Product and System Development
Occasionally when we develop a system to perform a critical measurement, the system has the potential of becoming a viable product itself. In another example of a critical measurement, we instrumented the connecting arm of an automatic garage door opener for a client who was developing a new spring assist device. Most garage doors are counterbalanced by a mechanical spring loaded in direct torsion or in tension through a cable pulley system. Our client was developing a new counterbalance system and needed to accurately measure the load carried by the lift chain motor drive system. Applying strain gages directly to the connecting link and calibrating the applying known tensile loads provided an electronic measurement of the load on the motor.
While this exercise was performed to measure the load on the lifting motor, it could be developed into a new feature for the garage door system, such as a safety link for preventing an overload on the motor or an accidental release of the door weight.