Load cell with folded arm bending beam
First Claim
1. A bending beam arrangement for a load cell comprising:
- a mounting block adapted to be secured to a reference support;
an elastically deflectable sensing arm having a fixed end connected to said mounting block and a free end extending away from said mounting block opposite said fixed end; and
an elastically deflectable load receiving arm having a supported end connected to and supported by said free end of said sensing arm and a free end extending toward said mounting block opposite said supported end;
wherein;
said sensing arm extends along a first plane, said load receiving arm extends along a second plane, and said first and second planes are spaced apart and substantially parallel to one another;
said load receiving arm has a load introduction point adapted to have a to-be-measured load applied thereto relative to the reference support; and
said sensing arm has an opening therethrough that exposes said load introduction point of said load receiving arm through said opening.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A load cell bending beam includes a mounting block, a sensing arm, and a load receiving arm connected in succession, and preferably integrally, to one another. The mounting block is to be secured onto a reference support. The load receiving arm is “folded back” under the sensing arm, so the two arms extend respectively along two substantially parallel planes that are spaced apart from one another. A load to be measured is introduced through a clearance hole in the sensing arm onto the load receiving arm, so as to deflect the load receiving arm and therewith the sensing arm. Strain gages arranged on remaining flexure beams of the sensing arm beside the clearance hole measure the resulting strain. The bending beam has a low profile height and is preferably machined from a single monolithic block of metal with a narrow slot (e.g. less than 0.1 inch) separating the two arms.
17 Citations
26 Claims
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1. A bending beam arrangement for a load cell comprising:
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a mounting block adapted to be secured to a reference support;
an elastically deflectable sensing arm having a fixed end connected to said mounting block and a free end extending away from said mounting block opposite said fixed end; and
an elastically deflectable load receiving arm having a supported end connected to and supported by said free end of said sensing arm and a free end extending toward said mounting block opposite said supported end;
wherein;
said sensing arm extends along a first plane, said load receiving arm extends along a second plane, and said first and second planes are spaced apart and substantially parallel to one another;
said load receiving arm has a load introduction point adapted to have a to-be-measured load applied thereto relative to the reference support; and
said sensing arm has an opening therethrough that exposes said load introduction point of said load receiving arm through said opening. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
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25. A load cell comprising:
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a mounting block adapted to be secured to a reference support;
an elastically deflectable sensing arm that extends along a first plane, and that has a fixed end connected to said mounting block and a free end extending away from said mounting block opposite said fixed end;
an elastically deflectable load receiving arm that extends along a second plane substantially parallel to and spaced apart from said first plane, and that has a supported end adjacent to said free end of said sensing arm and an unsupported free end opposite said supported end and adjacent to said fixed end of said sensing arm;
a slot having a slot gap thickness in a range from 0.005 inch to 0.1 inch between said load receiving arm and said sensing arm;
a junction that bridges and closes an end of said slot and connects said free end of said sensing arm on said first plane with said supported end of said load receiving arm on said second plane; and
two strain gage arrangements arranged on an outer surface of said sensing arm opposite from said slot and said load receiving arm;
wherein said load receiving arm has a load introduction point adapted to have a to-be-measured load applied thereto relative to the reference support; and
wherein said sensing arm has a hole therein that passes through said sensing arm to said slot and exposes said load introduction point of said load receiving arm.
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26. A load cell comprising:
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(a) a monolithic block of a metal having;
a top surface and a bottom surface substantially parallel to one another;
mounting holes passing through said block at a first end of said block;
a slot comprising a first slot that extends substantially parallel to and between said top surface and said bottom surface, wherein said slot has a slot gap dimension in a range from 0.005 inch to 0.1 inch and separates a lower arm of said block extending along said bottom surface from an upper arm of said block extending along said top surface;
a junction portion of said block at a second end of said block opposite said first end, wherein said junction portion is not penetrated by said slot, bridges and closes an end of said slot, and connects said lower arm to said upper arm at said second end of said block, wherein said lower arm is connected to said upper arm only by said junction portion at said second end, and wherein an unsupported free end of said lower arm extends away from said junction portion toward said first end; and
a hole passing through said upper arm from said top surface into said slot to expose said lower arm through said hole; and
(b) first and second strain gages arranged on said top surface of said upper arm respectively on opposite sides of said hole.
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Specification