Hall effect weight transducer
First Claim
1. A weight transducer comprising:
- a housing having first and second spaced apart members, said members being relatively movable in response to application of a weight to said housing;
magnetic field generating means, located within said housing and being substantially fixed relative to said first member;
magnetic field sensing means, located within said housing in said magnetic field and being substantially fixed relative to said second member, for producing a first signal having a magnitude related to a magnitude of said magnetic field; and
voltage to frequency converter means for converting said first signal to a second signal having a frequency related to said first signal;
whereby said frequency of said second signal varies in relation to said weight applied to said housing.
6 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A weight transducer including an extruded housing having upper and lower inner surfaces. Affixed to the upper inner surface is a hall effect magnetic field sensor, and affixed to the lower inner surface is a pair of magnetic field generating magnets. The magnets are arranged with magnetic poles of opposite polarity located adjacent one another. The hall effect sensor senses changes in the magnetic field generated by the pair of magnets due to relative movement between the upper and lower inner surfaces with application of weight to the housing. The voltage output of the hall effect sensor is converted to a signal having a frequency which varies in proportion to the weight applied to the housing. The hall effect weight transducer provides a very rugged and relatively inexpensive yet highly accurate weight transducer.
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Citations
16 Claims
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1. A weight transducer comprising:
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a housing having first and second spaced apart members, said members being relatively movable in response to application of a weight to said housing; magnetic field generating means, located within said housing and being substantially fixed relative to said first member; magnetic field sensing means, located within said housing in said magnetic field and being substantially fixed relative to said second member, for producing a first signal having a magnitude related to a magnitude of said magnetic field; and voltage to frequency converter means for converting said first signal to a second signal having a frequency related to said first signal; whereby said frequency of said second signal varies in relation to said weight applied to said housing. - View Dependent Claims (2)
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3. A weight transducer comprising:
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a housing having first and second spaced apart members said members being relatively moveable in response to application of a weight to said housing; magnetic field generating means, located within said housing and being substantially fixed relative to said first member, said magnetic field generating means comprising first and second magnets, a pole of said first magnet being located adjacent a pole of opposite polarity of said second magnet; magnetic fields sensing means, located within said housing in said magnetic field and being substantially fixed relative to said second member, for producing a first signal having a magnitude related to a magnitude of said magnetic field; and signal converter means for converting said first signal into a second signal which varies in relation to said weight applied to said housing. - View Dependent Claims (4, 5, 8)
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6. A weight transducer comprising:
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a housing having first and second spaced apart members, said members being relatively moveable in response to application of a weight to said housing, said housing comprising a hollow extruded member, and said first and second spaced apart members comprising substantially parallel planar first and second inner surfaces, respectively, of said housing; magnetic field generating means, located within said housing and being substantially fixed relative to said first member; magnetic field sensing means, located within said housing in said magnetic field and being substantially fixed relative to said second member, for producing a first signal having a magnitude related to a magnitude of said magnetic field; and signal converter means for converting said first signal into a second signal which varies in relation to said weight applied to said housing. - View Dependent Claims (7)
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9. A weight transducer comprising:
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a housing having first and second spaced apart members, said members being relatively moveable in response to application of a weight to said housing, said housing comprising a hollow extruded member, and said first and second spaced apart members comprising substantially parallel planar first and second inner surfaces, respectively, of said housing; magnetic field generating means, located within said housing and being substantially fixed relative to said first member; magnetic field sensing means comprising a hall effect sensor, located within said housing in said magnetic field and being substantially fixed relative to said second member, for producing a first signal having a magnitude related to a magnitude of said magnetic field; and signal converter means for converting said first signal into a second signal which varies in relation to said weight applied to said housing. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12)
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13. A weight transducer comprising:
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a housing having first and second spaced apart members, said members being relatively moveable in response to application of a weight to said housing; magnetic field generating means, located within said housing and being substantially fixed relative to said first member; magnetic field sensing means, located within said housing in said magnetic field and being substantially fixed relative to said second member, for producing a first signal having a magnitude related to a magnitude of said magnetic field; and voltage to frequency converter means, including means for low-pass filtering said first signal, for converting said first signal to a second signal having a frequency related to said first signal; whereby said frequency of said second signal varies in relation to said weight applied to said housing. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15)
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16. A weight transducer comprising:
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an extruded housing having first and second substantially parallel planar spaced apart inner surfaces, said inner surfaces being relatively movable in response to application of a weight to said housing; magnetic field generating means including first and second magnets, a pole of said first magnet being located adjacent a pole of opposite polarity of said second magnet, said pole of said first magnet and said pole of opposite polarity of said second magnet together forming a substantially planar face of said magnetic field generating means, said face being substantially perpendicular to said first and second inner surfaces of said housing, said magnetic field generating means being substantially fixed relative to said first inner surface of said housing; hall effect magnetic field sensing means, located adjacent said substantially planar face of said magnetic field generating means, and being substantially fixed relative to said second inner surface of said housing, for producing a first signal having a magnitude substantially proportional to a magnitude of said magnetic field; and voltage to frequency converter means for converting said first signal to a second signal having a frequency substantially proportional to said first signal; whereby said frequency of said second signal varies in substantial linear proportion to said weight applied to said housing.
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Specification