Abstract
A mass measurement system using the self-excited oscillation of a relay feedback system was proposed. The system contains an on-off relay with dead zone and switches force acting on the object in relation to the position. An analytical study showed that the mass of the object is determined from the time interval measurement of the on-state and off-state periods. An apparatus was developed for experimental study. It uses a voice coil motor for generating force, and a pair of photo interrupters for detecting the switching positions. The effects of system parameters on measurement accuracy were studied experimentally. Under the tuned conditions, the measurement errors were within 0.2%. The effects of damping on measurement accuracy were also studied experimentally.
