Load Cell Sensor Research Articles

Design of Prototype System for Temperature and Humidity Control in Flour Storage

Storage of wheat flour requires good temperature and humidity to avoid mold growth that can damage the nutrients in wheat flour. The temperatures and humidity required for proper storage are above temperatures and humidity below 60% RH. The method used in flour storage is FIFO (First In First Out) using a Load cell sensor as a marker for flour input. The incoming flour will input the time, location and amount of flour, so that it can be easily determined which flour will come out first. To facilitate monitoring of temperature, humidity and stock amount in flour storage in this study, sending monitoring data wirelessly using an internet network that can be accessed anywhere. The test results of this study show that the DHT22 sensor can measure temperature and humidity well, which has a RE (Relative Error) value of 0.5% temperature and 3.9% humidity compared to the HTC-1 measuring instrument. The load cell test compared to digital scales has an accurate value using a linear formula. In the QoS test, sending sensor data to the web server has a good value according to the ITU-T standard, namely delay <150ms

Comparative Estimates of Uncertainty in Measurements of Fracture Toughness

Abstract Measurement of a stress intensity factor using a compact sandwich specimen involves other material properties such as elastic moduli and Poisson’s ratios of interlayer and holder materials, and therefore it affects uncertainty. No attempt was made in the past to quantify the uncertainty due to the systematic effects involved in the measurement a of stress intensity factor (K) using a compact sandwich specimen and energy release rate (G) by the elastic compliance technique. Analysis of Type-B uncertainty gave comparative estimates of uncertainties in (1) Mode I stress intensity factor obtained from CT test, CS test, and CS test of negligible interlayer thickness (h→0), (2) Mode I energy release rate using elastic compliance (EC) technique, and (3) Indirect stress intensity factor obtained using the relation with energy release rate. Using a set of nominal values of cadaver bone tests of a specimen-size bovine femur and a set of instrument/sensor errors and specimen dimension tolerances, without the consideration of a series of experimental/statistical data, gave estimates of type B uncertainty. The analysis additionally gave percentage contributions of (1) relevant sources of uncertainty namely, caliper, tolerance of specimen dimensions, load cell and displacement sensor, and (2) individual parameters like load, specimen dimensions, and material constants included in the formulae, towards the uncertainty in fracture toughness measures. This study provided an understanding of the role of sensor, instrument, and specimen fabricating machine errors on the tests considered. Proportional variation in uncertainty of different measures of fracture toughness was verified for different sizes of specimens. This study showed that the selection of instruments/sensors of viable error levels would scale down the uncertainty of fracture toughness measures obtained by the CS test, and brought it very close to that of the CT test of the same specimen size, with a difference of less than 0.05 %.

Improved Object Detection Using a Robotic Sensing Antenna with Vibration Damping Control

Some insects or mammals use antennae or whiskers to detect by the sense of touch obstacles or recognize objects in environments in which other senses like vision cannot work. Artificial flexible antennae can be used in robotics to mimic this sense of touch in these recognition tasks. We have designed and built a two-degree of freedom (2DOF) flexible antenna sensor device to perform robot navigation tasks. This device is composed of a flexible beam, two servomotors that drive the beam and a load cell sensor that detects the contact of the beam with an object. It is found that the efficiency of such a device strongly depends on the speed and accuracy achieved by the antenna positioning system. These issues are severely impaired by the vibrations that appear in the antenna during its movement. However, these antennae are usually moved without taking care of these undesired vibrations. This article proposes a new closed-loop control schema that cancels vibrations and improves the free movements of the antenna. Moreover, algorithms to estimate the 3D beam position and the instant and point of contact with an object are proposed. Experiments are reported that illustrate the efficiency of these proposed algorithms and the improvements achieved in object detection tasks using a control system that cancels beam vibrations.

Fabrication of an Economical Arduino-Based Uniaxial Tensile Tester

The mechanical properties of soft materials are critically important for a wide range of applications ranging from packaging to biomedical purposes. We have constructed a simple mechanical testing apparatus using off-the-shelf materials and open-source software for a total cost of less than $100. The device consists of a wooden frame supporting a central loading apparatus attached via drawer slides. To perform a mechanical test, a sample is secured within two custom-made 3D-printed clamps affixed to brackets on the base of the frame and the load cell. The extension force is applied by the user pulling on a rope, moving the central loading apparatus up (thereby stretching the sample) while recording the force (measured by a load cell) and the displacement (measured by an ultrasonic sensor). The load cell and ultrasonic sensor are linked to an Arduino microcontroller connected to a laptop through a USB port for data acquisition and analysis. This instrument was easy to assemble and enabled students to bette...

Statistical properties of gravity-driven granular discharge flow under the influence of an obstacle

Two-dimensional granular discharge flow driven by gravity under the influence of an obstacle is experimentally investigated. A horizontal exit of width $W$ is opened at the bottom of vertical Hele-Shaw cell filled with stainless-steel particles to start the discharge flow. In this experiment, a circular obstacle is placed in front of the exit. Thus, the distance between the exit and obstacle $L$ is also an important parameter. During the discharge, granular-flow state is acquired by a high-speed camera. The bulk discharge-flow rate is also measured by load cell sensors. The obtained high-speed-image data are analyzed to clarify the particle-level granular-flow dynamics. Using the measured data, we find that the obstacle above the exit affects the granular-flow field. Specifically, the existence of obstacle results in large horizontal granular temperature and small packing fraction. This tendency becomes significant when $L$ is smaller than approximately 6$D_g$ when $W \simeq 4 D_g$, where $D_g$ is diameter of particles.

Emerging Technologies for Measuring Flow Rate and Density of Bulk Flows of Particulate Solids

The operating principles and characteristics of three devices for measuring or monitoring flows of bulk solids are outlined. These are a flowrate meter and a density meter for material in gravity flow, both based on load cell sensors, and a system, based on audio-frequency acoustic sensing, for measuring the flow rate of dilute flows in a pneumatic conveying pipeline. Common features are mechanical simplicity and robustness, ease of calibration, and high precision. These technologies have all been demonstrated under industrial conditions performing reliably and consistently, and are compatible with the wide ranging process requirements of different industrial sectors, including the minerals industry.

Difference among shock-absorbing capabilities of mouthguard materials.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the shock absorption capability of commercial thermoforming mouthguard sheet materials. Twelve commercial thermoforming mouthguard sheet materials were selected as test materials. The impact test was applied by a free-falling steel ball. When impact forces of approximately 660 N were applied on the commercial thermoforming mouthguard materials, the peak intensities were measured using the load cell sensor. The peak intensity and the time to peak intensity from the onset of the transmitted force were statistically analyzed using one-way anova and Tukey's honest significant difference post hoc test (P < 0.05). Statistical analysis for the peak intensity and the time to peak intensity from the onset of the transmitted force revealed significant differences among the thirteen groups including the control. The peak intensity of the polystyrene-polyolefin copolymer-based material was lower than the peak intensity of the EVA-, polyolefin-based material. Polyolefin-based materials had a tendency of a long duration to reach peak intensity from the onset of the transmitted force. These results suggest that all of the commercially available mouthguard sheet materials had high shock-absorbing capabilities.

Physiological Signal Monitoring Bed for Infants Based on Load-Cell Sensors.

Ballistocardiographs (BCGs), which record the mechanical activity of the heart, have been a subject of interest for several years because of their advantages in providing unobtrusive physiological measurements. BCGs could also be useful for monitoring the biological signals of infants without the need for physical confinement. In this study, we describe a physiological signal monitoring bed based on load cells and assess an algorithm to extract the heart rate and breathing rate from the measured load-cell signals. Four infants participated in a total of 13 experiments. As a reference signal, electrocardiogram and respiration signals were simultaneously measured using a commercial device. The proposed automatic algorithm then selected the optimal sensor from which to estimate the heartbeat and respiration information. The results from the load-cell sensor signals were compared with those of the reference signals, and the heartbeat and respiration information were found to have average performance errors of 2.55% and 2.66%, respectively. The experimental results verify the positive feasibility of BCG-based measurements in infants.

Conceptual Design and Demonstration of Space Scale for Measuring Mass in Microgravity Environment

In this study, a new idea for developing a space scale for measuring mass in a microgravity environment was proposed by using the inertial force properties of an object to measure its mass. The space scale detected the momentum change of the specimen and reference masses by using a load-cell sensor as the force transducer based on Newton`s laws of motion. In addition, the space scale calculated the specimen mass by comparing the inertial forces of the specimen and reference masses in the same acceleration field. By using this concept, a space scale with a capacity of 3 kg based on the law of momentum conservation was implemented and demonstrated under microgravity conditions onboard International Space Station (ISS) with an accuracy of . By the performance analysis on the space scale, it was verified that an instrument with a compact size could be implemented and be quickly measured with a reasonable accuracy under microgravity conditions.

ALAT PENGHITUNG BERAT BADAN MANUSIA DENGAN STANDART BODY MASS INDEX (BMI) MENGGUNAKAN SENSOR LOAD CELL BERBASIS ARDUINO MEGA 2560 R3

Dewantara, Priyo Sasmoko, in this paper explain that a measuring instrument is a tool used by humans to help determine parameters such as height and weight. Most height and weight gauges used today still use simple and still conventional equipment. In addition, if manually, there are still frequent measurement errors that come from the measuring instrument itself or from the human. This happens because of inaccuracies in reading measuring instruments that lack precision or perhaps from the human factor itself. The purpose of this study was to create a digital height and weight automation system accompanied by displaying its ideal weight based on height. This system is built using Arduino as a system controller. The ultrasonic sensor is used as a measure of height. Load cell is used as a measure of weight. And a 20x4 LCD to display the output. From testing and analyzing the results of measurements of height according to the actual height, the results of measurements of weight have an error percentage of 0.53% - 2.77%. The system determines the ideal or not body weight based on BMI. Keywords: 20x4 LCD, Load Cell Sensor, Arduino.ReferencesFogaswara, Eka. 2013. Prinsip Dasar Kelistrikan dan konversi energy untuk SMK/MAK. Bandung: CV ARMICO.Massimo dkk, Arduino/Genuino Mega 2560. 28 Juli 2015. https://www.arduino.cc/en/Ma in/ArduinoBoardMega2560. Diakses pada 28 Juli 2015.Anonim. Sensor. 5 September 2015. http://id.wikipedia.org/wiki/sensor. Diakses pada 5 September 2015Anonim. HX711 Weight Scale ADC Modul. 6 September 2015. http://www.vcc2gnd.com/Diakses pada 6 September 2015Arifai, Samsul. Dkk, 2014, Rangkain Catu Daya. http://s3.amazonaws.com/academia.e du.documents/ Diakses pada 24 Agustus 2015Malvino, Prinsip-prinsip Elektronika, Buku satu, Salemba Teknika, hal 66Anonim. Catu daya. 6 September 2015. http://profil.widodoonline.com /Elektronika/komponen/praktik um/teori-dasar-catu-daya.html

Characterization of Tissue Response to Impact Loads Delivered Using a Hand-Held Instrument for Studying Articular Cartilage Injury.

Objective:The objective of this study was to fully characterize the mechanics of an in vivo impactor and correlate the mechanics with superficial cracking of articular surfaces.Design:A spring-loaded impactor was used to apply energy-controlled impacts to the articular surfaces of neonatal bovine cartilage. The simultaneous use of a load cell and displacement sensor provided measurements of stress, stress rate, strain, strain rate, and strain energy density. Application of India ink after impact was used to correlate the mechanical inputs during impact with the resulting severity of tissue damage. Additionally, a signal processing method to deconvolve inertial stresses from impact stresses was developed and validated.Results:Impact models fit the data well (root mean square error average ~0.09) and provided a fully characterized impact. Correlation analysis between mechanical inputs and degree of superficial cracking made visible through India ink application provided significant positive correlations for stress and stress rate with degree of surface cracking (R2 = 0.7398 and R2 = 0.5262, respectively). Ranges of impact parameters were 7 to 21 MPa, 6 to 40 GPa/s, 0.16 to 0.38, 87 to 236 s−1, and 0.3 to 1.1 MJ/m3 for stress, stress rate, strain, strain rate, and strain energy density, respectively. Thresholds for damage for all inputs were determined at 13 MPa, 15 GPa/s, 0.23, 160 s−1, and 0.59 MJ/m3 for this system.Conclusions:This study provided the mechanical basis for use of a portable, sterilizable, and maneuverable impacting device. Use of this device enables controlled impact loads in vitro or in vivo to connect mechanistic studies with long-term monitoring of disease progression.

Response of A Magnetorheologi cal Brake under Inertial Loads

The study is objected to investigate the response of a magnetorheological brake (MRB) system under thefree move inertial mass. The disk-type MRB comprises of a rotating disk immersed in magnetorheological fluids (MRFs) and surrounded by an electromagnet coil. The magnetized coil causes a solidification of the MR fluid so that the shear stress between the moving part and static part increases resulting in the decrement speed of the moving parts. The shear stress can be varied by applying different electric current to the coil. The study began with the part design using the3D modeling software, followingbythe magnetostatic analysis. The flux density across the magnetorheological fluid could be predicted through this finite element magnetic simulation. The quantity of magnetic flux was then used to predict the shear stress between static and moving parts. The fabricated MRB was integrated onto a test rig which employs load cell and speed sensor as well as completely instrumented with data acquisition.Since the MRB test rig performed a simple free rotation system, a linear second order differential equation was derived to model the stopping time and braking torque behaviors. The equation of motion was built in a Simulink model, and the simulation results were compared to the real measurement. The achievable braking torque was also presented based on theaverage value from the load cell.

SMART GARBAGE COLLECTION SYSTEM IN RESIDENTIAL AREA

As the name suggests we are developing an Automatic garbage collection and information gathering system which is based on Image processing as well as on GSM module. The main concept is that a Camera will be placed at every garbage collection point along with load cell sensor at bottom of the garbage can. The camera will take continuous snapshots of the garbage can. A threshold level is set which compares the output of camera and load sensor .The comparison is done with help of microcontroller. After analysing the image we get an idea about level of garbage in the can and from the load cell sensor we get to know weight of garbage. Accordingly information is processed that is controller checks if the threshold level is exceeded or not. The controller sends a message with the help of GSM module to Garbage collection local central office to notify that garbage can is exceeded its capacity and disposal of waste is required. Accordingly the authority sends the garbage can collecting vehicle to collect the garbage, which is done with the help of robot mechanism.

Active load control of wind turbine blade section with trailing edge flap: Wind tunnel testing

In order to reduce the cost of energy, the rotor diameter of wind turbine has been continuously increased. Fatigue load becomes more important as wind turbines increase in size. The reduction of fatigue load can result in increased component lifetimes, reduced maintenance requirements, and an overall lower cost of energy. In this article, a load reduction analysis and experiment are performed to show the load reduction abilities of an active aerodynamic load control device, namely trailing edge flaps, in the operation of large wind turbines. Through numerical simulations that use trailing edge flaps as active aerodynamic load control devices on wind turbines, a 30%–50% reduction in the standard deviation oscillations of root bending moment from the mean value was achieved. To validate the active load control analysis and show the potential of the trailing edge flap for load reduction, an active load control experiment of the wind turbine blade was performed. The experimental model was developed using a non-rotating blade equipped with a trailing edge flap and load-cell sensors to facilitate feedback control. A controller is based on the proportional–derivative control in order to minimize the blade root load variation in the flapwise direction. Through the experiment, a 20%–30% reduction in the standard deviation oscillations of blade root load from the mean value was achieved.

Quantifying Water Flow within Aquatic Ecosystems Using Load Cell Sensors: A Profile of Currents Experienced by Coral Reef Organisms around Lizard Island, Great Barrier Reef, Australia

Current velocity in aquatic environments has major implications for the diversity, abundance and ecology of aquatic organisms, but quantifying these currents has proven difficult. This study utilises a simple and inexpensive instrument (<$150) to provide a detailed current velocity profile of the coral-reef system around Lizard Island (Great Barrier Reef, Australia) at a spatial and temporal scale relevant to the ecology of individual benthos and fish. The instrument uses load-cell sensors to provide a correlation between sensor output and ambient current velocity of 99%. Each instrument is able to continuously record current velocities to >500 cms−1 and wave frequency to >100 Hz over several weeks. Sensor data are registered and processed at 16 MHz and 10 bit resolution, with a measuring precision of 0.06±0.04%, and accuracy of 0.51±0.65% (mean ±S.D.). Each instrument is also pressure rated to 120 m and shear stresses ≤20 kNm−2 allowing deployment in harsh environments.The instrument was deployed across 27 coral reef sites covering the crest (3 m), mid-slope (6 m) and deep-slope (9 m depth) of habitats directly exposed, oblique or sheltered from prevailing winds. Measurements demonstrate that currents over the reef slope and crest varies immensely depending on depth and exposure: Currents differ up to 9-fold within habitats only separated by 3 m depth and 15-fold between exposed, oblique and sheltered habitats. Comparisons to ambient weather conditions reveal that currents around Lizard Island are largely wind driven. Zero to 22.5 knot winds correspond directly to currents of 0 to >82 cms−1, while tidal currents rarely exceed 5.5 cms−1. Rather, current velocity increases exponentially as a function of wave height (0 to 1.6 m) and frequency (0.54 to 0.20 Hz), emphasizing the enormous effect of wind and waves on organisms in these shallow coral reef habitats.

Combined analysis of shock absorption capability and force dispersion effect of mouthguard materials with different impact objects.

The aims of the present study were to investigate the shock absorption capability and force dispersion effect of mouthguard (MG) materials using load cell and film sensors. Two kinds of MG materials, ethylene vinyl acetate and polyolefin, were chosen for this study. When impact forces of approximately 5,000 N were applied on the MG materials using a round flat-nosed rod and a bluntly pointed rod, peak intensities were measured using the load cell sensor while peak stresses and impressed stress distribution areas were measured using the film sensor. Combined analysis using both load cell and film sensors clearly showed the shock absorption properties and force dispersion effects of different MG materials with different impact object shapes. Therefore, impact analysis involving a combined use of these sensor systems was useful and reliable in assessing the shock absorption capability and force dispersion effect of MG materials.

Flexural impact force absorption of mouthguard materials using film sensor system

Several methods have been used to measure the impact force absorption capacities of mouthguard materials; however, the relationships among these measurement systems have not been clearly determined. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the impact force-absorbing capability of materials using a drop-ball system with film sensors and load cells to clarify the relationship between these two sensor systems. Disk-shaped specimens (1, 2, and 3 mm thick) were prepared using three commercial thermoplastic mouthguard materials (Bioplast, Impact Guard, MG 21) and one experimental mouthguard material [mixture of Poly (ethyl methacrylate)]. Impact force was applied by letting a stainless steel ball drop free-fall onto the specimens and then measuring the impact load under each specimen using a film sensor system and a load cell sensor system. The total load measured with the film sensor system decreased with an increase in mouthguard thickness, while almost none of the transmitted impact forces measured with the load cell system were statistically different. The film sensor system was considered to be superior to the load cell system because the maximum stress and stress area could be determined.

Design, dynamic modelling and experimental validation of a 2DOF flexible antenna sensor

A two-degree-of-freedom flexible antenna sensor platform was designed to physically simulate the ability of a robotic arm, which rapidly reorients and targets itself towards specific surfaces from different approachable angles. An accurate antenna model involves non-linear expressions that represent the system dynamics. Therefore, a comprehensive study along with experimental work has been carried out in order to achieve accurate system identification and validate the dynamic model. The model developed has proven useful in controlling the antenna tip, minimising the effects of the non-linear flexural dynamics and the Coulomb friction. The system was driven by servo motors. Algebraic controllers were developed for the antenna tip to track the reference trajectory. The platform system used encoders to measure the joint angles and a loadcell sensor to obtain the flexible link tip position. To validate the sensory information, the results obtained by the integrated sensors were compared to that of an external camera system.

Development and Testing of a Decision Making Based Method to Adjust Automatically the Harrowing Intensity

Harrowing is often used to reduce weed competition, generally using a constant intensity across a whole field. The efficacy of weed harrowing in wheat and barley can be optimized, if site-specific conditions of soil, weed infestation and crop growth stage are taken into account. This study aimed to develop and test an algorithm to automatically adjust the harrowing intensity by varying the tine angle and number of passes. The field variability of crop leaf cover, weed density and soil density was acquired with geo-referenced sensors to investigate the harrowing selectivity and crop recovery. Crop leaf cover and weed density were assessed using bispectral cameras through differential images analysis. The draught force of the soil opposite to the direction of travel was measured with electronic load cell sensor connected to a rigid tine mounted in front of the harrow. Optimal harrowing intensity levels were derived in previously implemented experiments, based on the weed control efficacy and yield gain. The assessments of crop leaf cover, weed density and soil density were combined via rules with the aforementioned optimal intensities, in a linguistic fuzzy inference system (LFIS). The system was evaluated in two field experiments that compared constant intensities with variable intensities inferred by the system. A higher weed density reduction could be achieved when the harrowing intensity was not kept constant along the cultivated plot. Varying the intensity tended to reduce the crop leaf cover, though slightly improving crop yield. A real-time intensity adjustment with this system is achievable, if the cameras are attached in the front and at the rear or sides of the harrow.

3D Modelling of a Vectored Water Jet-Based Multi-Propeller Propulsion System for a Spherical Underwater Robot

This paper presents an improved modelling method for a water jet-based multi-propeller propulsion system. In our previous work, the modelling experiments were only carried out in 2D planes, whose experimental results had poor agreement when we wanted to control the propulsive forces in 3D space directly. This research extends the 2D modelling described in the authors' previous work into 3D space. By doing this, the model could include 3D space information, which is more useful than that of 2D space. The effective propulsive forces and moments in 3D space can be obtained directly by synthesizing the propulsive vectors of propellers. For this purpose, a novel experimental mechanism was developed to achieve the proposed 3D modelling. This mechanism was designed with the mass distribution centred for the robot. By installing a six-axis load-cell sensor at the equivalent mass centre, we obtained the direct propulsive effect of the system for the robot. Also, in this paper, the orientation surface and propulsive surfaces are developed to provide the 3D information of the propulsive system. Experiments for each propeller were first carried out to establish the models. Then, further experiments were carried out with all of the propellers working together to validate the models. Finally, we compared the various experimental results with the simulation data. The utility of this modelling method is discussed at length.