Potted Load Cell Moisture Sealing via Cavity Filling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Load cells face moisture ingress issues through cable tunnels, leading to erroneous measurements and damage, despite existing protective measures like covers and adhesives, which add costs and manufacturing time without fully preventing moisture exposure.
Innovation Solution
A load cell design featuring a block with strain gage pockets, cable tunnels, and potting material, where the potting material is injected and cured to fill all cavities, including crevices and spaces around cables and wires, effectively sealing the strain gages and electronic circuits, eliminating the need for additional sealing methods.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If covers and adhesives are used to protect strain gage pockets, then protection against moisture is improved, but material costs and manufacturing time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the protective function with the existing cable tunnel structure by filling the tunnels with potting material. This merges the cable routing function and moisture protection function into a single integrated solution, eliminating the need for separate covers and adhesives while maintaining reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the moisture protection function from the cable tunnel structure itself rather than adding separate protective elements. By making the cable tunnels moisture-proof through potting material filling, the design removes unnecessary covers and adhesives, reducing device complexity.
2Ease of operation
If cable tunnels are used to accommodate cables, then cable connection is enabled, but moisture ingress pathways are created
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces potting material as an intermediary substance within the cable tunnels. This material acts as a barrier that blocks moisture while allowing cables to pass through and connect, thus maintaining ease of operation while preventing harmful moisture ingress.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies different properties to different regions: the cable tunnels remain open for cable passage, but the interior surfaces and crevices are treated with moisture-resistant potting material. This local differentiation maintains cable connectivity while providing moisture protection where needed.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution completely fills cavities with potting material, preventing moisture ingress and eliminating the need for additional sealing methods, thus enhancing measurement accuracy and reducing manufacturing costs and time.
Implementation Method 1
the potting material is injected and cured to fill all cavities, including crevices and spaces around cables and wires
Data Source
AI summary
A load cell for measuring a force applied thereto by an object for determining a weight of the object. The load cell includes a rigid block having a number of interconnected cavities having a strain gage pocket, a strain gage positioned in the strain gage pocket, and potting material filling the interconnected cavities such that moisture and debris cannot enter the strain gage pocket.