wherein the sensor head (4) comprises a breaking body (40) with at least one measuring conductor (50), wherein the at least one measuring conductor (50) is electrically connected in the sensor housing (2) by means of at least one electronic measurement unit (25), and wherein the electrical resistance of the at least one measuring conductor (50) can be detected by the electronic measurement unit (25).

2. The sensor system according to claim 1, characterized in that the breaking body (40) is made of an electrically insulating material, and that the at least one measuring conductor (50) is arranged as a contact loop (51) in or on the breaking body (40).

3. The sensor system (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that at least one electrical connection (35) between the measuring conductor (50) and the electronic measurement unit (25) is a plug connection.

4. The sensor system (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the sensor head (4) is held positively and/or non-positively in the receiving region (21) on the sensor housing (2) by the electrical connection (35).

5. The sensor system (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that a guide (7) is provided in the receiving region (21) between the sensor housing (2) and the sensor head (4), and that the guide (7) is made of a damping material.

6. The sensor system (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the breaking body (40) is made of a brittle material, preferably a ceramic material or glass.

7. The sensor system (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the breaking body (40) is made of an elastic material, preferably rubber, in particular hard rubber.

8. The sensor system (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the breaking body has an ampoule with a wall (41) which encloses a container with a medium (6).

9. The sensor system (1) according to claim 8, characterized in that the at least one measuring conductor (50) extends in or on the wall (41).

10. The sensor system (1) according to claim 8, characterized in that the medium (6) is electrically conductive, and that the at least one measuring conductor (50) is formed from a first electrode (52) and a second electrode (53), which in the breaking body (40) protrude into the medium (6) at a distance from one another.

11. The sensor system (1) according to claim 8. characterized in that the medium (6) comprises a liquid and/or a gas, and that the medium (6) is provided with a visually and/or optically and/or olfactorily perceptible marker.

12. The sensor system (1) according to claim 8, characterized in that the medium (6) comprises a pourable granular or lumpy mixture.

13. The sensor system (1) according to claim 8 characterized in that the medium in the sensor head (4) is pressurized.

14. The sensor system (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the sensor head (4) has a substantially cylindrical shape, and that the sensor head (4) in the receiving region (21) is radially surrounded in some areas by the sensor housing (2).

15. The sensor system (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the sensor housing (2) has at least one fastening means (30) which is set up to fasten the sensor housing (2) to at least one component to be monitored.

16. The sensor system (1) according to claim 15, characterized in that the at least one fastening means (30) has an external thread.

17. The sensor system (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the sensor housing (2) has a sensor cable connection (26) which is set up to be connected to a monitoring circuit of a fairground ride.

18. The sensor system (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the electronic measurement unit (25) have a radio unit (28), by means of which the electrical resistance of the at least one measuring conductor (50) can be queried wirelessly.

19. The sensor system (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the radio unit (28) is an RFID chip that can be controlled and read out.

20. The sensor head (4) of a sensor system according to claim 1, wherein the sensor head (4) comprises a breaking body (40) with at least one measuring conductor (50).

21. The sensor head (4) according to claim 20, characterized in that the breaking body (40) is made of an electrically insulating material, and that the at least one measuring conductor (50) is arranged as a contact loop (51) in or on the breaking body (40).

22. The sensor head (4) according to claim 20, characterized in that the breaking body (40) is made from a brittle material, preferably from a ceramic material or glass, or that the breaking body (40) is made from an elastic material, preferably rubber, in particular hard rubber.

23. The sensor head (4) according to claim 20, characterized in that the breaking body (40) has a wall (41) which encloses a medium (6).

24. The sensor head (4) according to claim 20, characterized in that the medium (6) is electrically conductive, and that the at least one measuring conductor (50) is formed from a first electrode (52) and a second electrode (53), which in the ampoule (40) protrude into the medium (6) at a distance from one another.

25. The sensor head (4) according to claim 23, characterized in that the medium (6) is a liquid, and that the medium (6) is provided with a visually and/or optically and/or olfactorily perceptible marker.

26. A fairground ride with a sensor system (1) according to claim 1.

27. The fairground ride according to claim 26, characterized in that at least one radio reader is provided to be set up to communicate with the radio unit (28) of the sensor system (1).

28. The fairground ride according to claim 26, characterized in that at least one camera is provided, which is set up to optically capture a medium (6) escaping from the breaking body (40).

Description

[0041] Two exemplary embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings:

[0042] FIG. 1 shows a perspective illustration of a first exemplary embodiment of the sensor system according to the invention with a sensor housing and a sensor head which is inserted into a receiving region on the sensor housing and has a breaking body designed as a glass ampoule;

[0043] FIG. 2 shows a simplified sectional illustration of the sensor system according to FIG. 1;

[0044] FIG. 3 shows a perspective illustration of a second exemplary embodiment of the sensor system according to the invention;

[0045] FIG. 4 shows a further perspective illustration of the exemplary embodiment according to FIG. 3;

[0046] FIG. 5 shows a schematic and sectional representation of the sensor system according to FIG. 1; and

[0047] FIG. 6 shows a schematic and sectional illustration of a further development of the sensor head;

[0048] FIG. 7 shows a schematically illustrated installation situation of the sensor system according to the invention according to FIG. 1 on a rail-guided vehicle of a fairground ride; and

[0049] FIG. 8 shows a detailed illustration of the installation situation of the sensor system according to FIG. 7.

[0050] In the following, two preferred exemplary embodiments of a sensor system 1 according to the invention with a sensor head 4 and a further development of the sensor head 4 are described in detail with reference to FIG. 1 to FIG. 8, functionally identical parts being provided with the same reference numerals.

[0051] FIG. 1 shows a first exemplary embodiment according to the invention of the sensor system 1. The sensor system 1 comprises a sensor housing 2 and a sensor head 4, the sensor housing 2 being formed from a hollow cylindrical housing body 20 which has a receiving region 21 designed as a recess. As can be seen in particular from the sectional illustration in FIG. 2 or 5, the housing body 20 is formed coaxially to a longitudinal axis 3 and surrounds a receiving region 21 which is also aligned coaxially to the longitudinal axis 3.

[0052] The sensor housing 2 or the housing body 20 has a fastening means 30, which in the illustrated exemplary embodiment is designed as a fine thread M12x1, whereby the sensor housing 2 is fastened to the at least one component to be monitored, as shown for example in FIGS. 7 and 8.

[0053] The receiving region 21 is arranged on the side of a first end of the housing body 20, while a sensor cable connection 26 is provided on the side of a second end of the housing body 20. An electrical connection can be established, for example, to a monitoring circuit of a fairground ride by the sensor cable connection 26.

[0054] The sensor head 4 is arranged on the receiving region 21 on the sensor housing 2, or inserted into the receiving region 21 designed as a recess, and protrudes freely along the longitudinal axis 3 from the first end of the housing body 20.

[0055] The sensor head 4 comprises a breaking body 40 with at least one measuring conductor 50, wherein the breaking body 40 can be made from a glass material as an ampoule and can have a wall 41 which encloses a medium 6. Alternatively (not shown), the breaking body 40 can be designed as a solid body which receives the measuring conductor 50.

[0056] The medium 6 in the breaking body 40 can be any medium, for example a liquid with high fluidity. Furthermore, the medium can be mixed with a fluorescent agent.

[0057] In the exemplary embodiment shown, the breaking body 40 has two measuring conductors 50, which are each designed as electrically conductive U-shaped contact loops 51. The measuring conductors 50 or the contact loops 51 extend on the outside of the wall 41, that is to say the side facing away from the medium 6, between a breaking body foot 43 and a breaking body head 42. Furthermore, FIGS. 1 and 2 show that the contact loops 51 extend substantially over the entire length of the breaking body 40.

[0058] It is important here that the contact loop 51 always extends, at least in some areas, over the area which protrudes from the first end free of the receiving region 21 or sensor housing 2.

[0059] In the area of the breaking body foot 43, the breaking body 40 has two contact points 55, see FIG. 5, per contact loop 51, which are electrically connected to one another by the measuring conductor 50 or the contact loop 51. Each measuring conductor 50 accordingly has a contact point 55 at both ends.

[0060] Furthermore, FIG. 2 shows that the sensor head 4 has two contact loops 51, which are arranged diametrically around the longitudinal axis 3. In order to protect the contact loops 51, the breaking body 40 is provided with a coating 44 made, for example, of a brittle material, for example glass or ceramics. Alternatively, other electrically insulating materials can also be used for the coating 44, in particular plastic, lacquer or the like.

[0061] Between the sensor housing 2 and the sensor head 4, a guide 7 is provided in the receiving region 21, by means of which the sensor head 4 is held in a damping manner in the receiving region 21. In addition, by suitably dimensioning the guide 7, it can also be used as a clamping device 23 which locks the sensor head 4 in the receiving region 21. The guide 7 is preferably made of a rubber-elastic material, for example an elastomer, rubber or latex material, which has a hardness of approximately 70 Shore.

[0062] Each contact loop 51 is connected to an electronic measurement unit 25, see FIG. 5, by means of contact points 55 and electrical connections 35, the electronic measurement unit 25 connecting the sensor cable connection 26 to the at least one measuring conductor 50. The electronic measurement unit 25 can also have one or more electrical circuits or logic modules, by means of which one or more measuring conductors 50 are connected in parallel or in series. As FIG. 5 shows, the electronic measurement unit 25 can also have a radio unit 28.

[0063] The basic function of the electronic measurement unit 25 is to establish an electrical connection between the at least one measuring conductor 50 and the sensor cable connection 26, so that the sensor system 1 can determine the electrical conductivity or the electrical resistance of the measuring conductor 50 through a monitoring circuit of a fairground ride.

[0064] The electrical connection between the measuring conductor 50 and the electronic measurement unit 25 can be realized by a plug connection, which is made for example in FIG. 5 by the sensor housing 2 and in FIG. 6 by the sensor head 4.

[0065] The embodiment shown in FIG. 3 differs from the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 in the design of the sensor housing 2, it being evident that the sensor housing 2 is a substantially cylindrical body, which can for example be glued, plugged in or fastened in some other way to the at least one component of the fairground ride to be monitored. The receiving region 21 is formed by an end face at the first end of the sensor housing 2, with four electrical connections 35 protruding from the sensor housing 2, each of which is designed to be connected to one end of a measuring conductor 50 or a contact loop 51.

[0066] The sensor head 4 is designed substantially analogously to the sensor heads 4 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 and is a cylindrical container with a rounded breaking body head 42 and a rounded breaking body foot 43.

[0067] The shape of the breaking body 40 can be designed in any way, with rotationally symmetrical cross-sections in the longitudinal axis 3 being preferred for manufacturing reasons.

[0068] The side of the sensor system 1 facing away from the breaking body 40 can be seen in FIG. 4, it being evident that the sensor cable connection 26 has four electrical connections 35, each of the electrical connections 35 being connected to one end of one of the two contact loops 51.

[0069] The schematic representation of the sensor system in FIG. 5 shows that the sensor housing 2 can have a radio unit 28 by means of which the electrical resistance or the electrical conductivity of the measuring conductor 50 can be checked.

[0070] In the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 5, the radio unit 28 is an RFID chip that can be wirelessly controlled and read out by a reader. The RFID chip has an identification number or identifier by which it can be uniquely identified. The RFID chip is controlled and read out by the reader, as a result of which the RFID chip is stimulated by means of a UHF frequency and generates a current that is passed through the measuring conductor 50 of the sensor head 4. The result of the measurement of the electrical conductivity of the measuring conductor 50 is forwarded by the RFID chip 28 to the reader, which is in turn connected, for example, to a monitoring circuit of the fairground ride. Depending on the conductivity of the measuring conductor 50, a switching signal, an emergency stop or the like can be initiated by the monitoring circuit.

[0071] The breaking body 40 has an elongated breaking body tip 45 in the region of the breaking body foot 43, which tip is designed to produce a non-positive and/or positive coupling with the sensor housing 2. For this purpose, a spring cage can be formed in the receiving region 21 on the sensor housing 2, for example, which cage grips around the breaking body tip 45 and clamps it, which fastens the sensor head 4 in the receiving region 21 to the sensor housing 2.

[0072] FIG. 6 shows a schematic and sectional illustration of a further development of the sensor head 4. The sensor head 4 is made from an ampoule which is filled with an electrically conductive medium 6 and forms the breaking body 40. The at least one measuring conductor 50 of the sensor head 4 consists of a first electrode 52 and a second electrode 53, which are electrically connected by means of the electrically conductive medium 6. For this purpose, the first electrode 52 and the second electrode 53 protrude insulated from one another and spaced apart into the medium 6 within the wall 41 of the ampoule, so that an electric current can flow between the ends of the electrodes 52, 53 protruding freely into the medium. In the event of mechanical changes in the component to be monitored, even slight stresses can lead to cracks in the breaking body 40, through which the medium can flow out, whereby the electrical connection between the first electrode 52 and the second electrode 53 is interrupted. It can advantageously be provided that the medium 6 in the breaking body 40 is pressurized. As a result, the outflow of the medium 6 is facilitated even with the finest hairline cracks and mechanical changes in the at least one component to be monitored are detected at an early stage.

[0073] A combination of at least one measuring conductor 50, which is formed from a contact loop 51, with at least one measuring conductor 50, which is formed by a first electrode 52, a second electrode 53 and the electrically conductive medium 6, is provided according to the invention and can increase measurement reliability.

[0074] The use of the sensor system 1 for increasing the safety of a fairground ride can be seen on a fairground ride 80 in FIGS. 7 and 8.

[0075] FIGS. 7 and 8 show a section from a rail-guided fairground ride 80, namely a roller coaster, wherein, as can be seen in detail in FIG. 8, two sensor systems 1 are used to monitor the guidance of a rail-guided vehicle 85. The sensor systems 1 are each arranged between two adjacent guide wheels 90 on a side facing a guide rail 95 in such a way that the sensor heads 4 protrude freely out of the sensor housing 2 in the direction of the guide rail 95. The fastening of the sensor systems 1 to the rail-guided vehicle 85 takes place from the interaction of the fastening means 30 and two threaded nuts 8, which enables the sensor systems 1 to be precisely positioned on the rail-guided vehicle 85.

[0076] In the event of a mechanical change in the rail-guided vehicle 85, for example, the sensor heads 4 come into contact with the guide rail 95, as a result of which the breaking body 40 breaks or is destroyed. The medium 6 can run out of the breaking body 40 or the ampoule and leave a colored marking on the adjacent components. At the same time, if the wall 41 of the ampoule or the breaking body 40 is destroyed, the at least one measuring conductor 50 is severed so that the resistance of the measuring conductor 50 or the contact loop 51 approaches infinity or the measuring conductor 50 is no longer electrically conductive due to an interruption. While the interruption of the measuring conductor 50 can be detected by electronic means, the colored marking by the medium 6 can be automatically detected optically using a camera, for example by means of UV light, or visually by the operating personnel during a visual inspection.

[0077] Thus, according to the invention, a sensor system 1 for increasing the safety of the fairground ride is provided, as well as a fairground ride that can detect, in different ways and with multiple redundancy, mechanical changes in at least one component to be monitored. The sensor system 1 according to the invention can be operated both wired and wirelessly, and enables at least two different measurement techniques for detecting a mechanical change, in particular a mechanical change such as material fatigue and wear, in the at least one component to be monitored. On the one hand, an electrical signal is always generated and, on the other hand, a visually and/or optically perceptible coloring of the component affected by the mechanical change is achieved.

[0078] The sensor system according to the invention can also be operated without any electrical components, so that the mechanical changes, in particular material fatigue and wear, are read out when the breaking body breaks, for example due to fluorescent liquids. Reading out in the dark using appropriate readers, for example UV lamps, is also conceivable.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS

[0079] 1 Sensor system

[0080] 2 Sensor housing

[0081] 4 Sensor head

[0082] 6 Medium

[0083] 7 Guide

[0084] 8 Threaded nut

[0085] 9 Sensor cable

[0086] 20 Housing body

[0087] 21 Receiving region

[0088] 22 Plug contact

[0089] 23 Clamping device

[0090] 25 Electronic measurement unit

[0091] 26 Sensor cable connection

[0092] 28 RFID chip

[0093] 30 Fastening means

[0094] 35 Electrical connection

[0095] 40 Breaking body

[0096] 41 Wall

[0097] 42 Breaking body head

[0098] 43 Breaking body foot

[0099] 44 Coating

[0100] 45 Breaking body tip

[0101] 50 Measuring conductor

[0102] 51 Contact loop

[0103] 52 First electrode

[0104] 53 Second electrode

[0105] 55 Contact point