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A simple axle-load sensor
Page 54
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• Mr. W. Hodgson, of 36 Ashdale Crescent, West Denton, Newcastle upon Tyne, has provisionally patented an axle-load sensor, that probably represents the simplest -form that such an instrument could take. The device is fitted on each side of an axle and essentially comprises two pointers, one attached to the vehicle chassis and one to the spring axle or other unsprung component or associated lever, the deflection of each spring being shown by the special relationship of the pointers.
The maximum permitted load, correctly distributed, is placed on the vehicle and one of the pointers is adjusted so that the two pointers register. Appropriate markings on an adjoining flat surface indicate overloading or maldistribution of the load. A means is provided for manual engagement of each unit with the aid of a probe.
In one version of the sensor mentioned in the patent the pinion of a spring loaded rack-and-pinion mechanism operates a rotatable pointer; a second pointer is movable in an arcuate slot of the casing. Normally the second pointer would be locked to register with the movable pointer when the axle was carrying the rated load.
Electrical contacts could be incorporated in the device to give a warning signal in the driver's cab in the event of overloading. A potentiometer or a system responsive to inductance changes could be used to provide a remote indication of the state of loading.
P.A. C. B.