MOTION COMPENSATING SCALE

THE AIM OF THIS PROJECT IS TO DEVELOP A SCALE FOR WEIGHING LOADS OF UP TO 100 KG. ON MOVING PLATFORMS SUCH AS SHIPS. THE PROBLEM IN THESE SITUATIONS IS THAT ACCELERATION FORCES GENERATED BY THE MOTION OF THE VEHICLE CONSTANTLY VARY THE APPARENT WEIGHT OF ANY OBJECT RESTING ON THE SCALE. THE SOLUTION PROPOSED HERE IS TO USE AN ELECTRONIC SCALE AND COMBINE ITS ELECTRICAL OUTPUT SIGNAL WITH SIGNALS FROM AN ARRAY OF ACCELEROMETERS, IN A MICROPROCESSOR. THE ACCELEROMETERS MEASURE THE VEHICLE MOTIONS AND THE MICROPROCESSOR CONTINUOUSLY COMPUTES THE CORRECTION TO BE APPLIED TO THE WEIGHT SIGNAL. FOR PHASE I OF THE PROJECT WE WILL USE A COMMERCIALLY AVAILABLE INDUSTRIAL SCALE (0-50 KG. IS A COMMONLY AVAILABLE CAPACITY), OFF-THE-SHELF ACCELEROMETERS, AND AN IBM PC AS THE MICROPROCESSOR. AT THE END OF PHASE I WE HOPE TO BE IN A POSITION TO CARRY OUT A SHORT SEA TRIAL WITH THIS PROTOTYPE EQUIPMENT.