Year
2002
Abstract
Successful inventory confirmation measurements in SNM storage monitoring scenarios require electronic systems that are capable of long-term, reliable operation. Reliability can be improved by using systems with a minimum of inaccessible active components. A resonant weight pad has been designed to determine item mass with only two passive components located at the SNM storage point. During operation, the resonant weight pad and the monitored item become a mass-spring system, whose resonant frequency is related to the item’s mass. This paper describes a Digital Signal Processor (DSP) based control system that is capable of determining resonance and correlating it to a mass value. In addition, the control system provides a communication link between the weight pad and a host processor.