Mobile lifting device and weighing device therefor

• US 6,855,894 B1
• Filed: 07/12/2000
• Issued: 02/15/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 07/12/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Ravas Europe BV (Libra Invest Nederland BV)
• Original Assignee: Ravas Europe BV (Libra Invest Nederland BV)
• Inventors: Van Seumeren, Henri Peter Maria
• Primary Examiner(s): Gibson, Randy W.
• Application Number:
  US10/030,831
• Time in Patent Office: 1,679 Days
• Field of Search: 177/130, 177/140, 177/173, 177/177, 177/211, 177/139
• US Class Current: 177/130
• CPC Class Codes: B62B 2203/50 comprising weighing means
• CPC Class Codes: B62B 3/0606 manually operated
• CPC Class Codes: G01G 19/083 lift truck scale

Abstract

A mobile lifting device comprises a mobile frame (1, 12, 13) with a set of lift forks (3) for receiving a pallet thereon. The pallet truck is provided with a weighing device which comprises at least one pressure or strain-sensitive sensor (20) in addition to a display panel (21) for indicating thereon a value measured by the sensor. The sensor is connected firmly to a pan (12) of the frame and able to determine a mechanical deformation in that part of the frame. The weighing device comprises this sensor.

Claims

1. Mobile lifting device comprising a mobile frame with a lifting mechanism for receiving and lifting a cargo thereon, the mobile lifting device further comprising a weighing device, wherein the weighing devices comprises a pressure or strain sensitive sensor and a display panel coupled to the sensor for recording and displaying a weight of the cargo, wherein the weighing device is assembled additionally to the frame, wherein the sensor is mounted to and is parallel over a part of the frame that is prone to mechanical deformation caused by the weight of the cargo, wherein the sensor does not bear the entire weight of the cargo but rather measures an indirect force of the cargo resulting from the mechanical deformation, and wherein the sensor records the deformation and generates it as an electronic signal.

2. Mobile lifting device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the lifting device comprises a set of lift forks and that the sensor is arranged on a part of the frame which mutually connects the lift forks.

3. Mobile lifting device as claimed in claim 1 wherein the sensor is arranged on a substrate and that the substrate is provided with means for a firm connection to said part of the frame.

4. Mobile lifting device as claimed in claim 3, wherein the sensor is glued to the substrate and that the substrate is connected to the frame by means of a manually releasable connection.

5. Mobile lifting device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sensor comprises a strain gauge which is coupled by electronic means to the display panel.

6. Mobile lifting device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the display panel is able to give a weight designation in the form of a variable set of discrete indicators, each representing a fixed weight quantity adapted to the measurement accuracy of the weighing device.

7. Mobile lifting device as claimed in claim 6, wherein the indicators comprise light-emitting diodes which are coupled to the sensor in an electronic circuit.

8. Mobile lifting device as claimed in claim 6, wherein the indicators comprise contrasting surfaces in a liquid crystal display panel.

9. Mobile lifting device as claimed in claim 6, wherein in the display panel as least one zone of indicators is marked as such.

10. Mobile lifting device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the display panel is arranged in a housing and that the housing also comprises the sensor and is connected firmly via the sensor to an existing part of the mobile lifting device.

11. Mobile lifting device as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a single housing for holding the weighing device and a power supply for the weighing device, and wherein the single housing is provided with a manual release mechanism for releasing the single housing from the frame.