Method and system of a multi-zone capacitive force-measuring based load sensing platform

• US 7,897,884 B2
• Filed: 05/10/2007
• Issued: 03/01/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/11/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ypoint Capital, Inc,
• Original Assignee: Ypoint Capital, Inc,
• Inventors: Harish, Divyasimha
• Primary Examiner(s): Gibson; Randy W
• Application Number:
  US11/801,812
• Publication Number:
  US 20070261894A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,391 Days
• Field of Search: 177/210.C, 177/144, 177/238, 177/244, 177/245, 177/25.13, 177/25.15, 705/407, 361/283.1, 361/291, 73/11.3, 73/11.5, 738/625.2, 738/626.26, 737/80, 702/101, 700/305, 340/666
• US Class Current: 177/25.13
• CPC Class Codes: G01G 23/3735 using a digital network
• CPC Class Codes: G01G 7/06 by electrostatic action

Abstract

Capacitive force-measuring device based load sensing platform is disclosed. In one embodiment, a load sensing platform includes a sensor surface to have one or more capacitive force-measuring devices arranged in an array, a base surface placed on top of the sensor surface to provide a contact surface of a load applied to the load sensing platform, and a control module to process data of the one or more capacitive force-measuring devices when the load is applied to the base surface. Moreover, the load sensing platform includes a communication module of the control module to communicate the weigh, position, temperature, humidity, or vibration of the load through a wired channel and/or a wireless channel. The load sensing platform may further include an alert module to generate an alert signal when a change in the position of the load exceeds a threshold value.

Claims

1. A load sensing platform, comprising:

a sensor surface to have a plurality of capacitive force-measuring devices arranged in an array;

a base surface placed on top of the sensor surface to provide a contact surface of a load applied to the load sensing platform;

a reference sensor surface to have a plurality of reference capacitive devices to compensate error in data of the plurality of capacitive force-measuring devices when the load is applied to the base surface; and

a control module to process the data of the plurality of capacitive force-measuring devices and error-compensation data of the plurality of reference capacitive devices when the load is applied to the base surface, wherein the data of the plurality of capacitive force-measuring devices are based on changes in capacitance of the plurality of capacitive force-measuring devices due to the load, and wherein processing of the data comprises at least one of aggregating, recording, storing, tracking, reading, calculating, analyzing, communicating, monitoring values generated by the sensor surface and the reference sensor surface, calculating the duration of the load, a particular orientation of the load for a particular duration of time on the base surface of the load sensing platform, calculating changes in a specific gravity associated with the load and generating a timestamp on of the data to track the weight of the load and/or the position of the load.

2. The load sensing platform of claim 1, wherein each one of the changes in capacitance is based on a displacement of a distance between two parallel conductive surfaces of a sensor capacitor in the each of the plurality of capacitive force-measuring devices.

3. The load sensing platform of claim 1, wherein each one of the changes in capacitance is based on a displacement of an overlap area between two parallel conductive surfaces of a sensor capacitor in the each of the plurality of capacitive force measuring devices.

4. The load sensing platform of claim 1, wherein each one of the changes in capacitance is based on both a displacement of a distance between two parallel conductive surfaces of a sensor capacitor in the each of the plurality of capacitive force measuring devices and another displacement of an overlap area between another two parallel conductive surfaces of the sensor capacitor.

5. The load sensing platform of claim 1, wherein the data of the plurality of capacitive force-measuring devices include at least one of a weight of the load, a position of the load, a temperature of the load, a humidity of the load, and a vibration of the load.

6. The load sensing platform of claim 5, further comprising a communication module of the control module to communicate the at least one of the weight of the load and the position of the load through at least one of a wired channel and a wireless channel.

7. The load sensing platform of claim 6, further comprising an alert module of the control module to generate an alert signal when a change in at least one of the weight of the load, the position of the load, the temperature of the load, the humidity of the load and the vibration of the load exceeds a threshold value.

8. The load sensing platform of claim 7, further comprising a coupling grid to connect the plurality of force-measuring devices with the control module, wherein the coupling grid is based on at least one of a wireless technology and a wired technology.

9. The load sensing platform of claim 8, wherein the error compensation data is based on at least one environmental condition, and wherein each of the plurality of the reference capacitive devices have an upper reference surface and a lower reference surface.

10. A method, comprising:

producing deflections in a plurality of capacitive force-measuring devices placed below a base surface of a load sensing platform when a load is applied on the base surface;

generating capacitance data from the plurality of capacitive force-measuring devices due to the deflections in the plurality of capacitive force-measuring devices;

generating error data from a plurality of reference capacitive devices based on at least one environmental condition when the load is applied to the base surface;

processing the capacitance data and the error data in a control module external to both the plurality of capacitive force-measuring devices and the plurality of reference capacitive devices to determine at least one of a weight of the load, a position of the load, a temperature of the load, a humidity of the load, and a vibration of the load, wherein processing of the data further comprises at least one of aggregating, recording, storing, tracking, reading, calculating, analyzing, communicating, monitoring values generated by the sensor surface and the reference sensor surface, calculating the duration of the load, a particular orientation of the load for a particular duration of time on the base surface of the load sensing platform, calculating changes in a specific gravity associated with the load and generating a timestamp on of the data to track the weight of the load and/or the position of the load; and

communicating the at least one of the weight of the load, the position of the load, the temperature of the load, the humidity of the load, and the vibration of the load to an external device.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising generating a timestamp of the capacitance data and the error data to track the at least one of the weight of the load, the position of the load, the temperature of the load, the humidity of the load, and the vibration of the load chronologically.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the load sensing platform of a freight container is used to determine the at least one of the weight of the load, the position of the load, the temperature of the load, the humidity of the load and the vibration of the load in the freight container.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the load sensing platform of a mail receptacle is used to determine the at least one of the weight of the load, the position of the load, the temperature of the load, the humidity of the load, and the vibration of the load in the mail receptacle.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising determining a state of the mail receptacle based on at least one of the weight of the load, the position of the load, the temperature of the load, the humidity of the load and the vibration of the load, wherein the state of the mail receptacle is at least one of an empty state, a partially-filled state, and a full state.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising generating an alert signal when the mail receptacle is in the full state or when the mail receptacle is unattended for more than a preset period.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising rendering an optimum route to pick up mails based on the state of the mail receptacle.

17. The method of claim 10, wherein the load sensing platform of a patient bed is used to determine the at least one of the weight of the load, the position of the load, the temperature of the load, the humidity of the load, and the vibration of the load on the patient bed.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising analyzing a condition of a patient using a number of medical devices coupled to the patient bed, wherein the number of medical devices include at least a temperature gauge to measure a temperature of the patient on the patient bed.

19. The method of claim 10 in a form of a machine-readable medium embodying a set of instructions that, when executed by a machine, cause the machine to perform the method of claim 10.

20. A system, comprising:

a load sensing platform to generate data based on deflections of a plurality of capacitive force-measuring devices arranged in an array due to a load applied on top of the load sensing platform, the load sensing platform including a plurality of reference capacitive devices to compensate error in the data of the plurality of capacitive force-measuring devices;

a control module communicatively coupled to the load sensing platform to process the data of the plurality of capacitive force-measuring devices and error-compensation data of the plurality of reference capacitive devices to determine at least one of a weight of the load, a position of the load, a temperature of the load, a humidity of the load, and the vibration of the load, and wherein processing of the data comprises at least one of aggregating, recording, storing, tracking, reading, calculating, analyzing, communicating, monitoring values generated by the sensor surface and the reference sensor surface, calculating the duration of the load, a particular orientation of the load for a particular duration of time on the base surface of the load sensing platform, calculating changes in a specific gravity associated with the load and generating a timestamp on of the data to track the weight of the load and/or the position of the load; and

a transmitter module of the control module to communicate the data of the plurality of capacitive force-measuring devices and error-compensation data of the plurality of reference capacitive devices to a receiver module remotely located from the load sensing platform.