Data processing: measuring – calibrating – or testing – Measurement system – Weight
Patent
1997-04-30
1999-03-16
Biegel, Ronald L.
Data processing: measuring, calibrating, or testing
Measurement system
Weight
177136, G01G 1912
Patent
active
058842411
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a load measuring apparatus for a vehicle, which is adapted to measure a load carried by the vehicle without being affected by temperature changes.
BACKGROUND ART
Heretofore, as a load measuring apparatus for detecting a load carried by a vehicle such as a truck, an apparatus equipped with a strain gauge or a magnetostriction sensor in a suspension system which deforms or warps in accordance with changes in the weight of load has been used. In the prior art load measuring apparatus, an output value of the strain gauge or magnetostriction sensor is detected, and the output value is converted into a display value indicative of the weight of load (e.g. Japanese Utility Model Laid-open Publication 06-69759).
In the prior art load measuring apparatus, when the temperature changes, the detection output of the strain gauge or magnetostriction sensor is offset depending on the characteristics of the strain gauge or magnetostriction sensor, and the weight of load was converted from the offset output value. Therefore, the display value of load weight was varied due to the change in temperature. In particular, when the vehicle is running under a high-load, low-speed condition, such as running on an ascending slope at full load, the suspension system tends to increase in temperature, resulting in substantial changes in the display value of the load weight.
Providing a separate temperature compensation sensor, which detects a temperature of an environment in which the load measuring sensor is disposed, attached to a structure of the vehicle where it is susceptible to the deformation and strain has also been considered. A difference between the output of the load measuring sensor and the output of the temperature compensation sensor was used to eliminate the influence of the temperature changes. However, the suspension system has no sufficient space for mounting the temperature compensation sensor, and use of such a sensor increases the number of sensors, making the apparatus more expensive.
In view of the above prior art problems, a primary object of the present invention is to provide a load measuring apparatus which does not change in load weight measurement output even when the temperature changes.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a load measuring apparatus for a vehicle comprising load detection means for generating an output according to a load weight of a work carried by the vehicle, control means for calculating and outputting the load weight of the work carried by the vehicle according to the output of the load detection means, and loading completion detection means for detecting completion of loading the work onto the vehicle, wherein the control means holds a calculated load weight value at the time when completion of the loading is detected by the loading completion detection means and continues to output the held calculated value.
Thus, the output can be prevented from being varied by influence of temperature changes or the like after loading completion.
The apparatus according to the present invention further comprises immediate before loading detection means for detecting a condition immediately before loading the work onto the vehicle, wherein when the condition immediately before loading condition after the loading completion is detected, the control means corrects the held calculation value according to a difference between the output of the load detection means at the time the immediate before loading condition is detected and the output thereafter of the load detection means to calculate the load weight.
Therefore, by utilizing a difference between the load detection means output immediately before loading and a load detection means output thereafter, changes in characteristics caused by a temperature change of the load detection means can be canceled to calculate changes in load weight, which is used to correct the held load weight calculation value, thereby improving the accuracy during rel
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Biegel Ronald L.
Mitsubishi Jidosha Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
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