Medical-grade Digital Weight Scale
Format
SOECS Senior Project Demonstration
Faculty Mentor Name
Cherian Matthews
Abstract/Artist Statement
The project identification is to design a digital weight scale that has the capability to archive and export the data to a PC. Our current plan for the digital weighing scale is to use an existing commercial scale and .replace the electronics with our own. We have decided to utilize a medical-grade scale which was donated to our group ($400 value). This device uses a vibration type measuring device based on a piezoelectric driver and receiver instead of the low-end strain gauge design. We will need a microcontroller with some DSP functionality to perform signal analysis with the AC signal coming in from the piezoelectric receiver. We will also need another microcontroller for the LCD module and purchase an NXP LCD to display the weight. We have found that the piezoelectric design will be a more technical project for us to do as it will require more analysis with the input signal. The existing electronics on the medical-grade scale are divided into two boards: a measurement board, located in the base, and a display/user interface board in the stand. We have divided the group's tasks into two groups with similar scopes. The first group will handle the development of the LCD as well as the hardware computer interface and data logging. The second group will be tasked with processing the piezoelectric signals and converting the measured signal into a weight reading.
Location
School of Engineering & Computer Science
Start Date
3-5-2008 2:00 PM
End Date
3-5-2008 3:30 PM
Medical-grade Digital Weight Scale
School of Engineering & Computer Science
The project identification is to design a digital weight scale that has the capability to archive and export the data to a PC. Our current plan for the digital weighing scale is to use an existing commercial scale and .replace the electronics with our own. We have decided to utilize a medical-grade scale which was donated to our group ($400 value). This device uses a vibration type measuring device based on a piezoelectric driver and receiver instead of the low-end strain gauge design. We will need a microcontroller with some DSP functionality to perform signal analysis with the AC signal coming in from the piezoelectric receiver. We will also need another microcontroller for the LCD module and purchase an NXP LCD to display the weight. We have found that the piezoelectric design will be a more technical project for us to do as it will require more analysis with the input signal. The existing electronics on the medical-grade scale are divided into two boards: a measurement board, located in the base, and a display/user interface board in the stand. We have divided the group's tasks into two groups with similar scopes. The first group will handle the development of the LCD as well as the hardware computer interface and data logging. The second group will be tasked with processing the piezoelectric signals and converting the measured signal into a weight reading.