Fluxgate Sensors for Onboard Weighing Systems of Heavy-Duty Dump Trucks

The article reviews the results of the authors’ research on the possibility of using the magnetic field strength generated by DC traction motors as a useful signal carrying information about weight of cargo transported by a mining dump truck.

The objective of the research was to find a way to determine weight of cargo carried by a mining dump truck. In contrast to the existing onboard weighing systems, it becomes possible to create a compact autonomous device that does not require integration of sensors into the body structure and electrical circuits of the truck.

Problems of increasing the efficiency of measuring devices based on fluxgate converters are considered with the view of using them as onboard systems for estimating cargo weight. The sensitivity of the fluxgate sensor can be increased by increasing both the amplitude and the effective value of the voltage applied to its excitation winding. The proposed original circuit for feeding the fluxgate sensor’s excitation winding from a modulated signal generator made on logical elements allows increasing the voltage supplied to the fluxgate sensor’s excitation winding without increasing the supply voltage, and by increasing voltage surges at the fronts of rectangular modulated high-frequency pulses, as well as due to resonant phenomena. The use of such a generator excludes the influence of the fluxgate sensor’s excitation winding on the generator frequency, since the frequency of modulating signals becomes the operating frequency of the fluxgate sensor, and it remains unchanged. The increased sensitivity makes it possible to install the sensor in any convenient place in the dump truck cab, and not in the immediate vicinity of traction motors.

Evaluation of cargo weight is carried out during movement of the dump truck along the control section of the road. The readings are taken from an ammeter (milliammeter), the scale of which is pre-calibrated in mass units. Measurements of mass should be carried out under the same modes of dump truck movement and with the same location of the fluxgate sensor as when calibrating the scale of the measuring device. The control section of the route on which the measurements are carried out must be the same or similar to the one on which the measuring device was calibrated.

The proposed device is distinguished by ease of use, is characterised by low energy consumption, is compact, does not contain expensive elements and does not require careful maintenance.

1. Fainvlit, M. A., Ilvuldin, D. Kh. Substantiation of the loading specifications for HD-1200 and Cat-785 dump trucks at Udachninsky GOK [Obosnovanie pasporta zagruzki avtosamosvalov HD-1200 i Cat-785 na Udachinskom GOKe]. Gorniy Zhurnal, 2000, Iss. 7, pp. 49–51.

2. Dyakov, V. A. Transport machines and opencast mining complexes [Transportnie mashiny i kompleksy otkrytykh razrabotok]. Moscow, Nedra publ., 1986, 344 p.

3. Vasiliev, M. V. Transport processes and equipment in quarries [Transportnie protsessy i oborudovanie na kar’erakh]. Moscow, Nedra publ., 1986, 240 p.

4. Kuleshov, A. A., Semyonov, M. A. Efficiency and prospects of application of onboard loading control systems and accounting for operation of mining dump trucks [Effektivnost i perspektivy primeneniya bortovykh system kontrolya zagruzki i ucheta raboty kar ’ernykh avtosamosvalov]. Gornie mashiny i elektromekhanika, 2000, Iss. 3, pp. 35–38.

5. Semyonov, M. A., Bolshunova, O. M. Improving the accuracy of weighing the cargo in the body of a dump truck [Povysehnie tochnosti vzveshivaniya massy gruza v kuzove kar’ernogo avtosamosvala]. Gornoe oborudovanie i elektromekhanika, 2009, Iss. 9, pp. 39–41.

6. Semyonov, M. A., Bolshunova, O. M. Control of loading of dump trucks [Kontrol zagruzki kar’ernykh avtosamosvalov]. Notes of the Mining Institute. St. Petersburg, 2008, Vol. 178, pp. 143–145.

7. Rudenko, V. A., Klebanov, A. F. Experience in the use of onboard controllers on dump trucks «BelAZ» [Opyt primeneniya bortovykh kontrollerov na kar’ernykh samosvalakh «BelAZ»]. Gornaya promyshlennost, 2002, Iss. 6, pp. 38–39.

8. Afanasyev, Yu. V. Fluxgate sensors [Ferrozondovie pribory]. Leningrad, Energoatomizdat publ., 1986, 188 p.

9. Milovzorov, V. P. Electromagnetic automation devices [Elektromagnitnie ustroistva avtomatiki]. Moscow, Vysshaya shkola publ., 1974, 414 p.

10. Nikishechkin, A. P., Dubrovin, L. M., Davydenko, V. I. DC motor as a source of diagnostic information [Dvigatel postoyannogo toka kak istochnik diagnosticheskoi informatsii]. Pribory i sistemy. Upravlenie, control, diagnostika, 2016, Iss. 7, pp. 53–58. [Electronic resource]: https://elibrary.ru/item.asp?id=26700269. Last accessed 24.12.2020.

11. Nikishechkin, A. P., Dubrovin, L. M., Davydenko, V. I. Measurement of the mass of the load of hoisting-andtransport devices by the parameters of the magnetic field generated by DC motor [Izmerenie massy gruza pod’emnotransportnykh ustroistv po parametram magnitnogo polya, sozdavaemogo dvigatelem postoyannogo toka]. Vestnik MGTU Stankin, 2016, Iss. 1, pp. 64–67.

12. Nikishechkin, A. P., Dubrovin, L. M. Operational identification of cutting force with the parameters of the magnetic field generated by DC motor of the main motion drive [Operativnoe opredelenie sily rezaniya poparametram magnitnogo polya, sozdavaemogo dvigatelem postoyannogo toka privoda glavnogo dvizheniya]. Vestnik MGTU Stankin, 2015, Iss. 4, pp. 42–45. [Electronic resource]: https://elibrary.ru/item.asp?id=25286530. Last accessed 24.12.2020.

13. Baranova, V. E. Measurement of a weak magnetic field based on a fluxgate sensor. Ph.D. (Eng) thesis: 05.11.01 [Izmerenie slabogo magnitnogo polya na osnove ferrozondovogo datchika. Dis… kand. tekh. nauk: 05.11.01]. Tomsk, 2015, 134 p.

14. Dubrovin, L. M., Nikishechkin, A. P., Davydenko, V. I. A method for train weight estimation. World of Transport and Transportation, 2016, Vol. 14, Iss. 2 (63), pp. 48–55. [Electronic resource]: https://mirtr.elpub.ru/jour/article/view/909/1185. Last accessed 24.12.2020.

15. Dubrovin, L. M., Nikishechkin, A. P., Davydenko, V. I. Improving the efficiency of measuring devices based on flux-gate converters [Povyshenie effektivnosti izmeritelnykh ustroistv na baze ferrozondovykh preobrazovatelei]. Pribory i sistemy. Upravlenie, kontrol’, diagnostika, 2018, Iss. 2, pp. 28–33. [Electronic resource]: https://elibrary.ru/item.asp?id=32607744. Last accessed 24.12.2020.

16. Nikishechkin, A. P., Dubrovin, L. M., Davydenko, V. I. Frequency-metric method of constructing measuring devices based on a fluxgate converter [Chastotometricheskiy sposob postroeniya izmeritelnykh ustroistv na baze ferrozondovogo preobrazovatelya]. Vestnik MGTU Stankin, 2019, Iss. 4 (51), pp. 28–31. [Electronic resource]: https://elibrary.ru/item.asp?id=41866485. Last accessed 24.12.2020.

17. Pakhomov, P. I., Kaplina, T. Yu. Automatic weighing of rock mass transported by a quarry vehicle [Avtomaticheskoe vzveshivanie gornoi massy, perevozimoi kar’ernym avtotransportom]. Gorniy informatsionno-analiticheskiy byulleten, 2006, Iss. 5, pp. 268–274. [Electronic resource]: https://elibrary.ru/item.asp?id=9484915. Last accessed 24.12.2020.

18. Nelson, L. J. A load on the road. Traffic Technol. Int., 2002. June–July. [Electronic resource]: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/A-LOAD-ON-THE-ROAD-Nelson/dc94ac717247ec58933f8687b96bb86097d86282. Last accessed 24.12.2020.

19. Verfahren und Vorrichtung zur Ermittlung des Gewichts der Masse eines Fahrzeugs. Appl. 19963402 Germany, G 01 G19/08/ Ries-Mueller Klaus; Robert Bosch GmbH, No. 19963402.5.

20. Verfahren zur Feststellung der Gewichtsbelastung einer gegenueber dem Fahrzeugaufbau gefederten, luftbereiften Fahrzeugachse. Appl. 10127567 Germany IPC7 В 60 Р 5/00%В 60 G 17/04 Ebert Joerg; BPW Bergische Achsen KG, No. 10127567.6; Appl. 06.06.2001; Publ. 12.12.2002.

21. Lenz, J. E. A Review of Magnetic Sensors. Proceeding of the IEEE, 1990, Vol. 78, Iss. 6, pp. 973–989. DOI: 10.1109/5.56910.

22. Ripka, P. Magnetic Sensors and Magnetometers. Boston: Artech house, 2001, 494 p.

23. Baschirotto, A., Dallago E., Ferr, M., Malcovati, P. A 2D Micro-Fluxgate Earth Magnetic Field Measurement Systems with Fully Automated Acquisition Setup. Measurement, 2010, Vol. 43 (1), pp. 46–53. DOI: 10.1016/j.measurement.2009.06.007.

24. Butta, M., Ripka, P. Model for coil-less fluxgate. Sensors and Actuators A: Physical, 2009, Vol. 156, Iss. 1, pp. 269−273. DOI: 10.1016/j.sna.2009.08.026.

25. Chong, Lei; Jian, Lei; Zhen, Yang; Tao, Wang; Yong, Zhou. A low power micro fluxgate sensor with improved magnetic core. Microsystem Technologies, 2012, Vol. 19, Iss. 4, pp. 591–598. DOI: 10.1007/s00542-012-1669-8.