Flex Technology opens up New Dimensions in Transmission Metrology

Due to the growing demand for weight reduction, transmission units have become increasingly compact. That also means that available space for the installation of measuring devices inside the transmission, for example ,operational stability of individual components, like gears, shafts, or synchronising rings is at a premium.

Since, however, structural integrity must not be compromised, no additional installation space for metrology can be provided by, for example, simply using thinner materials. In response to these recent demands, Manner has now developed an innovative, flexible sensor signal amplifier based on flex substrate technology for strain gauge and temperature measurement tasks. This amplifier can literally be wound around a shaft. Particularly remarkable is its tiny build height of just 2.8 mm, including rotor induction coil and encapsulation.

The new Manner sensor signal amplifier despite its extremely compact design, operates with the tried and tested, high-precision 16 bit digital resolution technology and steplessly configurable measuring range including autozero, which can be set up remotely. It can be used in ambient temperatures up to 160°C without any limitations. An additional optional temperature measurement channel allows monitoring of the measuring point to avoid overheating.

Its highly innovative encapsulation technology allows a deployment of the amplifier even in oily environments. The system works without a battery, and is therefore 100% maintenance-free and has no restrictions in terms of operating time. Because of its digital character, data can be transmitted analogously or digitally via USB, CAN or ethernet to its downstream data capture system with highest precision and accuracy.