JP2002005731A - Load measuring device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an inexpensive load measuring device mountable without requiring a large manpower and having a high measurement precision. SOLUTION: This load measuring device for measuring the load loaded on a large-sized vehicle 1 comprises fixing members 51-53 for mutually fixing a frame 2 and joist column 3 receiving the load by mutually fastening the both with a prescribed fastening force. In this device, load sensors 61-63 nipped by and mounted on the fixing members 51-53 detect the fastening force by the fixing members 51-53, and the loaded load is measured on the basis of the degree of decrease in fastening force by the loaded load.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a load measuring device and, more particularly, to a load measuring device utilizing a fastening force of a fixing member such as a bolt for connecting and fixing a plurality of load members included in a vehicle or the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, load measurement has been performed on large vehicles such as trucks to prevent overloading. For such a load measurement, for example, a strain sensor is attached to a portion to be loaded such as an axle, and the load is calculated based on the amount of strain at that portion. In addition, there is an idea that a small vehicle such as a passenger car measures the wheel load and uses the measurement result for vehicle attitude control, brake control, and the like. Further, there is another example of the remaining amount measurement in the fuel storage tank device. The remaining amount measurement is performed by, for example, level measurement or pressure measurement in the case of gas or the like.

[0003]

However, the measurement of the load of the large-sized vehicle has a problem that it takes a lot of man-hours to select a place where the strain sensor is to be mounted or to perform welding work when the sensor is mounted, resulting in an increase in cost. . There is also a problem that even after attachment, the load-bearing portion such as an axle has a complicated shape, so that the amount of distortion is difficult to stabilize against a load and a measurement error increases. In addition, it is difficult to measure the wheel load of a small vehicle due to the structure of a passenger vehicle, and there is no definitive method or device yet. Further, for the example of a storage tank device,
A level sensor for measuring the capacity, a pressure sensor for measuring the pressure, and the like are required, resulting in a problem that the apparatus costs and the number of mounting steps are increased.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a load measuring apparatus which requires no man-hours for mounting and has low cost and high measurement accuracy in view of the above-mentioned situation.

[0005]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the load measuring device according to the first aspect of the present invention is, as shown in FIGS. In the load measuring device for measuring a load applied to a load object including a load member and a fixing member for fixing the first and second load members to each other with a predetermined fastening force, A fastening force detecting means for detecting a force is provided, and the loaded load is measured based on the fastening force due to the loaded load.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the load is measured based on a fastening force of a fixing member for fixing the first and second load-receiving members to which a part of the load is applied. That is, in most cases, the load object has a plurality of load members connected and fixed to each other, but the present invention positively utilizes this structure to effectively measure the load with a simple configuration. Load measurement is
Since it is based on the fastening force of the fixed member detected by the fastening force detecting means, it is not necessary to directly detect the distortion amount of the loaded member for load measurement as in the related art.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a load measuring apparatus, wherein the fastening force detecting means detects a load as the fastening force, as shown in FIGS. 62, 63, 64, or 65, and the load sensors 61, 62, 63, 64, or 65 are connected via the fixing member so that the detected load value decreases as the load increases. It is attached to the first loaded member, and measures the loaded load based on the degree of decrease in the detected load value.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the load sensors 61, 62, 63, 64, or 6 serve as the fastening force detecting means.
5 is used. These load sensors 61, 62, 63, 64,
Or, 65 is attached so that the detected load value decreases as the loading load increases. Then, the load is measured based on the degree of decrease in the detected load value. Since the load sensors 61, 62, 63, 64, or 65 are mounted such that the detected load value decreases as the load increases, the sensors are not damaged by sudden impacts or large loads. .

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a load measuring device according to the second aspect of the present invention, wherein the fixing member is adapted to a threaded engagement. A bolt fixing member that tightens and fixes the first and second loaded members by a fastening force, and the bolt fixing member is configured to use the load sensor 61, 62, 63, 64, or 65 is pressed against a portion other than the contact surface between the first loaded member and the second loaded member, and the first and second loaded members are fastened and fixed.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the fixing member is a bolt fixing member. The bolt fixing member is provided with load sensors 61, 62, 63, 6 by a fastening force corresponding to the screw engagement.
The first and second loaded members are tightened and fixed while pressing 4 or 65 against a portion other than the contact surface between the first loaded member and the second loaded member. Since the bolt fixing member is used as the fixing member as described above, the fixing of both members is easy. Also, the load sensors 61, 62, 63, 64, or 6
5 is pressed against a portion other than the contact surface between the first loaded member and the second loaded member by the fastening force according to the screwing, so that the pressing force decreases with an increase in the load. The relationship is used for load detection.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the load measuring device according to claim 4 is, as shown in FIG.
In the load measuring device according to the above, the bolt fixing member,
A U-shaped bolt 52A mounted so as to surround the outer periphery of the first and second loaded members, and a rectangular plate-shaped washer 52B having a through hole through which both ends of the U-shaped bolt 52A pass. , A nut 52C screwed to both ends of the U-shaped bolt 52A, the load sensors 61, 62,
63, 64, or 65 is sandwiched and fixed between the washer 52B and the first loaded member by a fastening force according to the screw engagement.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the two members are fixed by the bolt fixing member including the U-shaped bolt 52A mounted so as to surround the outer circumferences of the first and second load members. Further, the load sensor 62 is sandwiched and fixed between the washer 52B and the first loaded member. With such a configuration, expansion and contraction of the first and second loaded members in the load direction can be enjoyed to the maximum, so that larger load data can be obtained.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the load measuring device according to claim 5 is, as shown in FIG.
The load measuring device described above further includes an elastic sheet 10 sandwiched between the first and second loaded members and having elasticity in a load direction.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the elastic sheet 10 is sandwiched between the first and second loaded members.
With this elastic sheet 10, the total amount of expansion and contraction in the load direction including the expansion and contraction of the first and second load-receiving members involved in load detection is increased, and more accurate load measurement can be performed.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a load measuring apparatus according to the third aspect, wherein the object to be loaded is a heavy-duty vehicle 1 as shown in FIGS. And the first loaded member is the large vehicle 1
The second loaded member is a joist column 3 interposed between the loading platform on which the large-sized vehicle 1 is mounted and the frame 2.

According to the invention described in claim 6, the first loaded member is the frame 2 of the large vehicle 1 and the second loaded member is the joist column 3. Since the frame 2 and the joist column 3 are necessarily fixed by the fixing member, the load sensors 61 to 63 can be easily attached by using this configuration. In addition, since the frame 2 and the joist columns 3 are usually fixed by a plurality of fixing members, by disposing the load sensors 61 to 63 using the plurality of fixing members, more accurate load measurement can be performed. Become.

A load measuring device according to a seventh aspect of the present invention has been made to solve the above problem.
In the load measuring device described above, the object to be loaded is a passenger vehicle, the first member to be loaded is a part of a chassis 38 located above wheels of the passenger vehicle, and
The loaded member is a suspension member fixed to a part of the chassis.

According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, the first loaded member is a part of the chassis 38 located above the wheels of the passenger vehicle, and the second loaded member is a suspension member fixed thereto. is there. That is, such a chassis 3
8 and the suspension members are members that directly receive the load applied to the passenger vehicle, so that very effective load detection data can be obtained.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the load measuring device according to claim 8 is, as shown in FIG.
In the load measuring device described above, the object to be loaded is a storage tank device, the first member to be loaded is a tank fixing member 42 for fixing a storage tank, and the second member to be loaded is a tank fixing member. The base member 43 further fixes the plate at a predetermined installation location.

According to the eighth aspect of the present invention, the first loaded member is a tank fixing member for fixing the storage tank, and the second loaded member is a base member for further fixing the tank fixing plate to a predetermined installation location. 43. As described above, in the storage tank device, since the load data can be acquired by using the tank fixing member 42 and the base member 43 to which a load is directly applied, more accurate load measurement can be performed.

[0021]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. First, a first embodiment in which the load measuring device of the present invention is applied to a large vehicle will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a first embodiment in which the load measuring device of the present invention is applied to a large vehicle. FIG. 2 is a partially enlarged view showing the vicinity of the sensor mounting portion of the first embodiment in FIG.

In the schematic diagram of FIG. 1, a vehicle 1 is a large vehicle having a carrier such as a truck, for example. Vehicle 1
Has a frame 2 which constitutes a basic part of a vehicle body and is connected to wheels. The frame 2 is generally in the shape of a column having a U-shaped cross section, with the side surface of the U facing the outside of the vehicle and the opening surface facing the inside of the vehicle body. Such a frame 2
Is constructed in a ladder form in the case of a large vehicle, and constitutes the framework of the vehicle. The frame 2 is also connected to wheels. On the upper side of this frame 2 is a so-called joist column 3
The loading platform 4 is mounted via a hollow intermediate member having a hollow rectangular cross section. The cargo bed 4 is loaded, and a load based on the cargo is mainly measured.

The outer surface of the frame 1 and the joist column 2
A plurality of fixing members 51 to 53 such as U-shaped bolts are sandwiched between cushion members such as rubber sheets (not shown).
Are fixed to each other. And each fixing member 5
Load sensors 61 to 63 described below are attached to 1 to 53, respectively. The fixing members 51 to 53 and the load sensors 61 to 63 will be described later with reference to FIG. The load sensors 61 to 63 do not necessarily need to be attached to all the fixing members 51 to 53, and may be attached to correspond to the optimal fixing members verified in advance.

The respective load detection outputs from the plurality of load sensors 61 to 63 are supplied to the amplifier 7 as shown by solid arrows. The amplifier 7 includes the load sensors 61 to 63
Is amplified to a predetermined value and supplied to the controller 8. The controller 8 receives the amplified load detection output from the amplifier 7, performs predetermined arithmetic processing such as addition processing, averaging processing or conversion processing, calculates a load value, and supplies the calculated load value to the display unit 9. Then, the display unit 9 displays the load value, and notifies the driver or the loader of the load value. Note that if the load sensor 3 includes an amplifier for amplifying the detected load, the above-described amplifier 7 is not necessarily required.

As shown in a partially enlarged view of the vicinity of the sensor mounting portion in FIG. 2, in this embodiment, three types of fixing members 5 are provided.
1, 52 and 53 fix the frame 1 and the joist column 2 to each other with a cushion member such as the rubber sheet 10 interposed therebetween.

The fixing member 51 is a bracket 51 fixed at a predetermined position on the outer surface of the frame 2 by screwing or the like.
A, includes a bracket 51B fixed to a predetermined position on the outer surface of the joist column 3 by welding or screwing, a bolt 51C and a nut 51D connecting these brackets 51A and 51B. Each of the brackets 51A and 51B has a mounting plane on the outer surface of the frame 2 and the joist column 3, and a coupling plane bent substantially at right angles to these mounting planes. A through-hole through which the bolt 51C passes is formed in each coupling surface of the brackets 51A and 51B. At the time of normal joining of both brackets 51A and 51B, the respective joining surfaces are joined so that the two through holes coincide with each other, a bolt 51C is penetrated into both the through holes, and a nut 51D is screwed into the bolt 51C. In this example, a load sensor 61 is interposed between the bracket 51B and the bolt 51C, and the nut 51 is attached to the bolt 51C.
When D is screwed, they are fixed with a predetermined fastening force.

The load sensor 61 has a bolt 5 at its center.
It has a cylindrical shape having a through hole through which 1C passes. The load sensor 61 incorporates, for example, a strain sensing element or a displacement sensing element, and outputs a strain amount or a displacement amount according to a load. In this example, since the load sensor 61 is sandwiched and fastened between the bracket 51B and the bolt 51C as described above, it detects the fastening force.

In such a configuration, when a load or the like is loaded on the loading platform 4, the frame 2, the joist column 3, and the rubber sheet 10 contract in the load direction contrary to their elasticity. Then, the bolt 51C and the nut 51
The fastening force due to D decreases, and the fastening force detected by the load sensor 61 also decreases. When unloading from this state,
Since the frame 2, the joist column 3, and the rubber sheet 10 try to return to their original shapes due to their elasticity, the fastening force increases. The load is measured using such a load-fastening force relationship.

As described above, the load sensor 61 is connected to the joist column 3
The sensor 51 is sandwiched between the bracket 51B and the bolt 51C, and is attached by screwing the nut 51D, so that a sensor attaching operation such as welding becomes unnecessary, and the sensor attaching operation becomes easy and reliable. In particular, since the brackets 51A and 51B are normally fastened by the bolts 51C and the nuts 51D when the frame 2 and the joist columns 3 are fixed, no additional man-hours are required for the sensor mounting operation, and the sensor mounting means is not required. There is no need to establish a new building.

A rubber sheet 10 (corresponding to an elastic sheet according to claim 5) is sandwiched between the frame 2 and the joist column 3. With this rubber sheet 10, the total amount of expansion and contraction in the load direction including expansion and contraction of the frame 2 and the joist columns 3 involved in load detection becomes larger, and more accurate load measurement can be performed. Usually, the rubber sheet 10 is often sandwiched between the frame 2 and the joist column 3 as a spacer or a cushion member. By using these materials also for load detection, the material and the number of steps are increased at all. And high-accuracy load measurement can be performed.

The fixing member 52 includes the frame 2 and the joist columns 3
U-shaped bolt 52A and washer 52 corresponding to the outer peripheral shape of
B and two nuts 5 screwed into the U-shaped bolt 52A
2C. The washer 52B has an elongated rectangular plate shape corresponding to the length of the upper side surface of the joist column 3, and a through hole through which both ends of the U-shaped bolt 52A penetrate is formed near its end. ing. When the frame 2 and the joist column 3 are fixed, the washer 52B presses the joist column 3 from above so as to sandwich the frame 2 and the joist column 3 inside, and a U-shape is formed in each through hole of the washer 52B. After both ends of the mold bolt 52A are penetrated, the two nuts 52C are screwed together. In this example, a load sensor 62 is sandwiched between the washer 52B and the joist column 3, and each nut 52C is screwed to both ends of the U-shaped bolt 52A, so that they have a predetermined fastening force. Fixed at.

The load sensor 62 is formed in an elongated rectangular parallelepiped shape corresponding to the length of the upper surface of the joist column 3. The load sensor 62 incorporates, for example, a strain sensing element or a displacement sensing element, and outputs a strain amount or a displacement amount according to the load. In this example, since the load sensor 62 is clamped between the washer 52B and the joist column 3 as described above, the load sensor 62 detects the fastening force.

In such a configuration, when a load or the like is loaded on the loading platform 4, the frame 2, the joist column 3, and the rubber sheet 10 contract in the load direction against their elasticity. Then, the bolt 52A and the nut 52
The fastening force due to C decreases, and the above-described fastening force detected by the load sensor 62 also decreases. When unloading from this state,
Since the frame 2, the joist column 3, and the rubber sheet 10 try to return to their original shapes due to their elasticity, the fastening force increases conversely. The load is measured using such a load-fastening force relationship.

As described above, the load sensor 62 is
Since it is sandwiched between B and the joist column 3 and is attached by screwing the nut 52C, a sensor attaching operation such as welding becomes unnecessary, and the sensor attaching operation becomes easy and reliable. In particular, since the bolt 52A, the washer 52B, and the nut 52C are usually fastened when the frame 2 and the joist column 3 are fixed, no additional man-hours are required for the sensor mounting operation, and the sensor mounting means is not used. There is no need to build a new one.

The U-shaped bolt 52A and the washer 52B
Is mounted so as to surround the outer peripheries of the frame 2 and the joist column 3, so that the load sensor 62 fixed between the washer 52B and the joist column 3 is expanded and contracted in the load direction of the frame 2 and joist column 3. Can be enjoyed to the fullest. Therefore,
More accurate load measurement can be performed.

The two fixing members 53, which are obliquely fixed to the frame 2 and the joist columns 3 in different directions, fix them while preventing the frame 2 and the joist columns 3 from sliding in the horizontal direction. Each fixing member 53 has an elongated rectangular bracket 53A which is fixed to a predetermined position on the outer surface of the frame 2 at a predetermined angle effective for preventing slipping by a screw or the like, and a bracket 53A at a predetermined position on the outer surface of the joist column 3. Bracket 53B fixed by welding or screwing at a predetermined angle corresponding to the mounting angle of
53B and a nut 53D that connect the nut 53D and the nut 53D. Each of the brackets 53A and 53B has a plane of attachment to the outer surfaces of the frame 2 and the joist columns 3, and a coupling plane bent at right angles to these planes of attachment.
A through-hole through which each bolt 53C passes is formed on the coupling surface of each of the brackets 53A and 53B.
At the time of normal joining of the brackets 53A and 53B, the respective joining surfaces are joined so that the two through-holes coincide with each other, and after the bolt 53C is penetrated into both the through-holes, the nut 53D is screwed into the bolt 53C. In this example, a load sensor 63 is provided between the bracket 53B and the bolt 53C.
Are sandwiched and the nut 53D is screwed into the bolt 53C, so that they are fixed with a predetermined fastening force.

The load sensor 63 has basically the same configuration as that of the load sensor 61 described above. However, depending on the outer shapes of the brackets 53A and 53B and the bolts 53C and nuts 53D, the inner diameter of the load sensor 63 is slightly larger than that of the load sensor 61. Is getting smaller. Also in this example, since each load sensor 63 is clamped and fastened between the bracket 53B and the bolt 53C as described above, it detects the fastening force.

In such a configuration, for load measurement,
As described above for the load sensor 61, the relationship between the increase in the load and the decrease in the fastening force is used.

As described above, the load sensor 63 is
The sensor 53 is sandwiched between the bracket 53B and the bolt 53C, and is attached by screwing the nut 53D, so that a sensor attaching operation such as welding is not required, and the sensor attaching operation becomes easy and reliable. In particular, since the brackets 53A and 53B are normally fastened by the bolts 53C and the nuts 53D when the frame 2 and the joist columns 3 are fixed, no additional man-hours are required for the sensor mounting operation, and the sensor mounting means is not required. There is no need to establish a new building.

As described above, according to the first embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the load sensors 61 to 63 are mounted using the fixing members 51 to 53 for fixing the frame 2 and the joist columns 3. Have been. Since the frame 2 and the joist columns 3 are members that directly receive the load, the use of these members 2 and 3 is very effective for load detection. As described in the description of each of the fixing members 51 to 53, the easiness of the mounting and the necessity of a new mounting means are unnecessary. Further, since the frame 2 and the joist columns 3 are usually fixed by a plurality of fixing members, all or some of the plurality of fixing members can be selectively used to mount the load sensors 61 to 63, More accurate load measurement can be performed.

Further, the load is measured by the load sensors 61 to 63.
Therefore, it is not necessary to directly detect the amount of distortion of the load-receiving member for measuring the load as in the related art, since it is based on the fastening force of the fixing members 51 to 53 detected by the method. That is, it is not necessary to search for an optimal distortion location, and it is not necessary to worry about distortion instability. Therefore, the load can be easily and stably measured.

Further, since the load sensors 61 to 63 are mounted so that the load applied to the sensors is reduced in accordance with an increase in the load, the load sensors 61 to 63 are not damaged by a sudden impact or a large load. For example, when the strain sensor is attached to the axle as a load detecting element, the strain sensor may fall off the axle or be deformed due to a sudden large load or impact. According to the above, such a phenomenon does not occur because the load detection value decreases with an increase in the load.

The brackets, bolts and nuts shown in FIG. 2 are not limited to the above shapes.
The point is that the present invention can be applied in the same manner as in the present embodiment as long as the load sensor can be attached so as to detect the fastening force of the fixed member that varies according to the loaded load.

Next, a second embodiment of the load measuring device of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a schematic sectional view showing a second embodiment in which the load measuring device of the present invention is applied to a passenger car. The schematic sectional view shows a part of a suspension connected to each wheel of a passenger vehicle and a part of a chassis to which the suspension is fixed.

In the schematic cross-sectional view of FIG. 3, a part of the chassis 38 corresponding to the upper side of the wheel arrangement location of the passenger vehicle includes:
The suspension is fixed. This suspension part is provided with reference numerals 31, 32, 33, 34A to C to be described later,
35, 36, 37, and 39.

The circular spring holding portion 31 included in the suspension portion supports a coiled spring 32 having elasticity against a load or impact on the vehicle. A cylindrical rubber bush 33 is mounted below the center of the spring holding portion 31, and a piston rod 34 </ b> A passes through a center hole of the rubber bush 33. The piston rod 34A is slidably inserted into a piston (not shown) connected to the wheel. The tip of the piston rod 34A is
Of the bearing 35 and the spacer 3
The nut 34B is screwed through 4A.

The rubber bush accommodating portion 36 forms a ring-shaped groove having a predetermined width together with a part of the mounting portion 39, and a ring-shaped rubber bush 37 is also accommodated in the accommodating portion 36. The mounting part 39 is provided in the rubber bush accommodation part 3.
It has a ring shape having a predetermined width larger than 6, and has a plurality of mounting holes through which bolts 39A pass when mounted on the chassis 38 at predetermined positions at its ends.

The suspension section is fixed to a predetermined position of the chassis corresponding to the wheel arrangement position of the passenger vehicle via the mounting section 39 of the suspension section configured as described above. At the time of normal fixing, the mounting holes formed in the mounting portion 39 and the corresponding mounting holes formed in the chassis are positioned so as to coincide with each other.
After A is passed through, nut 39 is attached to the tip of bolt 39A.
B is screwed. At this time, an elastic material such as a packing (not shown) may be interposed between the chassis 38 and the mounting portion 39.

In this embodiment, a load sensor 64 is sandwiched between the chassis 38 and the mounting portion 39 on the suspension portion side, and a nut 39B is screwed into a bolt 39A, so that they are in predetermined positions. It is fixed by the fastening force.

The load sensor 64 has a bolt 3 at its center.
It has a cylindrical shape having a through hole through which 9A passes. The load sensor 64 incorporates, for example, a strain sensing element or a displacement sensing element, and outputs a strain amount or a displacement amount according to a load. In this embodiment, since the load sensor 64 is fastened by being sandwiched between the chassis 38 and the mounting portion 39 of the suspension as described above, the fastening force is detected.

With such a configuration, the bolt 39A and the nut 3
9B, the fastening force detected by the load sensor 64 decreases, and when the load is removed from this state, the fastening force increases conversely. The load is measured using such a load-fastening force relationship.

As described above, the load sensors 64 are provided corresponding to the respective wheels, and the detection output from each load sensor 64 is amplified by, for example, an amplifier (not shown), and then the vehicle attitude is controlled by the controller. The signals are converted into control signals for brake control, traction control, driving force distribution, engine output control, etc., and supplied to the corresponding device.

As described above, according to the second embodiment shown in FIG. 3, a part of the chassis 38 and the suspension member are members that directly receive the load applied to the passenger vehicle, and thus the load is By arranging the sensor 64, very effective load detection data can be obtained. For example, since the control target based on the load detection result, such as the vehicle attitude control and the brake control, is almost a device related to the wheels, attaching the load sensor 64 to a part of the chassis 38 and the suspension member is not directly applied to the control target portion. Related effective load data can be obtained.

Further, since the chassis 38 and the suspension members are necessarily fastened by fixing members such as bolts 39A and nuts 39B, the load sensor 64 can be easily attached using this configuration.

Further, since the load sensor 64 is mounted so that the load applied to the sensor decreases as the load increases, the load sensor 64 is not damaged by a sudden impact or a large load.

Referring to FIG. 4, a third embodiment of the load measuring device of the present invention will be described.
An embodiment will be described. FIG. 4 is a schematic perspective view showing a third embodiment in which the load measuring device of the present invention is applied to a storage tank device.

In the schematic perspective view of FIG. 4, reference numeral 41 denotes a storage tank 41 for storing LP gas and the like. The storage tank 41 has a cylindrical shape, and a gas supply port for supplying LP gas or the like usually covered with a cap is provided on an upper bottom surface thereof. A hose 45 for guiding the stored LP gas or the like to the outside is attached to the side surface. This hose 4
In the middle of 5, L led out through a hose 45
A plug 46 including a shut-off valve for controlling the supply of P gas as required
Is provided.

On the other hand, the storage tank 41 is fixed on a plate-shaped tank fixing member 42 to which the storage tank 41 is fixed. Further, the tank fixing member 42 is fixed to a plate-like base member 43 with a spacer member such as a rubber sheet (not shown) interposed therebetween. The tank fixing member 42 and the plate-like base member 43 are, for example, metal members configured to have an elastic force in a direction in which a load is applied from the storage tank 41. The tank fixing member 42 and the plate-shaped base member 43 are provided with mounting holes 42A and 43A at positions corresponding to the four corners.

The tank fixing member 42 is connected to a base member 43.
When fixing to the mounting holes 42A and the mounting holes 4A
Positioning is performed so that the position of 3A matches. And
A spacer member such as a rubber sheet (not shown) is sandwiched between them, and a bolt 44 is inserted into each of the mounting holes 42A and 43A.
After penetrating A, the nut 44B is screwed into the bolt 44A. However, at this time, the load sensor 65 is sandwiched between the bolt 44A and the tank fixing member 42, and the nut 44B is screwed into the bolt 44A, so that the tank fixing member 42 and the base member 43 are in a predetermined state. It is fixed by the fastening force. The load sensor 65 may be inserted so as to correspond to all of the four pairs of the mounting holes 42A and the mounting holes 43A, or may be inserted so as to correspond to the mounting holes 42A and the mounting holes 43A which are optimal for load detection verified in advance. Also, the mounting hole 4
When there are four or more 2A and four or more mounting holes 43A, the load sensors 65 may be mounted corresponding to all of them, or some of them may be selectively mounted.

The load sensor 65 has a cylindrical shape having a through hole through which the bolt 44A penetrates in the center, as in the embodiment of FIG. The load sensor 61 includes, for example, a strain sensing element or a displacement sensing element as in the embodiment of FIG. 3, and outputs a strain amount or a displacement amount according to the load. In this embodiment, the load sensor 65
Is clamped between the tank fixing member 42 and the base member 43 as described above, so that the fastening force is detected.

In such a configuration, the storage tank 41
When a predetermined amount of LP gas is supplied to the tank fixing member 42 and the base member 43 and a corresponding load is applied thereto, the tank fixing member 42, the base member 43, and the rubber sheet sandwiched therebetween are contrary to their elasticity. And shrink in the load direction. Then, the fastening force by the bolt 44A and the nut 44B decreases, and the fastening force detected by the load sensor 65 also decreases. When the LP gas is supplied to the outside and unloaded from this state, the tank fixing member 4
2. Since the base member 43 and the rubber sheet try to return to their original shape due to their elasticity, the above-mentioned fastening force increases. The load is measured using such a load-fastening force relationship.

Instead of the base member 43, a concrete base in which a bolt member corresponding to the bolt 44A is buried upward is used, and the bolt member is inserted thereover with a rubber sheet interposed therebetween. The tank fixing member 42 may be mounted. However, also in this case, the load sensor 65 is mounted so as to be sandwiched between the nut member and the tank fixing member 42 that are barely fitted to the bolt member from above.

The detection output from the load sensor 65 in such a configuration is supplied to the controller after being amplified by, for example, an amplifier (not shown). The controller is
The detection output from the amplifier is converted into the stored LP gas remaining value, and the converted value is sent to a display unit to display the LP gas remaining value.

As described above, according to the third embodiment shown in FIG. 4, in the storage tank device as described above,
Since load data can be obtained using the tank fixing member 42 and the base member 43 to which a load is directly applied, more accurate load measurement can be performed.

Further, a tank fixing member 42 and a base member 43 which are usually included in a storage tank device, and bolts 44
Since the A and the nut 44B can be used without any change, the cost is not increased and the load sensor 65 can be easily attached. Furthermore, since the load sensor 65 is mounted so that the load applied to the sensor decreases as the load increases, the load sensor 65 is not damaged by a large load. Further, by disposing a plurality of load sensors 65 in correspondence with a plurality of pairs of bolts 44A and nuts 44B, more accurate load measurement, that is, LP gas storage amount measurement becomes possible.

[0066]

As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, the load is measured based on the fastening force of the fixing member for fixing the first and second loaded members to which a part of the loaded load is applied. . That is, since the load measurement is based on the fastening force of the fixed member detected by the fastening force detecting means, it is not necessary to directly detect the amount of distortion of the loaded member for measuring the load as in the related art. Therefore, there is no need to search for an optimal distortion location, and there is no need to worry about distortion instability. As a result, the load can be easily and stably measured.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the load sensors 61, 62, 63, 6 used as fastening force detecting means.
4 or 65 is mounted so that the detected load value decreases with an increase in the load, so that the load sensors 61, 62, 63, 64,
Or 65 is not damaged. For example, when a strain sensor is attached to a member to be loaded as a load detecting element, the strain sensor may come off from the member to be loaded or be deformed in response to a sudden large load or impact. According to the present invention, this does not occur because the load detection value decreases in accordance with an increase in the load.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the load sensor 61, 62, 63, 64, or 65 contacts the first load member and the second load member by the fastening force according to the screw engagement. Since it is pressed to a location other than, the force pressed against the increase in load decreases, and load detection becomes possible based on this relationship. In addition, the load sensors 61, 62, 63,
Since 64 or 65 is fixed to the above-mentioned portion, sensor attaching work such as welding becomes unnecessary, and sensor attaching work becomes easy and reliable.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, both members are fixed by the bolt fixing member including the U-shaped bolt 52A mounted so as to surround the outer periphery of the first and second load-receiving members. Further, the load sensor 62 is sandwiched and fixed between the washer 52B and the first loaded member. Thus U
Since the V-shaped bolt 52A and the washer 52B are mounted so as to surround the outer circumferences of the first and second loaded members, the load sensor 62 is fixed between the washer 52B and the first loaded member.
Can maximize the expansion and contraction of the first and second loaded members in the load direction. Therefore, more accurate load measurement can be performed.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the elastic sheet 10 sandwiched between the first and second load members allows the load direction including the expansion and contraction of the first and second load members related to the load detection. The total amount of expansion and contraction becomes larger, and more accurate load measurement can be performed. Usually, a cushion member or a packing member is often sandwiched between the first and second loaded members, and there is also an advantage that these members can be used also for load detection.

According to the present invention, the first loaded member is the frame 2 of the large vehicle 1 and the second loaded member is the joist column 3. Since the frame 2 and the joist columns 3 are members that directly receive the load, the use of these members is very effective for load detection. Since the frame 2 and the joist column 3 are inevitably fixed by the fixing member, the load sensor 61 utilizing this configuration is used.
To 63 can be easily attached. That is, it is not necessary to newly provide a mounting means for the load sensors 61 to 63.
Further, since the frame 2 and the joist columns 3 are usually fixed by a plurality of fixing members, all of the plurality of fixing members
Alternatively, the load sensor 6 is selectively used by using some of them.
1 to 63 can be easily attached, and more accurate load measurement can be performed.

According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, the first loaded member is a part of the chassis 38 located above the wheels of the passenger vehicle, and the second loaded member is a suspension member fixed thereto. is there. That is, such a chassis 3
8 and the suspension members are members that directly receive the load applied to the passenger vehicle, so that very effective load detection data can be obtained. For example, since the control target based on the load detection result, such as the vehicle attitude control and the brake control, is almost a device related to the wheel, if the present invention is applied to the above-mentioned loaded member, the effective control directly related to the control target portion is effective. Load measurement becomes possible.

According to the eighth aspect of the invention, the first loaded member is a tank fixing member for fixing the storage tank, and the second loaded member is a base member for further fixing the tank fixing plate to a predetermined installation location. 43. As described above, in the storage tank device, since the load data can be obtained by using the tank fixing member 42 and the base member 43 to which a load is directly applied, accurate load measurement can be performed.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a first embodiment in which a load measuring device of the present invention is applied to a large vehicle.

FIG. 2 is a partially enlarged view showing the vicinity of a sensor mounting portion according to the first embodiment of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 shows a second example in which the load measuring device of the present invention is applied to a passenger car.
It is an outline sectional view showing an embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a schematic perspective view showing a third embodiment in which the load measuring device of the present invention is applied to a storage tank device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 2 Frame 3 Joist pillar 10 Rubber sheet (elastic sheet) 51A, 51B, 53A, 53B Bracket 51C, 53C Bolt 51D, 52C, 53C Nut 52B Washer 52A U-shaped bolt 61-63 Load sensor

 ────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Masayuki Terada 1500 Onjuku, Susono-shi, Shizuoka Yazaki Sogyo Co., Ltd. F-term (reference) 2F051 AA01 AA06

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. A first and a second loaded member to which a part of a loaded load is applied, and a fixing member for fixing the first and the second loaded members to each other by tightening them with a predetermined fastening force. A load measuring device for measuring a load applied to the load object, comprising: a fastening force detecting unit configured to detect the fastening force; and measuring the loaded load based on the fastening force based on the loaded load. Load measuring device. 2. The load measuring device according to claim 1, wherein the fastening force detecting means is a load sensor for detecting a load as the fastening force, and the load sensor detects a load value of the load increase. A load measuring device attached to the first loaded member via the fixing member so as to decrease in accordance with the load, and measuring the loading load based on a degree of decrease in the detected load value. . 3. The load measuring device according to claim 2, wherein the fixing member is a bolt fixing member that tightens and fixes the first and second loaded members by a fastening force according to a screw engagement. Presses the loaded load sensor against a portion other than the contact surface between the first loaded member and the second loaded member by a fastening force corresponding to the screw engagement, and while pressing the first and second loaded members. A load measuring device characterized by tightening and fixing. 4. The load measuring device according to claim 3, wherein the bolt fixing member includes: a U-shaped bolt mounted so as to surround an outer periphery of the first and second loaded members; and the U-shaped bolt. A rectangular plate-shaped washer having a through hole through which both end portions of the U-shaped bolt are threaded, and a nut screwed to both end portions of the U-shaped bolt, wherein the load sensor has a fastening force corresponding to the screwing. A load measuring device, which is sandwiched and fixed between the washer and the first load-carrying member by means of: 5. The load measuring device according to claim 3, further comprising an elastic sheet sandwiched between the first and second loaded members and having elasticity in a load direction. . 6. The load measuring device according to claim 3, wherein the object to be loaded is a large vehicle, the first member to be loaded is a frame of the large vehicle 1, and the second member to be loaded is A load measuring device, which is a joist column interposed between a carrier mounted on the heavy-duty vehicle and the frame. 7. The load measuring device according to claim 3, wherein the object to be loaded is a passenger vehicle, and the first loaded member is a part of a chassis located above wheels of the passenger vehicle. The load measuring device, wherein the second loaded member is a suspension member fixed to a part of the chassis. 8. The load measuring device according to claim 3, wherein the load object is a storage tank device, the first load member is a tank fixing member for fixing a storage tank, and the second load member is a tank fixing member for fixing a storage tank. The load measuring device is characterized in that the load member is a base member that further fixes the tank fixing plate at a predetermined installation location.