WEIGHING SYSTEM, PARTICULARLY FOR VEHICLES, TRAILERS OR THE LIKE

Technical Field

This invention relates to a weighing system, particularly of the type of a modular weighing system for vehicles, trailers or the like. State of the Art

The use is known of bridge weighing systems for motor vehicles commonly used for transporting materials or goods by road, such as lorries, articulated vehicles, trailers or the like. Such known systems comprise a platform, generally made up of a carrying structure supporting a pair of horizontal platforms, with a substantially elongated shape, parallel and distanced from each other, and suitable for accommodating and supporting the four or more wheels of a motor vehicle. The structure can comprise a frame having a series of interconnecting crosspieces between the two platforms and can be made up of modular elements assembled together (and which can therefore also be transported separately). The platform is anchored to the ground by interposition of load cells, commonly of the compression type, positioned and fastened close to the opposite extremities of the platforms and, if necessary, close to a substantially median section of these, in support of the entire structure.

Each of the load cells is operatively associated with a management and control unit able to process the signals received from these to calculate the total weight of the motor vehicle; the management and control unit is further connected to calculated weight measurement display means, of the display unit type or the like.

The platform can be placed to measure inside a tank, at ground level, or can be fastened to the ground and equipped with special ramps, arranged at the extremities of the platforms, and suitable for making it easier for the motor vehicle to move on and off. These known weighing systems are not however without their drawbacks, among which the fact is underlined that, though made up of components that can be assembled together and disassembled, these operations are in any case

highly complex and, with special reference to the assembly operation, require subsequent setting phases on the place of installation and maintenance that are heavy in terms of time, but necessary for a correct and precise measurement of the weight of the motor vehicles. A further drawback consists in the need for a structure that is as sturdy as possible and assembled so as to allow only changes in position along a vertical axis during weighing. Oscillations of the structure on the compression load cells traditionally used, due for example to positioning operations of a motor vehicle on the platforms, would in fact result in wrong weight measurement. The presence of a sturdy structure also implies a greater complexity and total weight of the platform, which thus becomes difficult to transport and which makes assembly and disassembly operations even more hard and the setting and maintenance operations of the entire system even more critical. To overcome such drawbacks, modular weighing systems are known comprising platforms of predefined dimensions, the extremities of which are associable in a removable way with respective weighing bars positionable resting on the ground.

The extremities of two distinct platforms are associable with the same weighing bar, in series, so as to define a single weighing surface of the desired dimensions and suitable for accommodating at least one of the wheels of a vehicle.

Two rows of platforms are then positionable at a preset distance the one from the other, so as to allow the determination of the weight of the motor vehicles with four or more wheels. Each of the weighing bars comprises a crosspiece, with a substantially cylindrical and tubular shape, and a pair of plates for resting on and/or anchoring to the ground associated with the crosspiece by interposition of load cells. In particular, the crosspiece is fitted at the extremities in respective collars, each of the collars having a lower portion fastened by means of threaded means to a pair of load cells, and each of the load cells is fastened, by means of threaded means, to the upper surface of the respective plate for resting on and/or

anchoring to the ground.

With the plates resting on the ground, therefore, the crosspiece is arranged substantially horizontal.

Each platform has at the extremities a pair of hooks positionable resting on the protruding extremities of the crosspiece.

These known weighing systems are however also susceptible to upgrading. In particular, the weighing bars are in any case made up of a rigid body and therefore, in this case too, the stresses due to accelerations, decelerations and vehicle manoeuvres produce oscillations and forces that act directly on the load cells and that can lead to a wrong weight measurement. Object of the Invention

The main aim of this invention is to provide a weighing system for road vehicles or the like that permits reducing the vehicle weighing measurement errors due to external stresses along a non-vertical direction, following accelerations, decelerations and manoeuvres in general of the vehicle itself.

Another object of the invention is to provide a weighing system for road vehicles or the like that is modular, easy and fast to assemble and disassemble and easy to transport. Another object of the invention is to ensure a structure of modular length and width and which is, therefore, extremely versatile.

Another object of the invention is to ensure a precise measurement of the weight of vehicles, simplifying and minimising at the same time, the jobs needed to set and service the system. Another object of the invention is to make installation simpler, avoiding the use of masonry and non-masonry infrastructures, suitable for housing the weighing system.

Last but not least object of this invention is to provide a weighing system for road vehicles or the like, which overcomes the above-described drawbacks of the prior art within a simple, rational solution that is low in cost. The above objects are all achieved by this weighing system, particularly for vehicles, trailers or the like, comprising at least a platform substantially elongated in shape and positionable resting on the ground by interposition of at

least two weight measuring . devices arranged at a distance the one from the other and suitable for accommodating at least one of the wheels of a vehicle, and at least one processing and display unit of the detected weight associated with at least one of said measuring devices, each of said measuring devices having at least one crosspiece associable with said platform and at least one plate for resting on and/or anchoring to the ground associated with said crosspiece by interposition of at least one load cell, characterized by the fact that said crosspiece is associated with said load cell and is rotatable, by the action of external stresses, between two preset positions and around a rotation axis substantially parallel to its own longitudinal axis.

The above objects are further achieved by this weight measuring device, particularly suitable for applications in the weighing systems of road vehicles or the like, comprising at least a crosspiece associable with at least a platform suitable for accommodating one of the wheels of a vehicle, and at least one plate for resting on and/or anchoring to the ground associated with said crosspiece by interposition of at least a load cell, characterized by the fact that said crosspiece is associated with said load cell and is rotatable, by the action of external stresses, between two preset positions and around a rotation axis substantially parallel to its own longitudinal axis. Brief Description of the Drawings

Other characteristics and advantages of this invention will become more evident from the description of a form of preferred, but not sole, embodiment, of a weighing system, particularly for vehicles, trailers or the like, illustrated purely as an example but not limited to the annexed drawings in which: the figure 1 is an axonometric view of the weighing system according to the invention; the figure 2 is a view of a detail of the weighing system according to the invention; the figure 3 is an exploded view of a measuring device of the weighing system according to the invention; the figure 4 is an axonometric view of the measuring device of the weighing system according to the invention;

the figure 5 is a front section view of the measuring device of the weighing system according to the invention; the figure 6 is a side view of the measuring device of the weighing system according to the invention, in which the two extreme rotation positions are schematically illustrated; the figure 7 is a side section view of the measuring device of the weighing system according to the invention; the figure 8 is a section view of a detail of the measuring device of the figure 7; the figure 9 is a front section view of an alternative embodiment of the measuring device of the weighing system according to the invention; the figure 10 is a side view of the measuring device of the weighing system according to the invention of figure 9.

Embodiments of the Invention

With particular reference to such illustrations, globally indicated by 1 is a modular weighing system, usable in particular for measuring the weight of vehicles suitable for transporting materials or goods by road, such as lorries, articulated vehicles or the like.

With particular, but not limited, reference to the invention illustrated in the above figures 1 and 2, the system 1 comprises two platforms 2, of elongated shape, positioned resting on the ground by interposition of weight measuring devices 3 positioned at a distance the one from the other.

The two platforms 2 can be of different dimensions and the first extremity 2a of one of the platforms 2 is associable with the second extremity 2b of a second platform 2 to accommodate one or more wheels of a vehicle to be weighed. Usefully, the platforms 2 are 4.5 m long and 1 m wide, so as to make transport more simple and thus allow making weighing systems 1 suitable for vehicles of any length.

More specifically, to determine the weight of motor vehicles with four or more wheels such as, e.g., lorries or the like, the system 1 can comprise two pairs of platforms 2, arranged resting on the ground by interposition of respective measuring devices 3 at a distance the one from the other to accommodate the opposite wheels of the axles respectively.

Different shapes of the system 1 cannot however be ruled out with different number and arrangement of the platforms 2.

The system 1 further comprises a processing and display unit of the detected weight, operatively associated with the measuring devices 3 and suitable for processing the weight detected and displaying it to a user/operator.

Usefully, the processing and display unit, not shown in the above illustrations, being of the commonly used type, can comprise a management and control unit, of the type of a microprocessor system, connected to a display device of the weight detected, of the type of a display, a monitor or the like. The measuring devices 3 are associable in a removable way with both the first and the second extremities 2a and 2b of each platform 2. Advantageously, with non-limited reference to the particular system 1 shown in the figures 1 and 2, three measuring devices 3 are envisaged: a central measuring device 3 to which are associated the first extremity 2a of a platform 2 and the second extremity 2b of a second platform 2, and two measuring devices 3 associated at the respective first and second opposite extremities 2a and 2b. Each of the measuring devices 3 has a crosspiece 4 associable with a platform 2 and a pair of plates 5 for resting on and/or anchoring to the ground which are associated with the crosspiece 4 by interposition of respective load cells 6, which can be of the single point, cutting, bending type or the like.

Advantageously, the crosspiece 4 is associated with the load cells 6 rotatable between two preset positions and around a rotation axis A substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the crosspiece itself. This allows oscillations of the crosspiece 4 following external stresses along a non-vertical direction due, e.g., to accelerations or decelerations of a vehicle to be weighed manoeuvring on the platform 2.

In particular, the crosspiece 4 is positioned resting on two load cells 6, at respective resting and centring portions 7 defined in proximity to the longitudinal extremities of the crosspiece itself, and the rotation axis A is made of a swinging axis of the crosspiece 4 on the load cells 6.

Usefully, each of the resting and centring portions 7 comprises a seat 8 for the partial housing of one of the load cells 6.

In particular, each of the portions 7 is made of a substantially box-shaped hollow body and the seat 8 is defined by a through opening. The central portion of the load cell 6 is housed inside such seat 8, with the extremities extending outwards of it. Inside the seat 8, at an upper wall, is defined a contact surface 8a suitable for engaging on the load cell 6.

It must be pointed out, in the present description, that by the wording "upper" reference is made to the normal arrangement of the measuring devices 3 during use, with the plates 5 resting on the ground and the crosspiece 4 substantially horizontal.

In particular, the contact surface 8a is made of a centring recess suitable for housing the upper portion of a corresponding pusher element 6a protruding vertically from the load surface of the load cell 6. Usefully, the pusher element 6a has a substantially rounded surface suitable for engaging on a flat portion inside the centring recess 8a.

This allows oscillations of the portion 1, and therefore of the entire crosspiece 4, on the pusher element 6a of the load cell 6 and around the above rotation axis A. In case of external stresses along a longitudinal direction to the platforms 2, produced e.g. by the manoeuvres of a vehicle, the crosspieces 4 rotate and discharge at least in part the non-vertical forces on the structure of the platforms themselves. Such non-vertical forces do not therefore act directly on the load cells, something which would cause weight measuring errors. Each of the load cells 6 is associated integral with the respective plate 5 for resting on and/or anchoring to the ground. In particular, each of the plates 5 comprises a pair of supports 9 at a distance the one from the other, that elevate substantially at right angles with respect to the surface resting on the ground and to which are fixed the opposite extremities of a load cell 6 by means of fastening means 10 such as, e.g., screws, pins, etc. Each of the supports 9 has a pair of vertical walls 9a, parallel with each other, with holes, to which can be fixed, by means of the fastening means 10, the opposite side faces of the load cell 6. As shown in figure 6, the supports 9, in particular the walls 9a, also make up the

stop surfaces of the portions 7 during the rotation of the crosspiece 4, thereby limiting the angle of rotation of the crosspiece itself and defining the two extreme rotation positions thereof. Different arrangements and/or shapes of the supports 9 thereby allow defining different angles of rotation of the crosspiece 4 around the rotation axis A.

Usefully, the first and the second extremities 2a and 2b of the platforms 2 have removable hooking means 11 for hooking onto the crosspieces 4, composed of a pair of hooks positionable resting on special cylindrical protruding portions 12 defined at the extremities of the crosspiece 4. In particular, the two hooks 11 which extend from the first extremity 2a are positioned the one from the other at a greater distance (or in any case different distance) with respect to the two hooks 11 which extend from the second extremity 2b. This allows associating the first extremity 2a of a platform 2 and the second extremity 2b of a second platform 2 with the same crosspiece 4, with the hooks 11 arranged side by side on the protruding portions 12.

Different shapes of the hooking means 11 cannot however be ruled out with different arrangement on the crosspiece 4.

A ramp 13 can be arranged at each of the first and second extremities 2a and 2b to make it easier for the vehicles to run up and down the platforms 2. Similarly to what was seen above for the platforms 2, the ramp 13 has hooks 11 for anchoring onto the protruding portions 12 of a crosspiece 4. Usefully, the crosspiece 4, along one of its substantially median sections, has two pairs of connectors 14 suitable for the in-series power connection of several measuring devices 3 and/or the power connection to the above processing and display unit.

The median section of the crosspiece 4, furthermore, has a tubular shape and a cavity 15 for housing the power connection wires between the connectors 14 and the load cells 6. The figures 9 and 10 show a possible alternative embodiment of the measuring devices 3.

In particular, the crosspiece 4, at the respective longitudinal extremities, houses two load cells 6, of the cutting, bending type or the like, while the rotation axis

A is made of a swinging axis of the crosspiece 4 with respect to the plates 5. The load cells 6 are housed inside the cavity 15 of the crosspiece 4 and are fixed integral with the crosspiece by means of fastening means 16 such as, e.g., screws, pins, etc. In particular, each of the plates 5 comprises a pair of supports 9 separated the one from the other and which elevate substantially at right angles with respect to the ground supporting surface.

Each of the supports 9 has a pair of vertical walls 9a parallel with one another, which support a support 9b arranged above the crosspiece 4. A pin 18 is fitted inside an opening 17 on the support 9b and through a respective through opening at the extremity of the crosspiece 4. At one extremity, the pin 18 has a fastening head 19 on the support 9b and has its extremity inside the crosspiece 4 fixed to the load cell 6. In particular, the opening 17 has a contact surface with the head 19 composed of a centring recess suitable for housing the lower portion of the head itself. Usefully, the lower surface of the head 19 has a substantially rounded surface suitable for engaging inside the centring recess of the opening 17. This allows the pin 18 to oscillate inside the opening 17 and, therefore, the entire crosspiece 4 to oscillate. In case of external stresses along a longitudinal direction to the platforms 2, produced e.g. by the manoeuvres of a vehicle, the crosspieces 4 rotate and thereby discharge, at least in part, the non-vertical forces on the structure of the platforms themselves. Such non-vertical forces therefore, do not act directly on the load cells, something that could lead to weight measurement errors. The supports 9, in particular the walls 9a, furthermore make up the stop surfaces of the crosspiece 4 during the rotation, and consequently restrict the rotation angle of the crosspiece itself and define the two extreme rotation positions thereof. Different arrangements and/or shapes of the supports 9 therefore peπnit the definition of different angles of rotation of the crosspiece 4 around the rotation axis A.

It has in point of fact been seen how the described invention achieves the proposed objects, and in particular the fact is underlined that the system permits

reducing the weight measurement errors of a vehicle due to external stresses along non-vertical directions following manoeuvres of the vehicle on the platforms.

In the event of such external stresses in fact, the crosspieces rotate and discharge at least in part the non-vertical forces on the structure of the platforms, which forces do not therefore act directly on the load cells.

The rotation of the crosspiece also makes it possible to more easily adapt the measuring devices, and therefore the entire weighing system, to any roughness of the ground on which the plates are arranged resting. The weighing system can be easily transported, is highly modular and is easy and fast to assemble and disassemble.

The platforms are in fact of reduced dimensions and the presence of the hooks positionable resting on the crosspiece of the measuring devices considerably simplifies the positioning and the removal of the weighing system while at the same time minimising the need for setting and maintenance.

The fact that the measuring devices and platforms are positioned simply resting further allows avoiding the use of masonry and non-masonry infrastructures, suitable for housing the weighing system.

The ease and speed of assembly and disassembly are furthermore ensured by the presence of the connectors on the crosspiece, which make it possible to easily make the power connection between the load cells of several measuring devices arranged in series, and between one of the measuring devices and the weight processing and display unit.

A final advantage is represented by the fact that the described measuring device permits reading the weight of a vehicle in a precise and error-free manner using just two load cells, with obvious simplification of the device itself and cutting of the total system realisation costs.

The invention thus conceived is susceptible to numerous modifications and variations, all of which falling within the scope of the inventive concept. Furthermore all the details can be replaced with others that are technically equivalent.

In practice, the materials used, as well as the contingent shapes and dimensions,

may be any according to requirements without because of this moving outside the protection scope of the following claims.