eli5: how does an elevator know it’s overloaded
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The elevator has sensors that can tell how heavy the cab is. It works the same way a crane can tell how heavy of a load it is picking up.
There are sensors on the elevator. Force sensors (which could be as simple as a spring which extends past a certain point) can be installed and monitor tension on the elevator cable. Solid state sensors (like that used in modern electronic weighing machines) are also used.
It has weight sensors that measure how heavy the elevator is at any given point in time. It’s usually calibrated to consider the empty elevator as “0”.
The computer is programmed with certain weight thresholds and what to do when they are reached.
Simplified further: basically every elevator has a scale attached that tells it’s computer how heavy it is.
Load cells. A electronic device used to measure mass. It converts a changing resistance due to mass to a measurable signal like 4-20mA
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