| US 7,497,137 B2 | ||
| Method of monitoring and/or determining the condition of a force-measuring device, and force-measuring device | ||
| Jean-Maurice Tellenbach, Hettlingen (Switzerland); Daniel Aepli, Dübendorf (Switzerland); and Helmut Bäumel, Greifensee (Switzerland) | ||
| Assigned to Mettler-Toledo AG, Greifensee (Switzerland) | ||
| Filed on Nov. 14, 2006, as Appl. No. 11/559,526. | ||
| Claims priority of application No. 05110766 (EP), filed on Nov. 15, 2005. | ||
| Prior Publication US 2007/0119226 A1, May 31, 2007 | ||
| Int. Cl. G01G 23/01 (2006.01) | ||
| U.S. Cl. 73—865.9 [177/1; 177/50; 702/34; 702/116] | 20 Claims |
| 1. A force-measuring device, comprising:
a housing with an interior space;
a force-measuring cell installed in the interior space, which is characterized by an atmospheric climate having a first parameter
which influences an operating lifetime of the force-measuring cell;
a sensor arranged either in the interior space or at the housing, the sensor further comprising a trigger element; and
a means for monitoring and determining sensor data, arranged in cooperative relationship with the sensor, comprising:
a computing unit;
an operating program; and
a storage module containing a threshold value that is dependent on the first parameter;
wherein the sensor transmits a first sensor signal, based on a measurement of the first parameter, to the sensor data monitoring
and determining means, where the computing unit stores and compares the first sensor signal to the threshold value and, if
the threshold value is exceeded, a threshold excursion is registered.
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