Provided is an electronic balance of electromagnetic force type including a weight automatic loading mechanism which can place and remove a weight by its own mechanism without use of either an external balance weight or a built-in balance weight. An electronic balance of electromagnetic force type is provided with a beam equilibrium setting unit that sets two or more equilibrium states of the beam position detecting unit. By making conversion ratios of upper and lower light receiving circuits nonequivalent, an imaginary weight is generated by utilizing the operating principle of the electromagnetic balance of electromagnetic force type.

A patient support apparatus includes a load cell, disposed between a base and a litter, that is configured to generate an output representative of a load acting on the patient support surface. The load cell is associated with a calibration reference symbol assigned to the load cell to define a calibration value for a parameter of the load cell. A user interface is configured to receive user input of a virtual symbol corresponding to the calibration reference symbol. A controller is configured to store a plurality of calibration reference symbols and a plurality of representative calibration values each associated with one of the plurality of calibration reference symbols, initiate a calibration procedure, determine a representative calibration value for each calibration reference symbol, calibrate the parameter of the load cell based on the representative calibration value determined based on the virtual symbol, and determine weight acting on the litter.

Eccentric loading errors of a weighing cell (1) with a parallel guiding mechanism are determined and corrected or at least reduced. The weighing cell has a test weight actuating device (14), by which at least one test weight (15) is positioned successively on at least three test weight support points (16, 17, 18, 19, 20) of the test load receiver (4) that do not lie in a straight line. A processor unit (21) uses a control signal (S1) to position the test weight on the support points. A test weighing signal (T) is generated for each support point, and from these, eccentric loading errors are ascertained. A device for correcting the eccentric loading errors uses control signals (S2) from the processor unit to make a geometrical-mechanical change in the parallel guiding mechanism, using a first and a second actuating unit.

A patient support apparatus includes a load cell, disposed between a base and a litter, that is configured to generate an output representative of a load acting on the patient support surface. The load cell is associated with a calibration reference symbol assigned to the load cell to define a calibration value for a parameter of the load cell. A user interface is configured to receive user input of a virtual symbol corresponding to the calibration reference symbol. A controller is configured to store a plurality of calibration reference symbols and a plurality of representative calibration values each associated with one of the plurality of calibration reference symbols, initiate a calibration procedure, determine a representative calibration value for each calibration reference symbol, calibrate the parameter of the load cell based on the representative calibration value determined based on the virtual symbol, and determine weight acting on the litter.

A carrier unit for a weight switching device includes a first shift weight carrier (34-1) which moves vertically in relation to a base, for vertically mounting a first shift weight arrangement (22-1R, 22-1L) which has two spaced-apart, parallel carrier arms (30-1R, 30-1L) connected by a bridging piece (32-1). A second shift weight carrier (34-2R, 34-2L) for vertically mounting, with play, a second shift weight arrangement (22-2R, 22-2L) which likewise has two spaced-apart, parallel carrier arms (30-2R, 30-2L) connected by another bridging piece (32-2), is likewise arranged in a vertically movable manner in relation to the base. The carrier arm pair (30-1R, 30-10 of the first shift weight carrier (34-1) is arranged between and parallel to the carrier arm pair (30-2R, 30-2L) of the second shift weight carrier (34-2), and each shift weight carrier (34-1; 34-2) is articulated to a common crosspiece (12) by two parallel links (23-1R, 23-1L; 23-2R, 23-2L).

A balance that includes a magazine for test weights (100) to be weighed in succession, a weighing device with a load carrier (200) holding a test weight (100) during an associated weighing operation, and a load changing device transferring the test weight to be weighed from the magazine to the load carrier. The magazine includes a motorized rotatable turntable (300), over the circumference of which the test weights are arranged distributed in test weight receptacles rotatable together with the turntable and with which the test weight receptacle carrying the test weight currently being weighed can be positioned in a weighing standby position above the load carrier. Each test weight receptacle is designed as a carrier gondola (400) mounted to the turntable in a manner vertically movable relative to the turntable and is adjustable in height relative to the turntable via a first motorized height adjustment unit (500, 500).

A method for configuring a calibration mechanism in a force sensor (100) has the steps of: coupling an end of the calibration lever (1071) to a loading end (102) of the force sensor; adjusting, in a no-load condition, the center of gravity (G.sub.0) of the unloaded calibration lever (1071), so that the center of gravity (G.sub.0) lies on a horizontal line (H) through the center of a calibration lever fulcrum (1031) at a fixed end (103) thereof; and adjusting, in a full-load condition, the center of gravity (G.sub.1) of the calibration lever (1071) loaded with the calibration weight (106), so that the center of gravity (G.sub.1) lies on the horizontal line (H) through the center of the calibration lever fulcrum. The calibration error caused by inclination in the force sensor is reduced by practice of this method.

An inclination of a weighing apparatus is automatically detected by the apparatus itself while preventing an increase in the number of components. In order to achieve the object described above, a weighing apparatus includes a weight sensor, a built-in weight to be loaded on the weight sensor, an adding/removing unit for adding/removing the built-in weight, a memory storing a theoretical value of the built-in weight, and an arithmetic processing unit, wherein the arithmetic processing unit includes an inclination angle computing unit configured to obtain an apparatus inclination angle from an arc-cosine of a weighing value of the built-in weight and the theoretical value of the built-in weight.

Methods and systems for eccentric load error correction are disclosed. A plurality of weighing data sets for a weight having a mass value are obtained, where the weight is loaded at different positions on a weighing platform of a weighing device. Differences between each of the weighing data sets and the average value of the plurality of weighing data sets or the mass value of the weight are calculated. Sensor correction coefficients are calculated and updated when the maximum absolute value of the differences exceeds a pre-set threshold. The weighing data sets are updated. The above steps are repeated until the absolute values of all the differences are less than the pre-set threshold.

A weighing scale has a housing accommodating a load cell, having fixed, deformation, movable portions. The fixed portion is connected to the housing, and the movable portion bears a spider having a platter. The deformation portion has a strain gauge measuring a weight acting on the platter. A strip light is attached to an external wall of the housing. A state machine of a controller depicts states of the weighing scale. The controller either: applies a voltage to the strip light in a pulsed manner when the state machine is in a first state, and applies a voltage to the strip light constantly in a second state; or applies a voltage to a third group of LED lamps of the strip light constantly in the first state, and applies a voltage to a second group of LED lamps of the strip light constantly in the second state.