Scale Noise Spectrum Analysis for Vibration Mitigation
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Vibrations from takeaway belts, air handlers, and other sources interfere with the performance of scales, causing sluggish responses, reducing accuracy, and increasing service calls.
Innovation Solution
A method and device that receive and analyze noise spectral information from a scale to identify noise instances at various frequencies, allowing for the display of these instances and enabling the adjustment of frequency-selective filters to mitigate noise interference.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the scale operates in a environment with vibration sources (takeaway belts, air handlers), then the scale can perform weighing functions, but the vibration causes sluggish response and reduced accuracy
Solution Approach 1:
The patent converts the harmful vibration signals into useful diagnostic information by implementing a spectrum analyzer that transforms time-domain vibration signals into frequency-domain representations. This allows the system to identify specific noise sources and their characteristics, enabling targeted filtering and compensation strategies that improve scale accuracy while maintaining operation in noisy environments.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary signal processing system between the scale sensor and the measurement output. The spectrum analyzer and filter controller act as mediators that process the raw vibration signals, separate useful weighing information from harmful vibration noise, and provide compensated measurements. This intermediary layer allows the scale to function accurately despite the presence of vibration sources.
2Measurement precision
If frequency-selective filters are used to mitigate noise, then scale accuracy improves, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a dynamic filtering system where the filter parameters are not fixed but are automatically adjusted based on real-time spectral analysis. The system continuously monitors the frequency spectrum, identifies active noise sources, and dynamically modifies the filter characteristics to match the current environmental conditions. This dynamic approach provides high measurement precision while keeping the device complexity manageable through adaptive rather than static filtering.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs feedback control where the output of the spectrum analyzer feeds back to the filter controller, which adjusts the filter parameters accordingly. This closed-loop system automatically optimizes the filtering performance based on the detected noise spectrum, eliminating the need for manual filter configuration and reducing operational complexity while maintaining high accuracy.
3Reliability
If spectral analysis is implemented to identify noise sources, then noise mitigation effectiveness improves, but the processing time and computational load increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary spectral analysis during periods when weighing is not actively occurring or when the scale is between measurements. By pre-identifying and characterizing noise sources before they interfere with critical measurements, the system can prepare appropriate filter parameters in advance, reducing the processing time during actual weighing operations while maintaining effective noise mitigation.
Data Source
AI summary
A method includes receiving noise spectral information from a scale, analyzing the noise spectral information via circuitry to identify instances of noise with various magnitudes at multiple frequencies, ending a listening period, and providing the identified instances of noise to be displayed.