US-12624982-B2 - Intelligent digital load cell transducer

US12624982B2US 12624982 B2US12624982 B2US 12624982B2US-12624982-B2

Abstract

A load cell transducer including one or more strain gauges configured to generate a first signal indicative of a force applied to the load cell transducer and a sensor configured to generate a second signal indicative of an acceleration and an orientation of the load cell transducer. The load cell transducer further includes a controller communicatively coupled to the one or more strain gauges and the sensor. The controller is configured to determine a weight of an object based on the first signal, determine at least one of a static inclination or an acceleration of the load cell transducer based on the second signal, and output a message indicating an issue of the load cell transducer based on at least one of the static inclination and the acceleration.

Inventors

Gerard Bijkerk
Jacob E. Dunnum
Alex Groot

Assignees

ELECTRONIC THEATRE CONTROLS, INC.

Dates

Publication Date: 20260512
Application Date: 20230601

Claims (20)

1 . A load cell transducer comprising: one or more strain gauges configured to generate a first signal indicative of a force applied to the load cell transducer; a sensor configured to generate a second signal indicative of an acceleration and an orientation of the load cell transducer; and a controller including an electronic processor, the controller communicatively coupled to the one or more strain gauges and the sensor, the controller configured to: determine a weight of an object based on the first signal; determine the acceleration of the load cell transducer based on the second signal; determine whether the acceleration exceeds a threshold; and output a message indicating an issue of the load cell transducer, when the acceleration exceeds the threshold.
2 . The load cell transducer of claim 1 , wherein the issue is a recommendation for maintenance of the load cell transducer.
3 . The load cell transducer of claim 1 , wherein the sensor and the controller are mounted to a printed circuit board (PCB); and wherein the PCB is received by a cavity formed in a body of the load cell transducer.
4 . The load cell transducer of claim 1 , further comprising an external indicator communicatively coupled to the controller; and wherein the controller is further configured to activate the external indicator when the acceleration exceeds the threshold.
5 . The load cell transducer of claim 1 , wherein the controller includes a memory; and wherein the controller is further configured to log an impact event in the memory when the acceleration exceeds the threshold.
6 . The load cell transducer of claim 1 , wherein the controller is positioned in a junction box that is electrically connected to the load cell transducer.
7 . The load cell transducer of claim 1 , wherein the controller is further configured to: determine a static inclination of the load cell transducer based on the second signal; determine whether a difference between the static inclination and a target inclination value exceeds a second threshold; and output a second message indicating the issue of the load cell transducer, when the difference exceeds the threshold.
8 . The load cell transducer of claim 7 , wherein the controller includes a memory; and wherein the controller is further configured to log the static inclination in the memory when the difference exceeds the second threshold.
9 . The load cell transducer of claim 7 , wherein the controller is further configured to normalize the determined weight of the object based on that static inclination of the load cell transducer.
10 . A load cell transducer comprising: one or more strain gauges configured to generate a first signal indicative of a force applied to the load cell transducer; a sensor configured to generate a second signal indicative of an acceleration and an orientation of the load cell transducer; and a controller including an electronic processor, the controller communicatively coupled to the one or more strain gauges and the sensor, the controller configured to: determine a weight of an object based on the first signal; determine a static inclination of the load cell transducer based on the second signal; determine whether a difference between the static inclination and a target inclination value exceeds a threshold; and output a message indicating an issue of the load cell transducer, when the difference exceeds the threshold.
11 . The load cell transducer of claim 10 , wherein issue is a recommendation for maintenance of the load cell transducer.
12 . The load cell transducer of claim 11 , wherein the sensor and the controller are mounted to a printed circuit board (PCB); and wherein the PCB is received by a cavity formed in a body of the load cell transducer.
13 . The load cell transducer of claim 10 , further comprising an external indicator communicatively coupled to the controller; and wherein the controller is further configured to activate the external indicator when the difference exceeds the threshold.
14 . The load cell transducer of claim 10 , wherein the controller includes a memory; and wherein the controller is further configured to log the static inclination in the memory when the difference exceeds the threshold.
15 . The load cell transducer of claim 10 , wherein the controller is further configured to normalize the determined weight of the object based on that static inclination of the load cell transducer.
16 . The load cell transducer of claim 10 , wherein the controller is positioned in a junction box that is electrically connected to the load cell transducer.
17 . The load cell transducer of claim 10 , wherein the controller is further configured to: determine the acceleration of the load cell transducer based on the second signal; determine whether the acceleration exceeds a second threshold; and output a second message indicating an issue of the load cell transducer to an external device when the acceleration exceeds the second threshold.
18 . The load cell transducer of claim 17 , wherein the controller includes a memory; and wherein the controller is further configured to log an impact event in the memory when the acceleration exceeds the second threshold.
19 . A weighing installation comprising: a weighing surface; and a load cell transducer coupled to the weighing surface, the load cell transducer including: one or more strain gauges configured to generate a first signal indicative of a force applied by an object to the weighing surface; a sensor configured to generate a second signal indicative of an acceleration and an orientation of the load cell transducer; and a controller including an electronic processor, the controller communicatively coupled to the one or more strain gauges and the sensor, the controller configured to: determine a weight of the object based on the first signal; determine the acceleration of the load cell transducer based on the second signal; determine whether the acceleration exceeds a threshold; and output a message indicating an issue of the load cell transducer, when the acceleration exceeds the threshold.
20 . The weighing installation of claim 19 , wherein the controller is further configured to: determine a static inclination of the load cell transducer based on the second signal; determine whether a difference between the static inclination and a target inclination value exceeds a second threshold; and output a second message indicating the issue of the load cell transducer, when the difference exceeds the threshold.

Description

RELATED APPLICATIONS This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/348,077, filed on Jun. 2, 2022, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. FIELD Aspects described herein relate to digital load cell transducers. SUMMARY Load cell transducers are used across a wide variety of industrial and retail applications for providing accurate weight measurements. However, if a load cell transducer becomes unknowingly damaged or mispositioned, the accuracy of the weight measurements produced by the load cell transducer may decrease. Existing solutions for determining whether a load cell transducer has been damaged or mispositioned are difficult and expensive to implement. In some aspects, load cell transducers described herein include one or more strain gauges configured to generate a first signal indicative of a force applied to the load cell transducer and a sensor configured to generate a second signal indicative of an acceleration and an orientation of the load cell transducer. The load cell transducer further includes a controller communicatively coupled to the one or more strain gauges and the sensor. The controller includes an electronic processor and is configured to determine a weight of an object based on the first signal, determine the acceleration of the load cell transducer based on the second signal, determine whether the acceleration exceeds a threshold, output a message indicating an issue of the load cell transducer, when the acceleration exceeds the threshold. In some aspects, load cell transducers described herein include one or more strain gauges configured to generate a first signal indicative of a force applied to the load cell transducer and a sensor configured to generate a second signal indicative of an acceleration and an orientation of the load cell transducer. The load cell transducer further includes a controller communicatively coupled to the one or more strain gauges and the sensor. The controller includes an electronic processor and is configured to determine a weight of an object based on the first signal, determine a static inclination of the load cell transducer based on the second signal, determine whether a difference between the static inclination and a target inclination value exceeds a threshold, and output a message indicating an issue of the load cell transducer, when the difference exceeds the threshold. In some aspects, weighing installations described herein include a weighing surface and a load cell transducer coupled to the weighing surface. The load cell transducer includes one or more strain gauges configured to generate a first signal indicative of a force applied by an object to the weighing surface and a sensor configured to generate a second signal indicative of an acceleration and an orientation of the load cell transducer. The load cell transducer further includes a controller communicatively coupled to the one or more strain gauges and the sensor. The controller includes an electronic processor and is configured to determine a weight of the object based on the first signal, determine the acceleration of the load cell transducer based on the second signal, determine whether the acceleration exceeds a threshold, and output a message indicating an issue of the load cell transducer, when the acceleration exceeds the threshold. Before any embodiments are explained in detail, it is to be understood that the embodiments are not limited in its application to the details of the configuration and arrangement of components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the accompanying drawings. The embodiments are capable of being practiced or of being carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology used herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. The use of “including,” “comprising,” or “having” and variations thereof are meant to encompass the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereof as well as additional items. Unless specified or limited otherwise, the terms “mounted,” “connected,” “supported,” and “coupled” and variations thereof are used broadly and encompass both direct and indirect mountings, connections, supports, and couplings. In addition, it should be understood that embodiments may include hardware, software, and electronic components or modules that, for purposes of discussion, may be illustrated and described as if the majority of the components were implemented solely in hardware. However, one of ordinary skill in the art, and based on a reading of this detailed description, would recognize that, in at least one embodiment, the electronic-based aspects may be implemented in software (e.g., stored on non-transitory computer-readable medium) executable by one or more processing units, such as a microprocessor and/or application specific integrated circuits (“ASICs”). As such, it should be noted that a