US 11,788,828 B1
Direct sensing system for a spherical joint
Jeremy T. Peterson, Washington, IL (US); Daniel P. Sergison, East Peoria, IL (US); Edward William Mate, Manhattan, IL (US); Jeffrey L. Kuehn, Germantown Hills, IL (US); and Andrew J. de Haseth, Marana, AZ (US)
Assigned to Caterpillar Inc., Peoria, IL (US)
Filed by Caterpillar Inc., Peoria, IL (US)
Filed on Jul. 1, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/856,656.
Int. Cl. G01B 7/315 (2006.01)
CPC G01B 7/315 (2013.01) 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A device for measuring rotation of a spherical joint in a steering system, comprising:
an anchor secured within a ball stud of the spherical joint;
a rotational tie having a first end and a second end, the first end being secured to the anchor to hold the first end parallel to a longitudinal axis of the ball stud;
a rotation sensor comprising:
a sensor target rotationally coupled to the second end of the rotational tie and secured for free rotation to a framework of the spherical joint; and
an angle sensor configured and arranged to sense a changing angle of the sensor target.