Railcar weighing system with offset sensor
One or more sensors mounted on a railcar sense the effect of weight of the railcar and transmit the data, for example via a communication link, to a user for storage and feedback where needed. In one embodiment the sensors are mounted on one or more rail trucks that carry the car body.
1. A system, comprising:
a railcar body weight sensor mounted on a flexible load bearing member of a railcar body or a truck arrangement of a railcar;
a transmitter coupled to said sensor for transmitting a signal representing the output of said sensor; and
a database comprising sensor readings for a series of repeatedly added known incremental weights to a car body;
wherein:
the railcar has a support pad between a car body and said truck arrangement;
said car body rests on said support pad and is horizontally swivelable about an axis through the support pad;
said sensor is a stress/strain gauge mounted on one of said flexible members outside of said support pad that measures stress/strain based on the deformation of the flexible member upon which it is mounted and located exclusively a) offset from the axis, and b) on one side of the axis; and
said sensor output indicates a load within the railcar body utilizing data within the database.
2. A system as in claim 1 , wherein:
said flexible load bearing member comprises a flexible component that flexes in response to the weight of the car body; and
said sensor is mounted on said component and produces an output in response to the flexure of said component as a measure of the weight of the car body.
3. system as in claim 2 , wherein the sensor is one of a longitudinal strain gage and a longitudinally extending vibrating wire sensor to capture flexing of said component.
4. A system as in claim 1 , wherein:
a temperature detector mounted on said member and coupled to said transmitter measures the temperature; and
said transmitter adjusts the signal representing the output of said sensor on the basis of the output of the temperature detector.
5. A system as in claim 1 , wherein:
a temperature detector mounted on said member and coupled to said transmitter measures the temperature;
said transmitter adjusts the signal representing the output of said sensor on the basis of the output of the temperature detector, and based on at least one of a current temperature, rate of change of temperature, and rate of change of rate of change of temperature.
6. A system as in claim 1 , wherein said sensor is arranged to be user movable while the car body rests on said support pad of said truck arrangement.
7. A system as in claim 1 , wherein said transmitter is part of a wireless network for communicating data from various sensors to a central processor on a railcar platform.
8. A system as in claim 1 , wherein said sensor includes a pair of mounting brackets and a longitudinal vibrating sensing component.
9. A system as in claim 1 , wherein said sensor includes a pair of mounting brackets and one of a non-stressed load measuring device, a stress measuring device, and a strain measuring device.
10. A system as in claim 1 , wherein said sensor is mounted on said member at one end of the railcar for measuring the entire weight of the car.
11. A system as in claim 1 , wherein said transmitter transmits data at regular intervals.
12. A system as in claim 1 , wherein said sensor is in the form of a longitudinal element.
13. A system as in claim 1 , wherein said sensor has two ends.
14. A system as in claim 1 , wherein a communications link communicatively coupled to the transmitter communicates the signal from said transmitter to a central office.
15. A system as in claim 1 , wherein said sensor is in the form of a longitudinal element having two ends, so that flexing of the member on which the sensor is mounted changes the length of the sensor.
16. A system as in claim 1 , wherein:
said railcar includes said truck arrangement as a first truck arrangement with first coaxial wheels, and further includes a second truck arrangement having second coaxial wheels,
the system further comprising at least one of said car body and said second truck arrangement having a further flexible member subject to stress and strain,
said first and second truck arrangements being spaced longitudinally along said rail car body, the system further comprising second car-body weight sensor mounted on said further flexible member.
17. A system as in claim 1 , wherein said sensor is one of a plurality of sensors mounted on a plurality of flexible members.
18. A system as in claim 1 , wherein said flexible member on which said sensor is mounted is exposed for mounting or removal while said rail car rests on said truck arrangement.
19. A system as in claim 1 , wherein said sensor is removably mounted on said railcar while said car body rests on said truck arrangement.