An apparatus includes an acquisition means for acquiring the displacement quantity in a time-series manner, the displacement quantity being generated at a measurement part of a structure by the weight of a vehicle that travels on the structure, a detection means for detecting the position and the clock time of the vehicle that travels a pre-passage area of the measurement part, an estimation means for estimating the arrival time that the vehicle arrives at the measurement part, from the position of the measurement part and the position and the clock time of the vehicle, and a control means for controlling the acquisition means on the basis of the estimated arrival time.

An apparatus includes an acquisition means for acquiring the displacement quantity in a time-series manner, the displacement quantity being generated at a measurement part of a structure by the weight of a vehicle that travels on the structure, a detection means for detecting the position and the clock time of the vehicle that travels a pre-passage area of the measurement part, an estimation means for estimating the arrival time that the vehicle arrives at the measurement part, from the position of the measurement part and the position and the clock time of the vehicle, and a control means for controlling the acquisition means on the basis of the estimated arrival time.

Weigh-in-motion sensors comprise a beam including a plate with a load-bearing surface, and a tube portion including a base wall and a cover and defining a cavity therebetween. A sensing package is disposed within the cavity and is under pre-load with the cover and the base wall. The sensing package comprises a piezoelectric element. The base wall includes an aperture extending from a mounting surface to the cavity. The aperture includes a fastener therein to secure the sensing package within the cavity. The fastener is sized having a cross-section dimension taken through a center axis of the fastener that is greater than that of a cross-section dimension of the piezoelectric element taken along the fastener center axis. In an example, the fastener has a cross-section dimension sized about 10 percent or greater in dimension than that of the respective cross-section dimension of the piezoelectric element.

Vehicle center of gravity (CoG) height and mass estimation techniques utilize a light detection and ranging (LIDAR) sensor configured to emit light pulses and capture reflected light pulses that collectively form LIDAR point cloud data and a controller configured to estimate the CoG height and the mass of the vehicle during a steady-state operating condition of the vehicle by processing the LIDAR point cloud data to identify a ground plane, identifying a height difference between (i) a nominal distance from the LIDAR sensor to the ground plane and (ii) an estimated distance from the LIDAR sensor to the ground plane using the processed LIDAR point cloud data, estimating the vehicle CoG height as a difference between (i) a nominal vehicle CoG height and the height difference, and estimating the vehicle mass based on one of (i) vehicle CoG metrics and (ii) dampening metrics of a suspension of the vehicle.

Vehicle center of gravity (CoG) height and mass estimation techniques utilize a light detection and ranging (LIDAR) sensor configured to emit light pulses and capture reflected light pulses that collectively form LIDAR point cloud data and a controller configured to estimate the CoG height and the mass of the vehicle during a steady-state operating condition of the vehicle by processing the LIDAR point cloud data to identify a ground plane, identifying a height difference between (i) a nominal distance from the LIDAR sensor to the ground plane and (ii) an estimated distance from the LIDAR sensor to the ground plane using the processed LIDAR point cloud data, estimating the vehicle CoG height as a difference between (i) a nominal vehicle CoG height and the height difference, and estimating the vehicle mass based on one of (i) vehicle CoG metrics and (ii) dampening metrics of a suspension of the vehicle.

A displacement and weight association apparatus includes a measuring unit configured to measure a displacement amount generated on a structure by a weight of a vehicle traveling on the structure; an aggregating unit configured to obtain a distribution of the measured displacement amount; an extracting unit configured to extract a displacement amount corresponding to a car from the distribution; and an associating unit configured to associate the extracted displacement amount with a weight of the car.

A displacement and weight association apparatus includes a measuring unit configured to measure a displacement amount generated on a structure by a weight of a vehicle traveling on the structure; an aggregating unit configured to obtain a distribution of the measured displacement amount; an extracting unit configured to extract a displacement amount corresponding to a car from the distribution; and an associating unit configured to associate the extracted displacement amount with a weight of the car.

A structure displacement amount measurement apparatus includes: an acquiring unit configured to acquire a displacement amount caused on a structure by a weight of a vehicle traveling on the structure along a time series; an estimating unit configured to estimate a section in which displacement is caused based on time-series data of the displacement amount; a detecting unit configured to detect a feature value of change in displacement amount within the estimated section; a determining unit configured to determine whether or not the estimated section is a section of displacement due to a weight of a single vehicle based on the detected feature value; and an extracting unit configured to extract a displacement amount from the time-series data within a section of displacement due to a weight of a single vehicle based on a result of the determination.

A belt conveyor conveys discrete articles. The belt conveyor includes: a conveyor frame having a top side, a bottom side, and a length extending in the conveying direction for the discrete articles; a conveying belt configured to revolve around the conveyor frame during operation of the belt conveyor; and a belt-guide mounted to the bottom side of the conveyor frame between the conveyor frame and the conveying belt. The belt-guide includes at least two rolling-element bearings. The inner races of the rolling-element bearings are respectively mounted on axles. The axles are parallel to each other and stationary relative to the conveyor frame. The outer races of the rolling-element bearings have direct contact with the conveying belt.

A method determines the total mass of an automotive vehicle on the basis of data of a communication network and parameters of the vehicle, in which an estimation of the total laden mass (mv,est) of the vehicle, of the speed of the vehicle (vest) and of the slope of the road (αest) is determined at an instant (k) by applying the fundamental equation of dynamics and as a function of the values of the total mass of the vehicle, of the speed of the vehicle and of the slope of the road at a previous instant (k−1).