CN112781700A

CN112781700A - Dynamic weighing device and weighing method thereof

Info

Publication number: CN112781700A
Application number: CN202011600015.3A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 孙润志; 金涛; 王平; 姚飞
Original assignee: Beijing Wanji Technology Co Ltd
Current assignee: Beijing Wanji Technology Co Ltd
Priority date: 2020-12-30
Filing date: 2020-12-30
Publication date: 2021-05-11

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a dynamic vehicle weighing apparatus and a weighing method thereof. The dynamic vehicle weighing apparatus includes a load cell and a processing unit. The weighing sensor is used for acquiring deformation signals generated by the action of a vehicle on a top road structure of the weighing sensor in the advancing process. The processing unit is used for determining the weight of the vehicle according to the deformation signal. The present disclosure can directly determine the weight of a vehicle using a deformation signal by sensing the deformation signal of the top road structure of the load cell using the load cell. In addition, weighing sensor is embedded in the road foundation, compares in traditional weighing-appliance, has improved weighing sensor's life, has improved the precision of weighing simultaneously.

Description

Dynamic weighing device and weighing method thereof

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates generally to the field of weighing technology. In particular, the present disclosure relates to a dynamic weighing apparatus and a weighing method.

Background

This section is intended to provide a background or context to the embodiments of the disclosure recited in the claims. The description herein may include concepts that could be pursued, but are not necessarily ones that have been previously conceived or pursued. Thus, unless otherwise indicated herein, what is described in this section is not prior art to the description and claims in this application and is not admitted to be prior art by inclusion in this section.

The dynamic weighing technology refers to a technology for weighing a vehicle during the running process of the vehicle. The dynamic weighing device is widely applied to weighing charge, overrun detection and the like, and plays an important role in traffic management, overrun control and import and export supervision. Conventional dynamic weighing devices are typically comprised of a carrier and a sensor. The bearing body is arranged in a groove of the road foundation and is used for bearing the whole or part of the weight of the vehicle in the running process of the vehicle and transmitting the weight borne by the bearing body to the sensor; the sensor is arranged below the bearing body and used for converting the stress of the sensor into an electric signal. After the vehicle running dynamically passes through the weighing platform provided with the sensor, the sensor senses the pressure signal of the dynamic vehicle, the processor performs a series of analysis and processing, and finally the dynamic weighing value of the vehicle is calculated.

When the traditional weighing device is used for weighing, the problems of short service life of equipment, large maintenance amount, complex structure and the like can be faced.

Disclosure of Invention

To address at least one or more of the above technical problems, the present disclosure provides a dynamic weighing apparatus and a weighing method. The embodiment of the present disclosure can directly determine the weight of a vehicle by using a deformation signal generated by sensing the vehicle acting on the top road structure of a load cell by using the load cell embedded in a road foundation. Further, since the weighing sensor is embedded in the concrete slab block of the road foundation to replace the conventional weighing device installed in the groove of the road foundation, the weighing precision can be improved. In view of this, the present disclosure provides corresponding solutions in the following aspects.

In a first aspect, the present disclosure provides a dynamic vehicle weighing apparatus comprising: the system comprises a weighing sensor, a load sensor and a control unit, wherein the weighing sensor is embedded in a road foundation to acquire a deformation signal generated by a vehicle acting on a top road structure of the weighing sensor in a traveling process; and a processing unit for determining the weight of the vehicle from the deformation signal.

In one embodiment, wherein the dynamic vehicle weighing apparatus further comprises a flexible isolation layer for isolating the load cell and the overhead road structure from concrete within the road foundation.

In another embodiment, wherein the load cell comprises a sensor frame and a sensing unit, wherein: the bottom of the sensor frame is used for being tightly combined with the concrete, and the top of the sensor frame is used for being tightly combined with the top road structure; the sensing unit is positioned in the sensor frame and is tightly combined with the sensor frame; and the flexible isolation layer is used for fitting the sensor frame and the side wall of the top road structure so as to be isolated from the concrete.

In yet another embodiment, wherein the dynamic vehicle weighing apparatus further comprises a flexible waterproof glue for filling between the sensor frame and the flexible isolation layer.

In yet another embodiment, the sensing unit comprises an elastic body for elastically deforming under an external force.

In yet another embodiment, wherein the upper surface of the top road structure is kept flush with or slightly above the road surface of the road foundation.

In yet another embodiment, wherein the top road structure is comprised of a potting material comprising concrete and/or a material having a strength not less than the strength of concrete.

In a second aspect, the present disclosure provides a dynamic vehicle weighing method comprising: acquiring a deformation signal generated by a vehicle acting on a top road structure of a weighing sensor in a traveling process by using the weighing sensor embedded in a road foundation; and determining, with a processing unit, a weight of the vehicle from the deformation signal.

In one embodiment, wherein the deformation signal comprises deformation displacement information of the overhead road structure due to the vehicle passing.

In another embodiment, wherein determining the weight of the vehicle from the deformation signal further comprises: selecting an effective vehicle axle load signal from the deformation signal; and determining the weight of the vehicle from the axle load signal.

In yet another embodiment, wherein determining the weight of the vehicle from the axle load signal further comprises calculating the weight of the vehicle, W, based on the formula:

W＝f(s,v,k)；

where s represents the axle load signal, v represents the vehicle speed, and k represents a conversion factor, which is determined by calibrating the load cell.

In still another embodiment, the vehicle speed is jointly determined based on deformation signals sensed by a plurality of the load cells arranged in the vehicle traveling direction.

According to the embodiment of the present disclosure, by sensing the deformation generated by the top road structure acting on the load cell during the driving of the vehicle by using the load cell embedded in the road foundation, the weight of the vehicle can be determined directly using the deformation signal. Further, by embedding the load cells within the concrete slab block in place of the conventional weighing devices within the roadway foundation recesses, various disadvantages associated with conventional weighing devices may be overcome. For example, in some embodiments, the load cell is pre-fabricated in the road foundation and the deformation of the top road structure of the load cell is sensed by the flexible isolation layer being isolated from the road foundation, reducing vibration of the sensor by the vehicle during travel, thereby reducing weighing errors and possibly improving the service life of the sensor. Furthermore, the material and the strength of the road structure at the top of the weighing sensor are controllable in the embodiment of the invention, so that the sensor can be calibrated more accurately, and the weighing precision is higher. Meanwhile, a force transmission structure does not exist between the concrete plate and the weighing sensor, so that signal lag of the weighing sensor cannot be caused, the error problem caused by signal lag is reduced, and the weighing precision is improved.

Drawings

The above and other objects, features and advantages of exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will become readily apparent from the following detailed description read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Several embodiments of the present disclosure are illustrated by way of example, and not by way of limitation, in the figures of the accompanying drawings and in which like reference numerals refer to similar or corresponding parts and in which:

1A-1B illustrate an exemplary schematic of a prior art weighing apparatus;

FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary schematic structural diagram of a dynamic weighing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary deformation signal in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 4 illustrates an exemplary top view of a plurality of load cells disposed within a concrete slab according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 5 shows an exemplary schematic of a single load cell in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 6 shows an exemplary installation configuration diagram of a load cell according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 7 shows an exemplary schematic diagram of a single load cell embedded in a roadway foundation, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 8 illustrates an exemplary side view of a plurality of load cells embedded in a roadway foundation in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 9 illustrates another exemplary side view of a plurality of load cells embedded in a roadway foundation in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure; and

fig. 10 illustrates an exemplary flow chart of a dynamic weighing method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Detailed Description

The principles and spirit of the present disclosure will be described with reference to a number of exemplary embodiments. It is understood that these embodiments are given solely for the purpose of enabling those skilled in the art to better understand and to practice the present disclosure, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure in any way. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the disclosure to those skilled in the art.

Dynamic vehicle weighing refers to measuring the total weight and/or partial weight of a moving vehicle by measuring and analyzing tire dynamic forces. The dynamic weighing device is generally composed of a supporting body and a sensor and is installed in a groove of a pavement foundation. In addition, the sensors are also external to the electronics containing software to measure dynamic tire forces, wheel weight, axle weight, and/or gross weight of the vehicle. Dynamic vehicle weighing is commonly applicable in many scenarios such as weight-based tolling, high-speed overrun management, etc., whereby dynamic weighing plays an important role in traffic management, overrun management and import-export regulation.

FIG. 1A shows an exemplary schematic of a prior art weighing apparatus. As shown in figure 1, two supporting bodies 3 are arranged in a groove 2 of a pavement foundation 1, and the supporting bodies 3 are connected through a connecting piece and keep the surface level. The four corners of the bottom of each carrier body 3 are provided with sensors 4. Fig. 1B shows a schematic bottom view of a carrier body, comprising four sensors 4. The sensor 4 may be wired or wireless external to the electronics (not shown).

The supporting body 3 and the sensor 4 form a weighing device, and the weighing device is installed and fixed in the groove 2 of the pavement foundation 1 through the installation bottom plate embedded part 5. The embedment 5 is connected and fixed to the carrier 3 by a connector 6. The installed supporting body 3 is flush with the road surface. A horizontal limiter 7 is also arranged between the bearing body 3 and the pavement foundation 1.

When a vehicle runs through the weighing device, the supporting body bears the whole or part of the weight of the vehicle and transmits the weight borne by the vehicle to the sensor, and the sensor senses a pressure signal when the vehicle passes through the sensor. The sensed pressure signal may then be transmitted to electronics and/or a data processing device for analysis and processing of the pressure signal to obtain a weighing value as the vehicle passes.

As described above with reference to fig. 1, the weighing method using the conventional weighing apparatus can obtain the vehicle weight to some extent, but has the following drawbacks.

In the first aspect, when the vehicle runs through the weighing device, the supporting body directly bears all or most of the weight of the vehicle and transmits the weight to the sensor, so that the deformation quantity of the supporting body and the sensor is increased, the supporting body and the sensor are easily damaged, and the service lives of the supporting body and the sensor are shortened.

In the second aspect, in order to prevent the supporting body from transferring the weight carried by the supporting body to the road surface, a gap is usually reserved between the supporting body and the inner wall of the road surface foundation groove during the installation process. However, the reserved gap can cause water or silt and the like to enter the lower part of the bearing body, and the gradually accumulated water or silt can share the pressure supposed to be borne by the sensor, so that the weighing value is inaccurate. Therefore, the sundries below the carrier body need to be cleaned regularly, so that the maintenance is inconvenient.

In a third aspect, a horizontal force is applied to the carrier as the vehicle travels across the carrier. This horizontal effort can lead to the supporting body translation for the supporting body produces with the road surface basis and interferes, thereby influences the precision of weighing. To prevent the effects of the horizontal forces described above, a horizontal stop (such as stop 7 shown in fig. 1A) is typically provided between the carrier and the pavement foundation during installation. This arrangement results in a complex weighing apparatus structure, thereby causing inconvenience in installation and maintenance.

In a fourth aspect, due to the large size of the carrier, being flush with the ground and visible on the surface, the vehicle passes directly in contact with the surface of the carrier, which can affect the weighing accuracy of the weighing device when the driver of the vehicle intentionally takes action on the carrier, for example, by accelerating, winding around an "S" or jack, etc.

In the fifth aspect, the supporting body is usually made of a metal material, and the surface of the supporting body is polished as smooth as possible during manufacturing, so that the influence of vibration generated when a vehicle passes through the supporting body on the weighing effect is reduced. However, the friction coefficient of the surface of the bearing body is smaller than that of the concrete or asphalt pavement, so that the vehicle brake is influenced, and potential safety hazards are generated.

In view of the above, in order to overcome the defects of one or more aspects, in the embodiments of the present disclosure, a scheme for directly determining the weight of a vehicle based on a deformation signal sensed by a load cell embedded in a road foundation is provided. In some implementations, the load cell is isolated from the concrete in the road foundation by a flexible isolation layer to primarily sense deformation of the top road structure of the load cell. The deformation signal mainly comprises the deformation of the top road structure of the weighing sensor caused by the vehicle running past. In these implementations, the load cells may be embedded in the concrete slab in one piece therewith, thereby simplifying construction and reducing installation and post-maintenance. In addition, because weighing sensor embedding becomes an organic whole rather than in concrete slab for the deformation volume that weighing sensor receives reduces, has improved weighing sensor's life, thereby has practiced thrift the cost.

The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present disclosure will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the drawings in the embodiments of the present disclosure, and it is obvious that the described embodiments are some, but not all embodiments of the present disclosure. All other embodiments, which can be derived by a person skilled in the art from the embodiments disclosed herein without making any creative effort, shall fall within the protection scope of the present disclosure.

Fig. 2 illustrates an exemplary structural schematic of a dynamic weighing apparatus 200 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown, the dynamic vehicle weighing apparatus 200 includes a load cell 201 and a processing unit 202.

The load cell 201 is intended to be embedded in a road base to acquire or sense a deformation signal generated by a vehicle acting on the top road structure of the load cell during travel of the vehicle.

By way of analysis, the main vibrations of a vehicle as it travels through the dynamic weighing apparatus 200 include the following: the axle load of the vehicle deforms the pavement slab; pitching vibration of the vehicle body is transmitted to the road surface; the natural frequency of vibration of the wheel portion; as well as the excitation of the road surface by the tire pattern of the wheel, engine vibrations, gearbox, etc. Further analytically, the deformation of the plate by the axle weight of the vehicle may again comprise two parts: the weight brings deformation to the plate, which appears as an ultra-low frequency signal; and secondly, the vibration of the plate caused by the impact of the weight on the plate, wherein the frequency of the vibration is related to the speed.

Based on the above analysis, in the embodiments of the present disclosure, a solution is proposed in which the weight of the vehicle is directly determined by using a load cell embedded in a road foundation to sense deformation of a road structure on top of the load cell caused by the vehicle traveling through. In particular, the load cell is prefabricated in an arrangement in the road foundation, for example by isolating the load cell from the concrete in the road foundation by means of a flexible isolating layer, so that the sensed deformation may mainly comprise the deformation of the top road structure of the load cell.

The weighing sensor is used for converting a weight signal of an object into an electric signal. When weighing is started, once an object is placed on the sensor, a sensing element (for example, an elastic body) in the sensing element is deformed due to the pressure of the object, the deformation of the sensing element causes a strain element (for example, a resistance strain gauge) on the surface of the sensing element to follow the deformation, the deformation of the resistance strain gauge causes the resistance value of the resistance strain gauge to change, and then the value of the increase or decrease of the resistance value is converted into an electric signal through a detection circuit.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, there is also provided a compact load cell that may be embedded in and integrated with a road foundation/concrete slab and isolated from the road foundation/concrete slab by a flexible isolation layer in order to sense deformation of the top road structure of the load cell. When the vehicle passes through the concrete plate, the top road structure of the weighing sensor deforms due to the influence of the weight of the vehicle, so that the elastic body deforms due to the stretching or compression of the weighing sensor. The specific structure of the load cell and the manner of coupling with the concrete slab will be described in detail later with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Fig. 3 illustrates an exemplary deformation signal waveform of a top road structure of a load cell sensed by the load cell according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The abscissa of the graph represents time, and the ordinate represents deformation displacement. In the disclosed embodiment, the deformation displacement is a deformation displacement in the horizontal direction generated by the load cell deforming (e.g., stretching) due to the deformation of the road structure on top of the load cell.

Returning to fig. 2, the processing unit 202 is configured to determine the weight of the vehicle based on the deformation signal sensed by the load cell. In some embodiments, the processing unit may comprise, for example, an electronics device (which may be, for example, a digital junction box) and a data processing apparatus (which may be a processor running signal analysis software, such as MATLAB).

In particular, the electronics in the processing unit may be configured to receive and display a deformation signal acquired/sensed by the load cell, while preprocessing the acquired/sensed deformation signal. In one embodiment, the deformation signal acquired/sensed by the load cell is an analog voltage signal. In particular, as the vehicle travels over the top road structure of the load cell, the weight of the vehicle deforms the sensing element (e.g., the elastomer) of the load cell, thereby outputting a voltage signal that is correlated to the presence of the weight of the vehicle. In conjunction with the above description, the load cell may be connected to an electronic device, so that the electronic device may perform, for example, amplification processing on the acquired voltage signal and convert the voltage signal into a processable digital signal through preprocessing such as analog-to-digital conversion. The digital signal may be understood as a digitized representation of the aforementioned deformation signal.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the processing unit may also directly process the acquired analog signals without performing analog-to-digital conversion. The disclosed embodiments are not limited in this respect.

In one application scenario, the separating devices are usually arranged on both sides of the weighing device in the direction of travel of the vehicle, for example, coils can be used to separate the vehicles. Because the vehicles are metal, when the vehicles pass through the coil, current can be generated, and the magnetic field around the vehicles changes, so that the vehicles are separated, and a deformation signal of each vehicle passing through the weighing device is obtained.

As mentioned above, the deformation signal sensed by the load cell includes information on the deformation displacement of the top road structure of the load cell due to the passage of the vehicle. Thus, further, the processing unit may screen out valid vehicle axle load signals from the deformation signal, thereby determining the weight of the vehicle based on the axle load signals.

The skilled person can select the valid vehicle axle load signal from the deformation signal using a processing unit (e.g. a data processing device) as required. For example, a suitable threshold value may be set, based on which valid axle load signals are screened out. For example, the waveforms shown in fig. 3 with the 6 high peaks respectively indicate the amount of displacement of deformation generated when each axle of the vehicle passes through, and by setting the threshold, the 6 peaks can be extracted as effective axle load signals. By setting the threshold value, vibrations which may be transmitted by the concrete slab, such as the tiny wave peaks beside the high wave peak in fig. 3, can be effectively filtered.

Next, the weight of the vehicle is determined with the processing unit based on the effective axle load signal. In some embodiments, the processing unit may determine the weight W of the vehicle based on the following equation:

W＝f(s,v,k) (1)

where f (x) represents a function of x, s represents the effective axle load signal, v represents the vehicle speed, and k represents the conversion factor. The conversion factor k may be determined by calibrating the sensor.

The function f (s, v, k) can have various representations. In some embodiments, equation (1) may be specifically expressed as:

W＝∫sd_t*v*k (2)

the vehicle speed in the above equation may be determined in a number of ways. For example, the vehicle speed may be collected based on existing speed measurement devices or schemes, such as laser speed measurement, acoustic speed measurement, radar speed measurement, etc. devices already equipped on the road.

In some embodiments, vehicle speed may be determined by configuring a plurality of the load cells described above. For example, a plurality of load cells may be arranged in the direction of travel of the vehicle, such that the vehicle speed is jointly determined based on the vibration signals sensed by the load cells. In the embodiments, an additional speed measuring device is not needed to determine the vehicle speed, so that the system structure can be simplified, and the processing efficiency can be improved.

In one implementation, the speed of the vehicle may be calculated based on information such as the relative position between the load cells, the timing signals that the load cells sense the vehicle/axle (i.e., the time that the vehicle/axle arrives at each load cell in turn), and the like. The specific manner of calculating velocity is known in the art and will not be described in detail herein.

It is to be understood that it is the weight of one axle of the vehicle that is obtained by equation (2). In one implementation scenario, the axle weight of each axle of the vehicle may be calculated using equation (2), and then the weight of the vehicle may be obtained by performing a weighted summation on each axle weight.

As is apparent from the foregoing description, based on the deformation signal sensed by each load cell, the weight of the vehicle can be calculated accordingly. When multiple load cells are employed, the weight of the vehicle can be determined in conjunction with the sensed information of the load cells, thereby avoiding errors in the individual load cells and improving weighing accuracy.

In some embodiments, the final vehicle weight may be determined based on the determined plurality of vehicle weights after the vehicle weight is calculated separately for each load cell. For example, the final vehicle weight may be determined by a weighted average of the vehicle weights determined by the various load cells.

In other embodiments, the signals sensed by the plurality of load cells may be first summed and then the final vehicle weight may be determined based on the processed total signal. For example, the vehicle weight may be determined as the final vehicle weight by performing a weighted average of the deformation-related signals sensed by the respective load cells and then determining the vehicle weight based on the averaged signals.

The scheme provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure for determining the weight of the vehicle based on the deformation signal sensed by the load cell is described above. From the above description, the deformation signal sensed by the symmetric retransmission sensor is analyzed, so that the weighing precision can be effectively improved. In addition, the embodiment of the disclosure also provides a small-sized weighing sensor, which can be embedded in the road foundation to be integrated with the concrete plate, and the weighing sensor and the road structure on the top of the weighing sensor are isolated from the concrete of the road foundation through the flexible isolation layer. Therefore, compared with the prior weighing device described in conjunction with fig. 1, the embodiment of the present disclosure is beneficial to prolonging the service life of the weighing sensor, and simultaneously reducing the deformation error of the weighing sensor, thereby improving the weighing precision.

Fig. 4 illustrates an exemplary top view of a plurality of load cells disposed within a concrete slab according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. It should be understood that FIG. 4 is one embodiment of the dynamic vehicle weighing apparatus 200 of FIG. 2. Accordingly, certain features and details of the dynamic vehicle weighing apparatus 200 described above in connection with fig. 2 also apply to fig. 4.

As shown in fig. 4, three road surface cuts 11 are formed in the road foundation 8 (for example, a concrete slab) in a direction perpendicular to the traveling direction of the vehicle, and a plurality of load cells 20 are arranged in the road surface cuts 11. In one embodiment, the dimension (width) of the concrete slab in the direction perpendicular to the vehicle traveling direction may be the width of one lane, and the dimension (length) in the direction parallel to the vehicle traveling direction may be arbitrary, and may be, for example, four meters to six meters. Preferably, the ratio of the length to the width does not exceed 1.5. It is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are not limited to the length and width of the concrete slab.

As mentioned previously, the load cells may be embedded in the road base. The embedding position and the embedding depth of the load cells, and the number of load cells can be determined comprehensively based on various factors. In some embodiments, the position and depth of each load cell in the concrete slab is set such that the deformation signal sensed by each load cell remains consistent.

Load cell consistency may include two aspects. In one aspect, the output signals of different load cells may differ when directed to the same stimulus (e.g., the same vehicle passing over a concrete slab). Based on this, the load cells can be debugged and confirmed before they are installed so that the signals output by different load cells for the same excitation remain consistent.

On the other hand, load cells may have different signal outputs when mounted at different locations. In other words, the load cells at different locations may produce different signals when the same weight (e.g., the same vehicle) is applied to (e.g., driven across) the location and in the vicinity of the location. Thus, the load cell can be debugged, calibrated, and validated after installation.

In one implementation scenario, assuming that the distance from the load cell when the vehicle passes through the roller compacted concrete slab is L, the output signal of the load cell is Y, and the vehicle weight is W, the relationship between the output of the load cell and the distance L and the weight W can be calibrated by the following formula:

Y＝f(L,W) (3)

specifically, when the vehicle passes between the plurality of load cells, the output signals between the plurality of load cells are respectively denoted as Y1, Y2 … … Yn, and thus, a series of equations can be obtained:

based on the above equation (4), the relationship of the position of action of the vehicle with the positions of the plurality of load cells and the vehicle weight can be obtained. As can be seen from equation (4), the error of the solution of this equation is related to the number of load cells. Specifically, the farther the distance between load cells (the fewer the number of load cells within a given slab), the fewer equations that equation (4) includes, the greater the error in the solution obtained. Similarly, the closer the distance between load cells (the greater the number of load cells in a given slab), the more equations (4) are included, the less error in the obtained solution and the more accurate the solution.

Furthermore, the depth of the load cell within the concrete slab may affect the detectable distance of the load cell to the deformation signal acting thereon. Typically, beyond a detectable distance, the load cell fails to detect or generates a large error. Thus, in some embodiments, the position of each load cell and the number of load cells may be adjusted according to the depth of the load cells to ensure consistency of the deformation signals generated by the plurality of load cells. In some embodiments, the depth of the load cells may be set to 12cm to 13cm, and the distance between the load cells may be set to about 40 cm.

Although fig. 4 illustrates a layout manner of the load cells, the embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited thereto, and those skilled in the art may finally determine the number, installation position, installation depth, etc. of the load cells according to different selection requirements/preferences, different precision of the load cells, cost, etc. The mounting layout is not limited to the regular array of rows and columns shown in fig. 4, and may be staggered with respect to each other.

FIG. 5 shows an exemplary structural schematic of a single load cell according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

As shown in fig. 5, the load cell 20 may include a

sensor frame

201, 202 and a sensing unit 210. The sensor frame is used for being buried under a road surface and tightly combined with concrete, and the sensing unit is positioned in the sensor frame and tightly combined with the sensor frame.

In some embodiments, the sensor frame may include a top upper frame 201 and a bottom lower frame 202. In one implementation, the upper frame 201 may be implemented as a rectangular plate. The illustrated lower frame 202 may be implemented as a rectangular plate member corresponding to the structure of the upper frame 201, and the plate member may have a thickness greater than that of the upper frame 201, so that the lower frame 202 has a rigidity greater than that of the upper frame 201, and thus the lower frame 202 is not easily deformed by the vehicle. It is to be understood that the description herein of the thickness of the plate members is exemplary and not limiting, and that the present disclosure is not limited in this respect.

The upper frame 201 may have different sizes according to different application scenarios. For example, when the upper frame 201 is the aforementioned rectangle, the length of the rectangle may be in the range of 80mm to 120mm (millimeters), and the width may be in the range of 80mm to 120 mm. Accordingly, the lower frame 202 may have a length in the range of 80mm to 120mm and a width in the range of 80mm to 120 mm. In some embodiments, the lower frame 202 may be sized slightly larger than the upper frame to be secured in concrete (as shown in later installation views). It is understood that the size ranges given herein are merely exemplary and not limiting, and that one skilled in the art may choose to use different sizes based on the teachings of the present disclosure and the actual application scenario (e.g., width of road, terrain, or type of vehicle traveling on the road, etc.).

A sensing unit of the load cell is disposed in a space between the upper frame 201 and the lower frame 202. The sensing unit generally includes an elastic body 210 for elastically deforming under an external force. The elastic body is directly acted, and firstly senses the acting force of an external object and utilizes the reacting force to bear the acting force of the object. The sensing element may also include a strain element 209, such as a resistive strain gage. The strain element 209 translates the force of the elastomer 210 on it into a change in resistance, for example, which is communicated to further steps, such as a detection circuit (not shown). In some implementations, the sensing unit may be a load cell. The force sensors may be implemented as bellows, spoke, or column sensors, depending on the application.

In some embodiments, the load cell 20 may also include a fixed component. As shown in the drawings, the sensing units (elastic bodies and strain elements) are fixed in the upper and lower frames by a plurality of sets of upper and lower symmetrical fixing members 203 (e.g., fixing bolts) and lower fixing members 204 (e.g., fixing bolts) to be tightly coupled with the upper and lower frames, thereby sensing deformation of the sensor frame. A set of long fixing members 205 (for example, ground anchor bolts) may be further disposed above the upper frame 201 to tightly couple the sensor frame with the concrete, thereby transmitting and sensing deformation of the concrete.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the load cell 20 may also have a signal cable (not shown) for transmitting a signal, an end of which is led out to the outside of the upper frame 201 for outputting a deformation signal sensed by the sensing unit. For example, the end of the signal cable may be connected to external electronics and/or data processing means to transmit the deformation signal sensed by the bellows sensor to the external electronics and/or data processing means for analysis and processing of the deformation signal to obtain a weighing value as the vehicle passes by.

In the embodiment of the present disclosure, when the load cell is installed in the road foundation, the load cell and the road structure at the top thereof are further separated from the concrete in the road foundation by the flexible isolation layer to obtain a deformation signal of the road structure at the top by the deformation of the induction sensor frame.

FIG. 6 shows a schematic view of a mounting structure of a load cell according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

As shown in fig. 6, the load cell 20 is installed in a concrete slab, wherein a lower frame 202 is closely coupled to the concrete slab through a mounting bracket and a fixing member (see a fixing bracket 206 and a fixing member 207 of fig. 7), and a top of an upper frame 201 has a top road structure 10 closely coupled thereto through a fixing member 205, such as an earth anchor bolt. The top road structure 10, which may also be referred to as a coating layer, may be composed of a potting material, the upper surface of which is flush with or slightly above the pavement of the road foundation. The potting material may include concrete, or may be other potting materials having a strength similar to that of concrete, for example, a strength not lower than that of concrete.

The flexible isolation layer 9 conforms to the sensor frame and the side walls of the top road structure to isolate them from the concrete beside. Further, a flexible waterproof glue 11 may be filled between the sensor frame and the flexible isolation layer 9 to sufficiently isolate the sensing unit of the sensor from the concrete in the road foundation.

Based on this mounting arrangement, when the vehicle rolls over the top road structure, the top road structure force is transferred to the upper frame 201 of the load cell and then to the sensing unit, thereby generating a pressure signal. The deformation of the concrete plate beside can be isolated by the flexible isolation layer 9 and the flexible waterproof glue 11, so that the deformation information of the concrete plate is filtered.

The load cell may be embedded or mounted in the road foundation in a variety of ways and in close association with the road foundation. In some implementations, the load cells and their top road structure are isolated from the concrete slab by a flexible isolation layer to sense deformation of the top road structure.

FIG. 7 is an exemplary diagram illustrating a single load cell embedded in a roadway foundation according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The load cell 20 is directly embedded in the road foundation 8 after being fabricated, and left and right sides of the lower frame 202 thereof are fixed on a set of short fixing brackets 206, and are fixed and tightly combined with the concrete slab by a set of short fixing members 207 (e.g., fixing bolts). The upper frame 201 is tightly coupled with its top road structure 10, and the upper frame 201 and the side walls of the top road structure 10 are arranged with flexible isolation layers 9 for isolating the concrete. And flexible waterproof glue is filled between the sensor frame and the flexible isolation layer.

When the vehicle passes through the weighing sensor top road structure, the top road structure can be deformed due to the weight of the vehicle, so that the weighing sensor is driven to deform to generate a pressure signal. In the disclosed embodiment, the deformation sensed by the load cell is a deformation of the top road structure in the horizontal direction caused by the weight of the vehicle.

FIG. 8 is an exemplary side view illustrating multiple load cells embedded in a roadway foundation according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Three load cells 20 are arranged in the direction of travel of the vehicle, and the sensor frame of the load cells 20 is tightly coupled to the road foundation. A top road structure 10 is arranged on top of each load cell 20, a flexible isolation layer 9 is attached to the side walls of the top road structure 10 to isolate the top road structure from the concrete in the road foundation 8, and a flexible waterproof glue is filled between the sensor frame and the flexible isolation layer (in this figure, each load cell has its own fixing bracket 206 (as shown in fig. 6), which facilitates transportation of a plurality of individual load cells.

FIG. 9 is another exemplary side view illustrating multiple load cells embedded in a roadway foundation according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. In this view, multiple load cells can be secured to the same long mounting bracket 208 by securing the bottom of the load cells and the lower frame 202 (shown in FIG. 6) directly to the short mounts 207. In this scenario, the mounting and positioning of the load cell may be facilitated.

It should be understood here that fig. 6-9 are different embodiments of the arrangement of multiple load cells within a concrete slab as shown in fig. 4. Accordingly, certain features and details of the arrangement described above in connection with fig. 4 also apply to fig. 6-9. One skilled in the art can select different installation manners, and the embodiment of the disclosure is not limited thereto.

Based on the above description, it can be seen that the load cell of the disclosed embodiments can be directly prefabricated in a concrete slab to form a single body, so as to sense the deformation-related signals of the top road structure, and thus calculate the weight of the vehicle. In some implementations, the load cell and its top road structure may be isolated from the road foundation by a flexible isolation layer to filter out deformation information of the concrete. Because weighing sensor combines as an organic whole with the concrete, bear vehicle weight jointly, consequently there is not the biography force structure between weighing sensor and the concrete, does not have the problem that the equipment life is low relevant that weighing sensor signal lag and deformation volume are big brought. Moreover, the integral structure is simple to manufacture, and is convenient to maintain and more beneficial to long-term use due to the absence of gaps and additional structures. Furthermore, the mounting manner of embedding the load cell in the concrete block makes the surface of the load cell invisible, so that various driving behaviors of a vehicle driver influencing weighing can be effectively inhibited. Furthermore, the material of the top road structure may be the same as the concrete, so that the braking of the vehicle is not adversely affected.

Based on the dynamic vehicle weighing device, the disclosure also provides a corresponding dynamic vehicle weighing method. FIG. 10 illustrates an exemplary flow chart of a method 1000 for dynamic vehicle weighing according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

As shown, at step 1002, a load cell embedded in a road base is utilized to acquire a deformation signal generated by a vehicle acting on an overhead road structure of the load cell during vehicle travel. When a vehicle passes through the overhead road structure, the overhead road structure may be deformed due to the vehicle axle weight or reasons in the axle set. Simultaneously, the deformation of the top road structure leads to the deformation of the elastomer in the sensing unit of the weighing sensor. The magnitude of these deformations is related to the magnitude of the axle weight, so that the load cell can be used to acquire a signal of the deformation of the road structure on top of the load cell.

The load cell may be embedded in the road foundation/concrete slab to be integrated therewith and to isolate the top road structure from the concrete in the road foundation by means of the flexible isolation layer, thereby sensing the deformation of the top road structure of the load cell. The manner in which the load cells are coupled to the concrete slab may be as described above in connection with fig. 4-9 and will not be repeated here.

Continuing with FIG. 10 after the deformation signal is collected based on the above, at step 1004, the weight of the vehicle is determined from the deformation signal using the processing unit.

Specifically, determining the weight of the vehicle from the deformation signal may further include: determining an effective vehicle axle load signal according to the deformation signal; and determining the weight of the vehicle from the axle load signal.

A valid axle load signal may be selected by setting a threshold value for the deformation signal and determining the weight of the vehicle based on the selected axle load signal. In some embodiments, the vehicle weight may be determined based on equations (1) and (2) described above in connection with FIG. 2 and will not be repeated here. It should be understood that the vehicle weight refers to the weight of one axle of the vehicle, the weight of each axle of the vehicle is calculated separately, and the axle weights of each vehicle can be summed to obtain the total vehicle weight.

It should be noted that while the operations of the disclosed methods are depicted in the drawings in a particular order, this does not require or imply that these operations must be performed in this particular order, or that all of the illustrated operations must be performed, to achieve desirable results. Rather, the steps depicted in the flowcharts may change the order of execution. Additionally or alternatively, certain steps may be omitted, multiple steps combined into one step execution, and/or one step broken down into multiple step executions.

It should be understood that the terms "first," "second," "third," and "fourth," etc. in the claims, description, and drawings of the present disclosure are used to distinguish between different objects and are not used to describe a particular order. The terms "comprises" and "comprising," when used in the specification and claims of this disclosure, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.

It is also to be understood that the terminology used in the description of the disclosure herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only, and is not intended to be limiting of the disclosure. As used in the specification and claims of this disclosure, the singular forms "a", "an" and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It should be further understood that the term "and/or" as used in the specification and claims of this disclosure refers to any and all possible combinations of one or more of the associated listed items and includes such combinations.

As used in this specification and claims, the term "if" may be interpreted contextually as "when", "upon" or "in response to a determination" or "in response to a detection". Similarly, the phrase "if it is determined" or "if a [ described condition or event ] is detected" may be interpreted contextually to mean "upon determining" or "in response to determining" or "upon detecting [ described condition or event ]" or "in response to detecting [ described condition or event ]".

While various embodiments of the present disclosure have been shown and described herein, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that such embodiments are provided by way of example only. Numerous modifications, changes, and substitutions will occur to those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. It should be understood that various alternatives to the embodiments of the disclosure described herein may be employed in practicing the disclosure. It is intended that the following claims define the scope of the disclosure and that equivalents or alternatives within the scope of these claims be covered thereby.

Claims

1. A dynamic vehicle weighing apparatus comprising:

the system comprises a weighing sensor, a load sensor and a control unit, wherein the weighing sensor is embedded in a road foundation to acquire a deformation signal generated by a vehicle acting on a top road structure of the weighing sensor in a traveling process; and

a processing unit for determining the weight of the vehicle from the deformation signal.

2. The dynamic vehicle weighing apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a flexible isolation layer for isolating said load cell and said overhead road structure from concrete within said road foundation.

3. The dynamic vehicle weighing apparatus of claim 2, wherein said load cell comprises a sensor frame and a sensing unit, wherein:

the bottom of the sensor frame is used for being tightly combined with the concrete, and the top of the sensor frame is used for being tightly combined with the top road structure;

the sensing unit is positioned in the sensor frame and is tightly combined with the sensor frame; and

the flexible isolation layer is used for attaching the sensor frame and the side wall of the top road structure so as to be isolated from the concrete.

4. The dynamic vehicle weighing apparatus of claim 3, further comprising a flexible waterproof glue filling between said sensor frame and said flexible insulation layer.

5. The dynamic vehicle weighing apparatus of claim 3, wherein said sensing unit comprises an elastomer for elastically deforming under an external force.

6. The dynamic vehicle weighing apparatus of claims 1-5, wherein the upper surface of the overhead road structure is flush with or slightly above the surface of the roadway foundation.

7. The dynamic vehicle weighing apparatus of claim 6, wherein said overhead road structure is comprised of a potting material comprising concrete and/or a material having a strength not less than the strength of concrete.

8. A dynamic vehicle weighing method comprising:

acquiring a deformation signal generated by a vehicle acting on a top road structure of a weighing sensor in a traveling process by using the weighing sensor embedded in a road foundation; and

determining, with a processing unit, a weight of the vehicle from the deformation signal.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the deformation signal includes deformation displacement information of the overhead road structure due to the vehicle passing.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein determining the weight of the vehicle from the deformation signal further comprises:

selecting an effective vehicle axle load signal from the deformation signal; and

determining a weight of the vehicle from the axle load signal.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the first and second light sources are selected from the group consisting of,

wherein determining the weight of the vehicle from the axle load signal further comprises calculating the weight W of the vehicle based on the formula:

W＝f(s,v,k)；

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the vehicle speed is jointly determined based on deformation signals sensed by a plurality of the load cells arranged in a direction of vehicle travel.