US 7,497,137 B2 · Method of monitoring and/or determining the condition of a force-measuring device, and force-measuring device

Abstract

In a method for monitoring and/or determining the condition of a force-measuring device with at least one housing that has an interior space and with at least one force-measuring cell installed in the interior space of the at least one housing, at least one parameter of the atmospheric climate of the interior space is measured with at least one sensor that is arranged in the interior space of the housing or with at least one sensor that is arranged at the housing, wherein said parameter is of a kind that has an influence on the operating lifetime of the force-measuring cell; and a sensor signal corresponding to the measured parameter of the atmospheric climate of the interior space is transmitted to a computing unit and/or to a data output device.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A force-measuring device, comprising:

a housing with an interior space;
a force-measuring cell installed in the interior space, which is characterized by an atmospheric climate having a first parameter which influences an operating lifetime of the force-measuring cell;
a sensor arranged either in the interior space or at the housing, the sensor further comprising a trigger element;
and
a means for monitoring and determining sensor data, arranged in cooperative relationship with the sensor, comprising:
a computing unit;
an operating program;
and
a storage module containing a threshold value that is dependent on the first parameter;
wherein the sensor transmits a first sensor signal, based on a measurement of the first parameter, to the sensor data monitoring and determining means, where the computing unit stores and compares the first sensor signal to the threshold value and, if the threshold value is exceeded, a threshold excursion is registered.

7 more elements

A method for monitoring and/or determining the condition of a force-measuring device with a housing having an interior space with a force-measuring cell installed therein, the interior space further having an atmospheric climate that influences an operating lifetime and/or a weighing signal of the force-measuring cell, the method comprising the steps of:

measuring a first parameter of the atmospheric climate with a sensor arranged in the interior space or at the housing;
transmitting a first sensor signal corresponding to the measured first parameter from the sensor to a computing unit, a data output device or both;
and
using the first sensor signal to calculate and maintain an estimate of remaining operating lifetime of the force-measuring cell, from stored measurements of the first parameter.

1 more element

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Method of monitoring and/or determining the condition of a force-measuring device, and force-measuring device

Life of this patent

Method of monitoring and/or determining the condition of a force-measuring device, and force-measuring device

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims20