Weighing apparatus employing load cells of different capacity

1. A weighing apparatus, comprising:

a plurality of load cells, at least some of which are digital load cells adapted to provide a digital representation of a load thereon, and at least some of which are of different capacity; and

a load receiving element for receiving an object to be weighed, said load receiving element directly or indirectly associated with said plurality of load cells;

wherein the weight of each object to be weighed while residing on said load receiving element will be unevenly distributed across said plurality of load cells in a substantially known and like manner; and

wherein individual load cells are arranged along said load receiving element such that the capacity of a given individual load cell is commensurate with the proportion of the load that will be borne by that load cell as a result of the unevenly distributed weight of an object to be weighed by the weighing apparatus.

2. The weighing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said weighing apparatus is a vehicle scale.

3. The weighing apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the capacity of load cells located near entry and exit ends of said load receiving element is less than the capacity of load cells located therebetween.

4. In a weighing apparatus having a plurality of load cells directly or indirectly supporting a load receiving element for receiving an object to be weighed, the weight of each object to be weighed while residing on said load receiving element being unevenly distributed across said plurality of load cells in a substantially known and like manner, the improvement comprising:

said plurality of load cells are digital load cells adapted to provide a digital representation of a load thereon, and at least some of said digital load cells are of different capacity; and

individual digital load cells are arranged along said load receiving element such that the capacity of a given individual load cell is commensurate with the proportion of the load that will be borne by that load cell as a result of the unevenly distributed weight of an object to be weighed by the weighing apparatus.

5. The improved weighing apparatus of claim 4 , wherein said weighing apparatus is a vehicle scale.

6. The improved weighing apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the capacity of load cells located near entry and exit ends of said load receiving element is less than the capacity of load cells located therebetween.

7. A weighing apparatus, comprising:

a plurality of analog load cells, at least some of which are of different capacity;

a load receiving element for receiving an object to be weighed, said load receiving element directly or indirectly supported by said plurality of load cells;

at least one analog-to-digital conversion device for converting the outputs of said load cells into digital form; and

at least one device for applying correction factors to the digitized output of said plurality of load cells;

wherein the weight of each object to be weighed while residing on said load receiving element will be unevenly distributed across said plurality of load cells in a substantially known and like manner; and

wherein individual load cells are arranged along said load receiving element such that the capacity of a given individual load cell is commensurate with the proportion of the load that will be borne by that load cell as a result of the unevenly distributed weight of an object to be weighed by the weighing apparatus.

8. The weighing apparatus of claim 7 , wherein said weighing apparatus is a vehicle scale.

9. The weighing apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the capacity of load cells located near entry and exit ends of said load receiving element is less than the capacity of load cells located therebetween.

10. The weighing apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the number of analog-to-digital conversion devices present is equal to the number of load cells present.

11. The weighing apparatus of claim 7 , wherein a single analog-to-digital conversion device sequentially converts the outputs of said load cells into digital form.

12. The weighing apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the load cells are rocker pin load cells that reside beneath the load receiving element.

13. The weighing apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the load cells are rocker pin load cells that reside beneath the load receiving element.

14. The improved weighing apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the load cells are rocker pin load cells that reside beneath the load receiving element.

15. The improved weighing apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the load cells are rocker pin load cells that reside beneath the load receiving element.

16. The weighing apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the load cells are rocker pin load cells that reside beneath the load receiving element.

17. The weighing apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the load cells are rocker pin load cells that reside beneath the load receiving element.