Monolithic Bending Joint Assembly for Precise Scale Coupling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing bending joint arrangements for under-tray precision scales are difficult to fix precisely to the load cell or load carrier, and are susceptible to parasitic movements due to their quasi-point-like thin material sections, leading to reduced precision and increased assembly effort.
Innovation Solution
The design features a solid cylindrical main body with channels surrounded by channel walls along their entire length, forming pivot axes in a radial plane, and includes beams as inlet and outlet pieces that penetrate the central piece, allowing for precise pivot definitions and direct coupling to the load cell or weighing carrier, with adjustable and lockable coupling pins.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If the bending joint arrangement uses quasi-point-like thin material sections, then the structure is simpler, but it becomes susceptible to parasitic movements and torsional movements, reducing precision
Solution Approach 1:
The bending joint is segmented into two separate bending joints arranged perpendicular to each other, with each joint having its own pair of channels. This segmentation allows each joint to be optimized independently for its specific pivot axis while maintaining overall structural integrity and resistance to parasitic movements.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from a two-dimensional thin-walled structure to a three-dimensional solid cylindrical structure with channels distributed throughout the volume. This dimensional change provides greater structural rigidity and resistance to torsional and parasitic movements while maintaining the bending joint functionality.
2Volume of moving object
If the inlet and outlet pieces are ring-shaped, then the structure is more compact, but it becomes difficult to fix precisely to the load cell or load carrier
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of using ring-shaped pieces that are difficult to fix, the patent inverts the approach by using beam-shaped inlet and outlet pieces that radially penetrate the central piece. This inversion provides well-defined coupling surfaces and precise pivot axis definitions, making it easier to fix precisely to the load cell or load carrier.
Solution Approach 2:
The inlet and outlet pieces are designed with different local qualities: they have beam-shaped coupling sections for precise attachment to load cell or carrier, while also having channel sections that integrate with the central piece. This local differentiation optimizes both coupling precision and structural integration.
3Reliability
If two separate bending joint arrangements are used concentrically, then resistance to parasitic movement is improved, but assembly effort increases and precision is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges two separate bending joint arrangements into a single integrated monolithic structure. The solid cylindrical main body contains both bending joints with their respective channel pairs, eliminating the need for separate concentric assemblies while maintaining resistance to parasitic movements and reducing assembly complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The bending joint arrangement is constructed as a monolithic composite structure from a single piece of material, integrating the central piece with inlet and outlet beams and both bending joints simultaneously. This monolithic construction eliminates assembly errors and ensures precise geometric relationships between all components.
Data Source
Figure 1~3
Figure 4a~4d
Figure 5a~5d
AI summary
The invention relates to a monolithic flexible joint assembly (10), comprising a main body (12), through which two channel pairs (24) pass, specifically a first channel pair (24-1) and a second channel pair (24-2), which extend in a radial plane so as to be oriented perpendicularly to one another and, in the centre of the main body (12), intersect one another and a central axis oriented normally with respect to the radial plane; wherein each channel pair (24) comprises two individual passage channels oriented in parallel with one another and arranged closely adjacently to convexly curved channel wall portions facing one another such that connecting portions extending between said curved channel wall portions jointly form a flexible joint (22); wherein a central piece (16) of the main body (12) is pivotably articulated to an input piece (18), which is otherwise not connected thereto, by means of a first flexible joint (22-1) formed between the passage channels of the first channel pair (24-1), and is pivotably articulated to an output piece (20), which is otherwise not connected thereto, by means of a second flexible joint (22-2) formed between the passage channels of the second channel pair (24-2). The invention is characterised in that the input piece (18) and/or the output piece (20) is in the form of a bar which passes radially through the central piece (16). The invention also relates to bottom-loading balance, the load receiver and weighing-item carrier of which are coupled together by means of a flexible joint assembly (10) according to the invention.