Abstract: A load cell apparatus includes a base member, a cap member, a number of first members provided between the base member and the cap member and forming at least a portion of a support wall of the load cell apparatus, and a plurality of strain gauges directly coupled to the number of first members, the plurality of strain gauges being positioned to measure an axial load applied to the load cell in a direction extending from the cap member to the base member.

Abstract: A weighing assembly having first and second shelf brackets supporting first and second planar load cell assemblies, each planar load cell assembly having at least one load cell arrangement disposed on a metal load cell body, each load cell arrangement including first and second contiguous cutout windows passing through the load cell body, a pair of measuring beams disposed along opposite edges of the load cell body, a first flexure arrangement having a first pair of flexure beams, a loading element comprising a receiving element and extending from an innermost flexure base, and at least one strain gage, fixedly attached to a surface of the measuring beam.

Abstract: A method of generating feedback for a container load process includes: during a load process for a container at a load bay, controlling a sensor assembly disposed at the load bay to capture sensor data depicting an interior of the container; at a computing device connected to the sensor assembly, detecting, based on the sensor data, a wall of items placed in the container interior; determining, at the computing device from the sensor data: (i) a boundary attribute of the detected wall, and (ii) a composition attribute of the detected wall; comparing, at the computing device, (i) the boundary attribute to a boundary criterion, and (ii) the composition attribute to a composition criterion; and responsive to at least one of the boundary attribute not meeting the boundary criterion, or the composition attribute not meeting the composition attribute, generating an alert for transmission to a client computing device.

Abstract: A system and method for improved, non-intrusive material identification includes a vessel holding or transporting at least one quantity of a fluid. At least one acoustic transducer is positioned on an exterior surface of a sidewall of the vessel. At least one coupling layer is positioned between the at least one acoustic transducer and the exterior surface of the sidewall of the vessel, wherein the at least one coupling layer is formed, at least in part, from nanotubes, wherein the nanotubes improve a reflection of an acoustic signal emitted from the at least one acoustic transducer. A computerized device is in communication with the at least one acoustic signal. The computerized device has a processor and a memory, and determines a material identification of the quantity of fluid based on, at least in part, the reflection of the ultrasonic signal.

Abstract: A pipette device comprises a pipette channel filled with compressible working gas, a pipette piston movable along the pipette path, a piston drive, which drives the pipette piston, a control device, a data memory connected to the control device for signal transmission, a pressure sensor which detects the pressure of the working gas and which is connected to the control device, a position sensor which detects a position of the pipette piston and which is connected to the control device. The control device is designed to determine a quality of a dispensing sequence on the basis of a target residual quantity value, which represents the target residual quantity of dosing liquid remaining in the pipette channel, of a working gas pressure and of an end position of the pipette piston, in each case after the end of the dispensing sequence, and to output the determined quality.

Abstract: A load sensor compares generated values of load signals to predicted values of the load signals. Where an error between a generated value and a predicted value is less than a threshold, a value of zero is transmitted by the load sensor to an external systems, in an encoded stream of bits, and the error are used to calculate a predicated value of a next load signal, such that insubstantial changes in loading resulting in small errors are not transmitted to the external system. Where an error between the generated value and the predicted value exceeds the threshold, however, a value representative of the error is transmitted to the external system, in an encoded stream of bits. The external system processes the stream of bits to calculate the error, to determine that an item has been placed on a storage system or removed therefrom, or to identify the item.

Abstract: An apparatus is described. The apparatus may include a substrate and one or more sensors mounted to the substrate. The one or more sensors may be mounted to the substrate using adhesive material and one or more spot welds.

Abstract: Techniques are disclosed for systems and methods to detect and/or classify a vehicle occupant, such as a passenger seated within the cockpit of a vehicle. An occupant classification system includes an occupant weight sensor, an occupant presence sensor, and a logic device configured to communicate with the occupant weight sensor and the occupant presence sensor. The logic device is configured to receive occupant weight sensor signals from the occupant weight sensor and occupant presence sensor signals from the occupant presence sensor, determine an estimated occupant weight and an occupant presence response based, at least in part, on the occupant weight sensor signals and the occupant presence sensor signals, and determine an occupant classification status corresponding to the passenger seat based, at least in part, on the estimated occupant weight and/or the occupant presence response.

Abstract: According to one embodiment, an estimation device includes a processor. The processor accepts information. The information is acquired by each of a plurality of ultrasonic sensors transmitting an ultrasonic wave in a second direction toward a weld portion and receiving a reflected wave. The ultrasonic sensors are arranged in a first direction. The second direction crosses the first direction. The processor estimates a range of the weld portion in the second direction based on an intensity distribution of the reflected wave in the second direction. The processor calculates a centroid position of an intensity distribution of the reflected wave in the first direction for each of a plurality of points in the second direction, and estimates a range of the weld portion in the first direction based on a plurality of the centroid positions.

Abstract: Embodiments described herein utilize Non-Destructive Inspection (NDI) scan data obtained during a process performed on a surface of a structure to update a location of an NDI scanner on the surface. A subsurface feature within the structure is detected based on the NDI scan data, which are correlated with pre-defined position data for the subsurface feature. A measured location of the NDI scanner on the surface is corrected based on the pre-defined position data for the subsurface feature.

Abstract: A support platform supports a mattress. The support platform includes legs. Force sensors are coupled to the legs or to the support platform. The force sensors are configured to sense a force applied to each leg or support platform. A controller is configured to receive at least one force stream from at least one of the force sensors. The at least one force stream represents a force sensed by the force sensor. The controller is configured to, in responses to receiving the at least one force stream, determine a sleep parameter from the following group of sleep parameters: bed presence, weight, heart rate, respiration rate, and motions. The controller is configured to output at least one or more of those parameters to an end user.

Abstract: A combination weighing device is provided that discharges, from a hopper, an article oversupplied into and received by the hopper and that collects the article using the collection container. The combination weighing device includes an oversupplied article retainer disposed at a position on a discharge path for the article to be discharged from the hopper and collected by the collection container. The oversupplied article retainer has a collection chute and a blocking shutters and temporarily retains the article guided to flow downward using the collection chute and the blocking shutter.

Abstract: Method is provided for determining the extent of defects, in particular of crack depths, in a test specimen. At least one transmitting transducer excites sound waves in the ultrasonic range, and the sound waves propagate in the form of a sound beam. The acoustic axis of the sound beam preferably forms an angle the normal to a surface of the test specimen facing the transmitting transducer. The sound waves couple into the test specimen obliquely and are reflected in particular in a V-shaped manner at a preferably outer interface of the test specimen. At least one receiving transducer spaced apart from the transmitting transducer receives the sound waves reflected at the interface of the test specimen. By means of an evaluation unit, an extent of a defect arranged within a sound path is determined from a reduction of the amplitude of the sound waves received by the receiving transducer.

Abstract: Disclosed are devices, systems and methods for touch, force and/or thermal sensing by an ultrasonic transceiver chip. In some aspects, an ultrasonic transceiver sensor device includes a semiconductor substrate; a CMOS layer attached to the substrate; an array of piezoelectric transducers coupled to the CMOS layer to generate ultrasonic pulses; and a contact layer attached to the substrate on a side opposite the substrate for providing a surface for contact with an object, where an ultrasonic pulse generated by a piezoelectric transducer propagates through the substrate and the contact layer, such that when the object is in contact with the surface of the contact layer, a reflected ultrasonic pulse is produced and propagates through the contact layer and the substrate to be received at the array of piezoelectric transducers, and the CMOS layer receive and process outputs from the piezoelectric transducers produced in response to the received reflected ultrasonic pulses.

Abstract: A plate changer includes a casing that stores a sample plate and one or a plurality of first rack plates that each support the sample plate. One or a plurality of plate supporters that respectively support the one or plurality of first rack plates at different heights are provided in the casing. Each first rack plate is configured to be supportable on and removable from any of the one or plurality of plate supporters. The plate changer further includes a detector that detects whether the first rack plate is supported on each plate supporter.

Abstract: The package dimensioning device is configured for ascertaining measurements of cuboidal and boxed items to provide data to computer-implemented package management processes. The device has a base and a vertical support member. The base is configured to receive a package thereon and includes a weight sensor. There are multiple space-apart contactless sensors including a top sensor carried by the vertical support member, and side sensors positioned adjacent sides of the base which output dimensional data signals related to a height, length and width of the package. A control unit is communicatively coupled to the weight sensor and multiple spaced apart sensors and configured to calculate weight, height, length and width measurements of the package based upon the weight data signal and dimensional data signals.

Abstract: A food inventory tracking system within a refrigerated food storage compartment includes cameras configured for capturing images of food, load cell sensors for taking weight measurements of food and a computing system for reading images from the cameras and weight measurements from the load cell sensors, generating a three-dimensional location map of an interior of the refrigerated food storage compartment, mapping the images and weight measurements to segments of the three-dimensional location map, such that each segment of the three-dimensional location map is associated with images and weight measurements, identifying a type of food item within said segments based on the images and weight measurements associated with said segment, calculating a current amount of said food item based reporting to a user the type of said food item and the amount of said food item.

Abstract: An opening portion that is formed so as to pass-through an opening/closing plate portion of a gate, can be disposed at a region overlapping a lower end opening of a hopper. The opening portion is structured by a first pass-through portion, and a second pass-through portion that is formed so as to be continuous with the first pass-through portion. A width, in a direction orthogonal to a lined-up direction in which the first pass-through portion and the second pass-through portion are lined up, is narrower than the first pass-through portion. Further, a driving mechanism moves the gate such that the opening/closing plate portion moves in the lined-up direction as seen in a plan view. Based on a preset target value of weight of sand, a control section controls the driving mechanism so as to decrease an amount of overlap of the opening portion of the gate and the lower end opening of the hopper in a stepwise manner in accordance with an increase in the weight of the sand measured by a scale.

Abstract: A measurement probe edge guide tool includes an edge follower comprising two edge contact pins that spin around the outside of the measurement probe using a ball bearing. The edge contact pins hug the corner of a contoured edge of the workpiece or in-service part to provide a consistent distance of the center of the probe from the edge. The edge follower enables the tool to inspect the marginal portion bounded by a contoured (machined) edge of a workpiece or part. The edge follower is removable so that the tool may also be adapted for use in general acreage inspection. The tool features a spring-loaded mechanism with a positive probe protrusion relative to a roller-supported cage. The tool has either a handle which is coupled to the cage by means of a universal joint or a hand grip that is affixed to the cage.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a semi-automatic scanner for ultrasonic inspection of a branch pipe weld that has a small size and is able to perform an inspection while moving in a state of being attached to a test object by a magnetic force, thereby being applied to fittings having various shapes, such as a branch pipe and an elbow.