Dual bridge load cells

A double-bridge force transducer is a transducer with two independent Wheatstone bridges equipped with strain gauges. In the context of high-risk industrial applications where, according to the Machine Directive, high levels of SIL (Safety Integrity Levels) or PL (Performance Levels) are required, safety is provided by an independent safety control device. The device’s critical point of performance lies in its resistance to defects. This resistance depends on both the quality and reliability of the components, and in particular on its structure (or architecture). These safety devices are essentially built according to the well-known ‘measurement signal / control logic / actuator’ architecture. High SIL or PL levels can only be achieved by using the redundancy of the parts. Thanks to these double-bridge measuring force transducers, SENSY technology enables the redundancy of the required measuring signal to be supplied to the safety control logic device. The monitoring and comparison of these redundant signals, performed by the control logic (safety PLC, configurable logic block ‘fail-safe’) provides the means of avoiding, detecting or tolerating defects. In this case, a fault in the measurement signal will be detected and processed before the next request for the safety function. Another reason to employ a second bridge is to have a spare bridge for very large capacity transducers or for transducers placed where mounting and accessibility are very difficult in order to facilitate dealing with the problem of signal drift or ripped cable.