Compensated multiple load cell scale

Claim 2

Weighing apparatus comprising a plurality of load cells, load receiving means supported by said load cells, means associated with said load cells for providing a digital representation of a load on each load cell, means for storing a mathematical expression for load corrected for load position, and means for applying said mathematical expression to said digital load representations to produce a digital representation of the total load on said load receiving means corrected for load position.

Claim 3

Weighing apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein said mathematical expression includes a load position correction factor for at least one of said load cells, and wherein said correction factors are combined with the corresponding digital representations to produce corrected digital representations, and any uncorrected digital representations and said corrected digital representations are combined to produce the total load on said load receiving means corrected for load position.

Claim 4

Weighing apparatus as claimed in claim 2 including control means for receiving said digital representations from each of said load cells, combining said load position correction factors with the corresponding digital representations to produce corrected digital representations and combining the corrected digital representations and any uncorrected digital representations to produce the total load on said load receiving means corrected for load position.

Claim 5

Weighing apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein each load cell includes a counterforce and an analog to digital conversion means associated with the counterforce.

Claim 6

Weighing apparatus as claimed in claim 1 including control means for interrogating said load cells to receive said digital representations.

Claim 7

Weighing apparatus as claimed in claim 5 including means connecting said load cells and said control means in a local area network.

Claim 10

A method as claimed in claim 7 wherein said mathematical expression includes a correction factor for at least one of said load cells, and including the steps of determining the load position correction factors, storing the load position correction factors, combining the load position correction factors with the respective digital load representations to provide corrected digital load representations, and combining any uncorrected digital representations and said corrected digital load representations to provide a digital representation of the total load on the scale corrected for load position.

Claim 11

A method as claimed in claim 8 wherein the step of determining the load position correction factors for each load cell includes the steps of positioning a load at different locations on said scale, determining the responses of said load cells to said load, and utilizing said responses and said mathematical expression to determine the load position correction factors.

Claim 12

A method as claimed in claim 8 including the step of determining a fresh load position correction factor for a replacement load cell and storing said fresh load position correction factor.

Claim 13

A method as claimed in claim 10 wherein said fresh load position correction factor is determined by positioning a load on said replacement load cell, obtaining digital representations from each of the load cells, positioning the same load at another location and obtaining load representations from each of the load cells, and utilizing said load representations and the known correction factors from all but the replaced load cell to determine the value of the load position correction factor for the replacement load cell, and storing said load position correction factor for the replacement load cell.

Claim 14

In a multiple digital load cell scale having a load position correction factor stored for each load cell, a method of recompensating said scale after replacement of a load cell, comprising the steps of positioning a load on the replacement load cell and obtaining load representations from each of the load cells, positioning the same load at another location and obtaining load representations from each of the load cells, utilizing said load representations and the known correction factors from all but the replaced load cell to determine the value of the load position correction factor for the replacement load cell, and storing said new load position correction factor for the replacement load cell.

Claim 15

In a multiple digital load cell scale having a load position correction factor stored for each load cell, a method of recompensating said scale after replacement of a load cell, comprising the steps of positioning a load on the replacement load cell and obtaining load representations from each of the load cells, positioning the same load at another location and obtaining load representations from each of the load cells, utilizing said load representations and the known correction factors from all but the replaced load cell to determine the value of the load position correction factor for the replacement load cell, and storing said new load position correction factor for the replacement load cell.

Claim 16

A method as claimed in claim 12 wherein said load placed on said replacement load cell has an unknown value.

Claim 17

Weighing apparatus comprising a plurality of load cells, each load cell including a counterforce, means associated with the counterforce for providing digital representations of loads on the counterforce, and means responsive to external commands for transmitting said digital representations, load receiving means supported by said load cells, control means for interrogating said load cells to receive said digital representation, means associated with said control means for storing a predetermined load position correction factor for at least one of said load cells, means associated with said control means for combining said digital representations with corresponding ones of said load position correction factors to produce corrected digital load representations, and means for combining any uncorrected digital representations and said corrected digital load representations to produce a digital representation of the total load on said platform corrected for load position.

Claim 18

Weighing apparatus comprising a plurality of load cells, each load cell including a counterforce, means associated with the counterforce for providing digital representations of loads on the counterforce, and means responsive to external commands for transmitting said digital representations, load receiving means supported by said load cells, control means for interrogating said load cells to receive said digital representation, means associated with said control means for storing a predetermined load position correction factor for at least one of said load cells, means associated with said control means for combining said digital representations with corresponding ones of said load position correction factors to produce corrected digital load representations, and means for combining any uncorrected digital representations and said corrected digital load representations to produce a digital representation of the total load on said platform corrected for load position.

Claim 19

Weighing apparatus as claimed in claim 14 including means connecting said load cells and said control means in a local area network.

Claim 22

A method as claimed in claim 16 wherein said load has an unknown value.