Using a low-cost bluetooth torque sensor for vehicle jerk and transient torque measurement

This paper presents the use and development of a specific wireless torque measurement system that is used to obtain the transient torque performance of vehicle transmissions. The torque sensor is strain-based, using surface-mounted strain gauges on a prop shaft. The gauges are connected to a compact printed circuit board, which is clamped to the shaft next to the strain gauges using a three-dimensional printed housing. The printed circuit board contains an amplifier, low-pass filter, analog-to-digital converter, microcontroller and bluetooth transceiver. The printed housing is impact resistant carbon-reinforced nylon and securely retains the printed circuit board and the battery powering the device. The transmitted torque data are received by a transceiver, which is interfaced to a PC through an RS-232 connection. NI LabVIEW is used to process, display and save data. The wireless torque sensor was installed to the Unit Under Test at the output shaft of the five-speed manual transmission. The Unit Under Test was installed on a dynamometer for verification purposes and the transient torque was recorded under various operational conditions. The transient output torque of the manual transmission is measured and compared with results obtained from simulations performed under similar operating conditions. The two sets of transient responses show a good correlation with each other and hence demonstrate that the torque sensor meets the major design specifications. The data obtained will be used to enhance the fidelity of the software model.