Precision Rocker Pin Load Cell with Gas-Filled Hygienic Seal
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional pendulum load supports in industrial weighing technology fail to meet hygienic requirements in the food and pharmaceutical industries, suffer from decreased mobility due to wear and tear under high humidity and aggressive cleaning agents, and lack durability in mechanical precision weighing.
Innovation Solution
A pendulum load support design featuring a stainless steel base plate with a concentric cylindrical recess, a pendulum bolt with a ball-shaped underside, a pendulum piece with a cylindrical recess, and a bell-shaped cover made of elastic plastic or coated with antibacterial material, incorporating a gas or air-filled space to prevent condensation and maintain lubricant effectiveness.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If conventional pendulum load supports are used in industrial weighing technology, then mechanical precision weighing is achieved, but hygienic requirements cannot be met due to inaccessible gaps and cavities during cleaning
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies a bell-shaped cover made of flexible plastic that hermetically seals the bearing components. This flexible shell creates a closed protective enclosure that prevents cleaning agents and contaminants from reaching the precision bearing surfaces, thereby meeting hygienic requirements while maintaining weighing precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a gas filling (such as nitrogen or other inert gases) within the sealed bell-shaped cover to create an inert environment. This inert atmosphere prevents chemical reactions between moisture and the bearing surfaces, protecting against corrosion and maintaining hygiene while preserving measurement precision.
2Ease of operation
If point and linear supports are used to minimize frictional resistance, then mobility is improved, but service life decreases due to high surface pressure and wear under humidity and cleaning agents
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies beforehand cushioning by introducing a gas filling between the bearing surfaces and the external environment. This gas layer acts as a protective cushion that prevents direct contact between moisture, cleaning agents, and the bearing surfaces, thereby reducing wear and extending service life while maintaining the low-friction point and linear support design.
Solution Approach 2:
The bell-shaped flexible plastic cover hermetically seals the bearing components, creating a protective barrier that isolates the high-pressure contact points from harmful environmental factors. This allows the point and linear supports to maintain their low-friction mobility while being protected from wear-causing moisture and cleaning agents.
3Measurement precision
If mechanical precision weighing components are designed with small contact areas, then measurement precision is improved, but durability decreases due to heavy loads and wear on contacting surfaces
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates an inert gas-filled environment within the sealed cover to protect the small-contact-area bearing surfaces from oxidation and chemical degradation. This inert atmosphere prevents corrosion that would otherwise rapidly deteriorate the precision surfaces under heavy loads, thereby extending durability while maintaining dosing accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The gas filling serves as a beforehand cushioning layer that prevents direct exposure of the precision bearing surfaces to moisture and aggressive cleaning agents. This protective cushioning allows the small contact areas to withstand heavy loads for extended periods without degradation, maintaining both precision and durability.
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
Ensures long service life and mobility by preventing condensation and maintaining lubricant effectiveness, even under aggressive cleaning conditions, thus meeting hygienic and precision weighing demands.
Implementation Method 1
This largely prevents condensation of moisture due to temperature changes in specific areas, and condensed moisture evaporates quickly.
Implementation Method 2
It is known that the phenomenon of Hertzian pressure occurs at the contact points, i.e., a flattening of the contacting components. The extent of this flattening depends, among other things, on the force with which the components are pressed together.
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a so-called rocker pin load cell which is used in particular in industrial weighing technology in platform scales or hopper scales. The rocker pin load cell has the following features: a base plate (1) in which a cylindrical recess (2) having a flat bottom surface (3) is concentrically provided; a pendulum pin (4) having a ball-shaped bottom surface (5) and a spherical top surface (6); a pendulum piece (7) having a round recess (8), the diameter of which is greater than the diameter of the upper section of the pendulum pin (4), and having a centrally provided cavity (9); a bell-shaped cover (10) made of elastic plastic, which is connected at its upper edge section to the pendulum piece (7) in a hermetically sealed manner and which is connected at its lower edge section to the base plate (1) in a hermetically sealed manner, the following condition being observed: The gas or air volume is greater than the sum of the volumes of the sections of the pendulum pin and of the pendulum piece which are enclosed by the air or gas.