Monolithic weighing block

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11808618-B2
Application number	US-202016875235-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 15, 2020
Priority date	May 16, 2019
Publication date	Nov 7, 2023
Grant date	Nov 7, 2023

Abstract

A monolithic weighing block is produced according to the principle of additive manufacturing, that is, 3D printing.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A weighing block which extends in a longitudinal direction, in a transverse direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction, and in a vertical direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction and transverse direction, the weighing block comprising:
(a) a fixed base extending in the longitudinal direction from a first block end to a second block end;
(b) a first control arm and a second control arm, the first control arm extending in the longitudinal direction from a first control arm first end region to a first control arm second end region and being connected to the fixed base via a first control arm supporting pivot, the second control arm extending in the longitudinal direction from a second control arm first end region to a second control arm second end region and being connected to the fixed base via a second control arm supporting pivot;
(c) a load receiver connected to the first control arm via a first control arm pivot and connected to the second control arm via a second control arm pivot, the load receiver for receiving a weight force introduced along the vertical direction so as to be guided by the first control arm and second control arm relative to the fixed base in a direction parallel to the vertical direction;
(d) wherein the fixed base, the first control arm, the first control arm supporting pivot, the first control arm pivot, the second control arm, the second control arm supporting pivot, the second control arm pivot, and the load receiver are built up layer by layer by one or more additive manufacturing techniques;
(e) wherein each of the fixed base, the load receiver, a lever connected between the fixed base and the load receiver, a coupling element associated with the lever, the first control arm, the second control arm, a load pivot associated with the lever, and each other pivot of the weighing block represents a respective component of the weighing block;
(f) wherein in a section transverse to the longitudinal direction, each component of the weighing block forms a respective cross section that defines a respective envelope of the section, each of at least two of the envelopes of the section encompassing several separate partial areas of the respective component; and
(g) wherein the at least two of the envelopes of the section at least partially overlap and at least one partial area of one of the at least two of the envelopes of the section lies inside the envelope of the other one of the at least two of the envelopes of the section.

2. The weighing block of claim 1 wherein the lever connected between the fixed base and the load receiver includes a first lever extending between a first lever first end region and a first lever second end region, the first lever in the first lever first end region being attached to a first coupling element comprising a first coupling element load pivot for transmitting a force, the first lever also being connected to the fixed base via a first lever supporting pivot, the first lever supporting pivot forming a first lever supporting pivot axis and the first coupling element load pivot forming a first coupling element load pivot axis.

3. The weighing block of claim 2 wherein the first coupling element load pivot comprises a respective flexural pivot in which at least two material bars are arranged with respect to each other such that in a projection along the first coupling element load pivot axis one of the material bars forms an angle α with another one of the material bars, where 45°≤α≤135°.

4. The weighing block of claim 3 wherein an additional first lever supporting pivot is connected to the first lever in the first lever first end region and has an additional first lever supporting pivot axis, the additional first lever supporting pivot comprising a respective flexural pivot in which at least two material bars are arranged with respect to each other such that in a projection along the additional first lever supporting pivot axis one of the material bars forms an angle α with another one of the material bars, where 45°≤α≤135°.

5. The weighing block of claim 3 wherein two material bars of the at least two material bars intersect in the projection along the first coupling element load pivot axis.

6. The weighing block of claim 1 wherein the lever connected between the fixed base and the load receiver includes a first lever extending between a first lever first end region and a first lever second end region, the first lever in the first lever first end region being attached to a first coupling element, the first lever also being connected to the fixed base via a first lever supporting pivot, and wherein the first coupling element has two flexural pivots spaced apart from each other and connected to each other by a material web.

7. The weighing block of claim 1 wherein the first control arm supporting pivot, the first control arm pivot, the second control arm supporting pivot, and the second control arm pivot each lie at a respective corner of a parallelogram.

8. The weighing block of claim 1 further including a lever pivot connected to the lever, the lever pivot beings bordered, in relation to the direction of a pivot axis of the lever pivot, on one or both sides by a material section of the lever.

9. The weighing block of claim 1 wherein the lever at a respective end thereof is engaged with at least two pivots, each pivot forming a respective pivot axis extending parallel to a pivot axis direction and offset from each other, and wherein the at least two pivots engaged with the lever lie one behind the other in the pivot axis direction such that one of the pivots overlaps with another one of the pivots when viewed in the pivot axis direction.

10. The weighing block of claim 1 wherein the lever at a respective end thereof is engaged with two pivots each pivot forming a respective pivot axis extending parallel to a pivot axis direction and offset from each other such that a spacing between the two pivots in one of the longitudinal direction, transverse direction, and vertical direction is greater than zero and is smaller than the dimension of at least one of the pivots in the one of the longitudinal direction, transverse direction, and vertical direction.

11. The weighing block of claim 1 wherein the lever has a slot for receiving a first pivot.

12. The weighing block of claim 11 wherein the slot has a wall section from which a first supporting section projects in a first side direction for connection to the first pivot, and wherein a further supporting section projects from the wall section in a second side direction opposite to the first side direction for connection to a further pivot.

13. The weighing block of claim 12 characterized in that the first supporting section and the further supporting section form a Z-shaped cross section with the wall in a plane extending transverse to a plane of the wall.

14. The weighing block of claim 1 :
(a) wherein the lever connected between the fixed base and the load receiver includes a first lever extending between a first lever first end region and a first lever second end region; and
(b) further including a second lever extending between a second lever first end region and a second lever second end region, the second lever being connected at the second lever first end region to the first lever second end region via a coupling element having a coupling element load pivot and being connected at the second lever second end region to the fixed base via a second lever supporting pivot.

15. The weighing block of claim 14 wherein one of the first lever and second lever has an opening in whic

Assignees

• Wipotec Gmbh

Inventors

• Gottfriedsen Jan
• Asal Thorsten
• Stellwagen Tobias
• Klingelhöfer Jan-David

Classifications

• G01G21/24 Primary

  Guides or linkages for ensuring parallel motion of the weigh-pans · CPC title

• B33Y10/00

  Processes of additive manufacturing · CPC title

• B33Y80/00

  Products made by additive manufacturing · CPC title

• G01G7/02

  by electromagnetic action · CPC title

• G01G21/14

  Beams · CPC title