Patent ID: 6199020
Filing Date: 2001-03-06
Classification: G01C

Abstract:
An external force measuring apparatus, comprising:external force detecting means for detecting, as a detection signal, the external force applied to an object to be measured;signal value reading means for reading in the detection signal received from said external force detecting means at predetermined time intervals and for outputting it as a read signal value;external force action determining means for determining whether an external force is being applied to said external force detecting means by comparing a subtracted value obtained by subtracting a zero signal value, which is established when no external force is being applied, from the read signal value supplied by said signal value reading means, with a preset first threshold value;zero signal value updating and setting means for updating and setting said read signal value as a new zero signal value if it has been determined by said external force action determining means that no external force is being applied to said external force detecting means;subtracted value determining means for comparing a subtracted value obtained by subtracting a zero signal value, which has been updated and set or which has not been updated and set by said zero signal value updating and setting means, from the read signal value supplied by said signal value reading means, with a preset second threshold value so as to determine whether said subtracted value is smaller than said second threshold value; andsubtracted value zero setting means for setting said subtracted value to zero if said subtracted value determining means has determined that said subtracted value is smaller than said second threshold value.