WO2021218870A1

WO2021218870A1 - Scale having a sealing structure

Info

Publication number: WO2021218870A1
Application number: PCT/CN2021/089705
Authority: WO
Inventors: Qingsong Zhao; Dengyou Chen; Huaqiang HUI; Gang Wu; Shaowen ZHENG
Original assignee: Mettler-Toledo (Changzhou) Measurement Technology Ltd.; Mettler-Toledo (Changzhou) Precision Instruments Ltd.
Priority date: 2020-04-27
Filing date: 2021-04-25
Publication date: 2021-11-04
Also published as: CN212059067U

Abstract

A scale having a sealing structure is provided. The scale comprises a platform (100), a load cell assembly (200), a sealing assembly (300), and a fixed base (400). The load cell assembly (200) is mounted on the fixed base (400). The sealing assembly (300) is connected to the platform (100), forming a hollow cavity (D). The load cell assembly (200) is securely sealed in the cavity (D). Because of addition of a protective arrangement such as the sealing assembly (300) on the periphery of a load cell (210) and its related components, the scale makes cleaning/washing of the scale easier and widens the application scope of the weighing product. Due to the use of an integrally formed sealing technology, dust and dirt cannot enter the space surrounding the load cell (210) and its peripheral components. The presence of sealing component makes it convenient for the user to clean and wash the weighing device.

Description

SCALE HAVING A SEALING STRUCTURE

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Technical Field

The present invention relates to the field of weighing devices, and in particular to a scale having a sealing structure.

Background Art

In weighing devices, the structure and sensitivity of the load cell makes it difficult to clean/wash the load cell as well as the other components of the weighing device, resulting in poor sanitary conditions and increased contamination. In particular, this problem poses a severe challenge in application scenarios such as food processing that demand high sanitary requirements.

Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram representing a conventional structure of a prior art weighing device. As shown in Fig. 1, the conventional structure of the weighing device has many disadvantages (particularly from sanitary viewpoint) as follows:

1. Dust and dirt may enter an area A i.e. the gap between a load cell 10 and a mounting top plate 20.

2. Dust and dirt may enter an area B i.e. area on the support connecting member 11 of the load cell 10 (the connecting member is a screw in some cases or is a rocker-column structure shown in Fig. 1 above in other cases) .

3. Dust and dirt may as well enter an area C: which is the strain area of the load cell 10, and has a bowl-like structure.

Once dust and dirt enter these areas of the weighing device, removing them becomes a challenge, thus resulting in poor sanitary conditions and increased contamination.

In view of the above technical problem, the applicant's inventors have improved the structure of the weighing device that is capable of overcoming the above technical problems.

SUMMARY

An objective of the present invention is to provide a scale with a sealing structure, that overcomes the defects in the conventional weighing devices.

The present invention solves the above technical problem through the following technical solution in which there is provided:

A scale having a sealing structure. The scale comprises a platform, a load cell assembly, a sealing assembly, and a fixed base. The load cell assembly is mountable on the fixed base, and the sealing assembly is connectable to the platform, forming a hollow cavity, in which the load cell assembly is securely sealed.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the sealing assembly comprises a housing and a first sealing member. An upper end of the housing is connectable to a lower end face of the platform. The housing further comprises a through hole provided at a lower end of the housing. The fixed base extendable into the cavity via the through hole, wherein the first sealing member forms a sealed connection between the fixed base and the through hole. In another embodiment, the first sealing member is a glue.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the sealing assembly comprises a housing, an upper end of the housing being connected to a lower end face of the platform, a through hole being provided at the bottom of the housing, the fixed base stretching into the through hole, and the through hole being in a sealed connection to the fixed base through a glue.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the load cell assembly comprises a load cell and a load cell connecting member. The load cell is mountable on the fixed base through the load cell connecting member.

According to an embodiment of the present utility model, the load cell connecting member is a rocker pin or a threaded member.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the fixed base comprises a support and a support connecting member. The support connecting member is secured to the support and positioned above it, and extendable into the through hole, wherein the load cell connecting member is mountable on the support connecting member.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the first sealing member is a sealing sleeve, wherein one end of the sealing sleeve is connected to an outer edge of the through hole, and the other end of the sealing sleeve is connected to the support connecting member.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the sealing sleeve is a silicone member comprising two ends, with each end forming an elastic connection with the outer edge of the through hole and the support connecting member, respectively.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the support is a fixed support or a moveable support.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the sealing assembly further comprises a second sealing member arranged in between the upper end of the housing and the lower end face of the platform. Particularly, the upper end of the housing, the second sealing member, and the lower end face of the platform are joined together by a fastener such as a bolt.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the housing is integrally formed through stamping.

According to an embodiment of the present utility model, the sealing sleeve is a silicone member.

Positive and progressive effects of the present invention are as follows:

Through addition of a protective device on the periphery of a load cell and related components, the scale having the sealing structure of the present invention makes the load cell and related components easy to clean/wash, which helps in widening the application scope of a weighing product. Using an integrally sealing technology, dust and dirt cannot enter the space surrounding the load cell and its peripheral components. Since a sealing component is designed to be easily cleaned/washed, it is convenient for the user to clean and wash the weighing device.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The aforementioned features, properties and advantages of the present invention will become clearer based on the description below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and embodiments, and the same features are denoted by the same reference numerals throughout the drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of a conventional structure in a prior art weighing device; and

Fig. 2 is a schematic structural diagram of a scale having a sealing structure according to the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

To make the above objectives, features and advantages of the present invention more apparent and easier to understand, embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Reference will now be made in detail to preferred embodiments of the present invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. The same reference numerals used in all the accompanying drawings denote identical or similar parts wherever possible.

Furthermore, although the terms used in the present invention are selected from well-known common terms, some of the terms mentioned in the description of the present invention may have been selected by the applicant according to his or her determination, and the detailed meaning thereof is described in the relevant section described herein.

Furthermore, the present invention must be understood, not simply by the actual terms used but also by the meanings encompassed by each term.

As shown in Fig. 2, the present invention provides a scale having a sealing structure. The scale comprises a platform 100, a load cell assembly 200, a sealing assembly 300, and a fixed base 400. The load cell assembly 200 is mounted on the fixed base 400. The sealing assembly 300 is connected to the platform 100, forming a hollow cavity D. The load cell assembly 300 is securely sealed in the cavity D.

Preferably, the sealing assembly 300 comprises a housing 310 and a first sealing member 320. The housing 310 comprises an upper end 310U connected to a lower end face 100L of the platform 100. A through hole 311 is provided at the lower end (310L) of the housing 310. The fixed base 400 is extendable into the through hole 311. The first sealing member 320 forms a sealed connection between the fixed base 400 and the through hole 311. In a specific embodiment, the first sealing member 320 is a glue.

Alternatively, the sealing assembly 300 comprises a housing 310, in which an upper end 310U of the housing 310 is connected to a lower end face 100L of the platform 100. A through hole 311 is provided at the lower end (310L) of the housing 310, such that the fixed base 400 extends into the through hole 311. and the through hole 311 being in a sealed connection to the fixed base 400 through a glue.

Further, the load cell assembly 200 comprises a load cell 210 and a load cell connecting member 220. The load cell 210 is mounted on the fixed base 400 through the load cell connecting member 220. Herein, the load cell connecting member may be a rocker pin or a threaded member.

Preferably, the fixed base 400 comprises a support 410 and a support connecting member 420. The support connecting member 420 is secured to the support 410 and positioned above it. The support connecting member 420 extends into the through hole 311. The load cell connecting member 220 is mounted on the support connecting member 420.

Herein, the first sealing member 320 is preferably a sealing sleeve, one end of which is connected to an outer edge of the through hole 311, and the other end of which is connected to the support connecting member 420. The support 410 may be preferably a fixed support or a moveable support. The first sealing member 320 (which is the sealing sleeve) is preferably a silicone member. Two ends of the silicone member are in an elastic connection to the outer edge of the through hole and the support connecting member, respectively.

In addition, the upper end 310U of the housing 310 and the lower end face 100L of the platform 100 are provided with a second sealing member 500 there between and are joined together by a fastener such as a bolt. Herein, in this embodiment, the platform 100 is preferably an upper platform or a modular top plate, on which the objects to be weighed are received.

According to the above description, in this embodiment, the housing 310 is an integrally sealed structure, which is, preferably, integrally formed through stamping, and only the through hole 311 is reserved at the lower end 310L of the housing 310 to let the support connecting member 420 extend into the cavity D. The second sealing member 500 may use a fastening connection, such that the housing 310 and the second sealing member 500 are connected to the platform 100.

The scale with the sealing structure of the present utility model has the load cell 210 sealed in a cavity D, but has a through hole 311 reserved, such that the load cell connecting member 220 (which may be a rocker pin or a threaded connection) is connected to the fixed base 400. The fixed base 400 is clamped at the through hole 311 using a flexible sealing sleeve, thereby finally sealing the load cell 210 in the cavity D. Such a sealing sleeve is easily replaceable, and due to its flexible texture and structure, the weighing accuracy of the scale remains unaffected.

The scale having the sealing structure of the present invention can enable easy washing specifically through the following structural improvements:

1. The housing 310 and the platform 100 are detachable, such that the load cell 210 can be mounted on the platform 100 first.

2. The housing 310 is preferably made by stamping process, with each connecting face having a filleted-corner transition to facilitate easy cleaning.

3. The housing 310 and the platform 100 are connected using the second sealing member 500 (for example, the silicone member) .

4. Since weighing accuracy cannot be affected, the housing 310 and the support connecting member 420 cannot be fixedly connected. A flexible sealing sleeve such as a silicone member, which does not affect the weighing result can be used. Such a silicone member is also easily detachable for cleaning or replacement.

Due to the aforementioned arrangement, the entire load cell 210 is sealed in the housing 310. Moreover, the scale having the sealing structure does a weighing task properly. Only the housing 310 and the sealing sleeve are the parts that require regular cleaning in addition to the platform 100.

In conclusion, through addition of a protective device on the periphery of a load cell and related components, the scale having a sealing structure of the present invention makes the load cell and related components easy to clean/wash, which helps widen the application scope of the weighing product. Due to the use of an integrally sealing technology, dust and dirt cannot enter space of the load cell and its peripheral components. Since a sealing component is designed to be easily cleaned/washed, it is convenient for a user to clean and wash a weighing device.

Although specific implementations of the present invention have been described above, those skilled in the art should understand that these are merely examples, and the scope of protection of the present invention is defined by the appended claims. Various alterations or modifications to these implementations can be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the principle and essence of the present invention. However, these alterations and modifications all fall within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Reference signs list

Load cell

10, 210

Mounting top plate 20

Support connecting member

11, 420

Platform 100

Lower end face of the platform 100L

Load cell assembly 200

Sealing assembly 300

Fixed base 400

Cavity D

Housing 310

Upper end of the housing 310U

Upper end of the housing 310L

First sealing member 320

Through hole 311

Load cell connecting member 220

Support 410

Second sealing member 500

Claims

A scale having a sealing structure, the scale comprising a platform, a load cell assembly, a sealing assembly, and a fixed base; the load cell assembly mountable on the fixed base, characterized in that the sealing assembly is connectable to the platform forming a hollow cavity, in which the load cell assembly is securely sealed.
The scale of claim 1, characterized in that the sealing assembly comprises a housing and a first sealing member; an upper end of the housing connectable to a lower end face of the platform; the housing further comprising a through hole provided at a lower end of the housing; the fixed base extendable into the cavity via the through hole, wherein the first sealing member forms a sealed connection between the fixed base and the through hole.
The scale with the sealing structure of claim 2, characterized in that the first sealing member is a glue.
The scale as claimed in the preceding claims, characterized in that the load cell assembly comprises a load cell and a load cell connecting member; wherein the load cell is mountable on the fixed base through the load cell connecting member.
The scale as claimed in the preceding claims, characterized in that the load cell connecting member is a rocker pin or a threaded member.
The scale as claimed in the preceding claims, characterized in that the fixed base comprises a support and a support connecting member; the support connecting member secured to the support and extendable into the through hole, wherein the load cell connecting member is mountable on the support connecting member.
The scale as claimed in the preceding claims, characterized in that the first sealing member is a sealing sleeve, wherein one end of the sealing sleeve is connected to an outer edge of the through hole, and the other end of the sealing sleeve is connected to the support connecting member.
The scale as claimed in the preceding claims, characterized in that the sealing sleeve is a silicone member comprising two ends, with each end forming an elastic connection with the outer edge of the through hole and the support connecting member, respectively.
The scale as claimed in the preceding claims, characterized in that the support is a fixed support or a movable support.
The scale as claimed in the preceding claims, characterized in that the sealing assembly further comprises a second sealing member arranged in between the upper end of the housing and the lower end face of the platform, wherein the upper end of the housing, the second sealing member, and the lower end face of the platform are joined together by a fastener such as a bolt.
The scale as claimed in the preceding claims, characterized in that the housing is integrally formed through stamping.