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US 7,024,949 B2Granted
Load transducers employing a sensing device
OwnerRichard A. Hansoninventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Force sensing transducers which employ inline sensing and an integral crossarm support for a sensing component. These transducers have a metal frame with at least one ring; a beamlike crossarm which lies within, spans, and is integral with a ring of the transducer frame; and at least one strain sensor mounted, preferably under preload, in an aperture in the innermost (or single) ring.
Claims20
A force sensing transducer which comprises:
- a load carrying frame having a force transmitting segment which moves as an external force is applied to said frame;
- a pliant crossbeam located in a hollow in the load carrying frame, said crossbeam lying in the same plane as said frame and being deflectable by the application of a force to the load carrying frame and the consequent movement of the force transmitting segment of the load carrying frame;
- a force sensing element mounted in said hollow between a second segment of said load carrying frame and said crossbeam and lying in the same plane as said frame and said crossbeam;
- and
- said crossbeam being so configured and so anchored at opposite ends thereof to opposed elements of said frame as to apply a compressive preloading force to, and along a sensing axis of, said sensing element.
2 more elements
A force sensing transducer which comprises:
- a frame having a load carrying component force transmitting segment which moves as force is applied to said component;
- a crossbeam mounted in a hollow in the load carrying component, said crossbeam being deflectable by the application of a force to said load carrying component;
- and
- a preloaded force sensing element so mounted in the hollow of said load carrying component relative to said crossbeam that deflection of said crossbeam imposes a signal generating strain on said sensing element;
- said force sensing element being in surface-to-surface contact with a preloading element;
- the sensing element and the preloading element lying in the same plane;
- and
- the contacted surface diameter of the preloading element and the span across the sensing element being substantially equal and thereby reducing errors attributable to out-of-plane relative rotation between the sensing element and the preloading element.
5 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.