Self-Powered Telemetric Torque Meter

Abstract

This paper presents a self-powered telemetric torque meter. The idealized instrument uses strain gauge, telemetry, and LABVIEW graphic programming. The electronic transduction signal is transmitted by digital modulation from a remote transduction unit fixed to a rotation shaft to a base station sending signals to a personal computer (PC) by means of a virtual instrument developed in LABVIEW. The signal can also be delivered to other units besides the PC. The ZigBee/IEEE 802.15.4 protocol is the standard protocol for wireless communications and is highly used in industrial monitoring and control applications. A low-noise method for supplying the remote transduction unit components in the rotation shaft—using its rotating movement to generate the demanded energy—has also been developed. After extensive experimentation, the theoretical model seems to confirm the idea proposed. The system presented in this study is robust, precise, cost-effective, and has high-noise immunity even in abrasive and strong vibration environments.