Load Meter Calibration via Road Displacement Histograms

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional load meter calibration methods require a vehicle with known axle load to pass over the road, incurring significant labor and cost.

Innovation Solution

A calibration device comprising a detector and calibrator that measures displacement caused by a vehicle's load on the road, generating a histogram to update displacement coefficients for accurate load calculation, allowing calibration using ordinary vehicles.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Measurement precision

If a dedicated vehicle with known axle load is used for calibration, then measurement precision is improved, but labor and cost increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecalibration accuracyVSAvoidlabor and cost
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The system uses ordinary vehicles that naturally pass over the road to perform calibration. The vehicle itself serves as the calibration object without requiring specialized calibration vehicles. The detector automatically detects displacement caused by passing vehicles and the calibrator automatically updates coefficients, making the system self-calibrating using regular traffic.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

The invention replaces expensive dedicated calibration vehicles with ordinary vehicles that are already available on the road. Instead of investing in specialized equipment, the system uses commonly available vehicles whose displacement data can be collected and used for calibration purposes.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #27Cheap short-living objects (Disposable)

2Measurement precision

If frequent calibration is performed, then measurement precision is maintained, but labor and cost accumulate

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveload measurement accuracyVSAvoidcalibration time and resources
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The calibration process becomes continuous rather than periodic. As vehicles continuously pass over the road, the detector continuously collects displacement data and the calibrator continuously updates the displacement coefficient. This ongoing calibration maintains measurement precision without requiring scheduled calibration events that consume time and resources.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #20Continuity of useful action

Solution Approach 2:

The system performs automatic self-calibration using passing vehicles without requiring human intervention for scheduling, preparation, or execution of calibration events. This eliminates the time and labor associated with manual calibration scheduling and execution while maintaining continuous measurement accuracy.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

Data Source

PatentEP3591353B1Calibration device and calibration method
Publication Date: 2022.09.21 PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO LTD
  • EP3591353B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3591353B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3591353B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

Calibration device (300) is a calibration device configured to calibrate load meter (200) that measures a load of a vehicle. Calibration device (300) includes detector (260) and calibrator (250). Detector (260) detects a displacement amount corresponding to displacement caused on a road by the load of the vehicle. Calibrator (250) aggregates the displacement amounts detected by detector (260) to generate a histogram of the displacement amounts, and updates a displacement coefficient for calculating the load of the vehicle based on a shape of the histogram.