How To Correctly Distinguish And Select Force Sensors And Load Cells

A force sensor is a device that converts the magnitude of force into related electrical signals. Force is the direct cause of changes in the movement of matter. The force sensor can detect mechanical quantities such as tension, tension, pressure, weight, torque, internal stress and strain. Specific devices include metal strain gauges, pressure sensors, etc., which have become indispensable core components in power equipment, construction machinery, various types of working machines and industrial automation systems.
The load cell is actually a device that converts the quality signal into a measurable electrical signal output. The use of the sensor should first consider the actual working environment in which the sensor is located. This is crucial for the correct selection of the load cell. It is related to whether the sensor can work normally and its service life, and even the reliability of the entire weighing instrument. In terms of the basic concepts and evaluation methods of the main technical indicators of load cells, there are qualitative differences between the old and new national standards. There are several styles such as S type, cantilever type, spoke type, plate ring type, membrane box type, bridge type, column type and so on.
There is no difference between sensors used for mass calibration and force calibration. However, with the improvement of the accuracy of the sensors and the increase in the requirements for the measurement of mass or force values, some specially designed sensors have been developed. In addition to early general-purpose sensors, specially designed load cells and force sensors have very different specifications.
General purpose sensors can only be used within a certain accuracy range. Sensors for high-accuracy measuring disks must be designed separately and indicate whether they are used for force measurement or weighing. The main difference between these two types of sensors is caused by different ways of applying force. For the load cell where the sub is fixedly installed on the electronic scale, the force is always introduced in the same way, and the error that may be generated when the force is introduced has been taken into account when verifying the entire electronic scale. The load cell has no strict requirements on the tolerance of sensitivity. Force sensors are related to different installation states and will be loaded incorrectly. If possible, the force sensor should not be affected by incorrect loading such as lateral forces and bending moments.

The force sensor has strict requirements on the tolerance of the verification force. For load cells, the sum of their deviations should be within a certain tolerance band, while for force sensors, it is required to keep the data of all single indicators within the specified deviations. As a result, these two types of sensors are indistinguishable in terms of technical requirements and processing methods of test results. In today's era of microprocessors, there is no problem in assessing the total error of the load cell according to the international legal metrology organization or national verification regulations. Regulatory agencies have different interests in these two types of sensors.
Strict weight sensors have been strictly regulated by the National Verification Regulations, but regulatory agencies are only interested in force sensors as a tool for measuring force values. A special purpose is to use the latter for force value transfer standards between national metrology research institutions, or between a country's metrology research institutions and relevant verification departments. Recommendation standards are also different.