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Mative’s solution for on-board load weight measurement

· 7 min read
Gianmaria Meriano
Mative CEO & Founder

In modern logistics, transport, and industrial fleet management, accurate measurement of transported payload has evolved from a simple operational choice to a critical business function. Lacking real-time visibility into vehicle load leads to severe operational risks: overloading penalties, premature wear of tires and mechanical components, exponential increases in fuel consumption, compromised road safety, and logistical inefficiencies like under-utilized trips.

Traditionally, the market has addressed this need by installing load cells directly into the vehicle suspension or by relying exclusively on external static weighbridges. Although effective, these solutions involve high structural costs, prolonged vehicle downtime during installation, and significant vulnerability to the mechanical and environmental shocks typical of construction sites or quarries.

However, an alternative approach engineered by Mative proves to be highly pragmatic, robust, and cost-effective: transforming the vehicle's own structure into a natural sensor by leveraging the mechanical micro-deformation of the chassis and suspension system.

TAX INCENTIVES: ITALY'S TRANSIZIONE 4.0

Did you know that the Mative on-board weighing solution fully complies with the requirements of the Italian "Piano Transizione 4.0"? Thanks to native integration with industrial telematics trackers and bidirectional interconnection with the Mative Cloud platform, this investment qualifies your new industrial vehicles and machinery for the 4.0 Tax Credit (under Annex A of Law 232/2016 for weighing and material handling devices). This is a tangible opportunity to digitize your logistics while drastically cutting implementation costs. Contact us for more details and to receive technical support on regulatory compliance.

The Physical Principle: The Chassis as a Natural Sensor​

From a materials science perspective, every industrial vehicle obeys the laws of linear elasticity (Hooke's Law). When a load is placed on a truck bed, the chassis and suspension system (whether mechanical leaf springs or pneumatic systems) undergo compression and elastic deformation directly proportional to the applied mass.

This vertical deformation translates into a macroscopic alteration of the alignment and relative distance between the fixed chassis (upper frame rails) and the rear axles (unsprung mass).

While traditional systems try to measure vertical force directly (compression), the Mative solution interprets this geometric variation as a relative angular rotation. The heavier the payload, the greater the vertical deflection of the suspension system, and consequently, the wider the geometric angle measured by the mechanical linkage connected to the sensor.

The Technological Solution: Angular Sensor + Mechanical Linkage​

The hardware system developed by Mative stands out for its structural simplicity, minimizing potential mechanical and electrical failure points. It consists of two key components:

1. Industrial-Grade Analog Angular Sensor​

A high-precision rotary Hall-effect or potentiometric sensor is used, enclosed in a rugged, waterproof housing with an IP67/IP69K protection rating (resistant to water, mud, and fine dust). Installed on the vehicle's fixed chassis, it outputs a standardized analog signal (0–5V or 0–10V) featuring high immunity to electromagnetic interference.

2. Linkage and Mechanical Rod Structure​

An articulated metal rod equipped with spherical joints (uniball) connects the wheel axle to the sensor lever. This linkage plays a crucial role:

  • Axles (Input): Experience vertical movement due to loading operations and road roughness.
  • Connecting Rod (Conversion): Transforms linear vertical displacement into pure rotational movement.
  • Sensor (Output): Reads the angular variation in degrees or radians, instantly translating it into electrical voltage.

On-Board Intelligence: Signal Processing and Edge Computing​

The raw analog signal generated by the sensor would be useless without on-board processing and digitization. The electrical voltage is captured by an industrial telematics tracker (IoT Gateway) installed inside the cabin.

The tracker does not merely digitize the signal (via a 10 or 12-bit Analog-to-Digital conversion), but performs complex Edge Computing tasks:

  • Dynamic Filtering: On-board software applies moving average algorithms or low-pass filters to eliminate "noise" and sudden oscillations caused by potholes, speed bumps, or braking while driving.
  • Data Enrichment: The weight value (or current angle) is sampled and instantly cross-referenced with GPS coordinates, vehicle speed, engine status (ON/OFF), and timestamps.
  • Smart Transmission: Data packets are optimized and transmitted to the Cloud infrastructure via cellular networks (4G/5G/LTE-M), ensuring connectivity even in low-coverage areas.

End-to-End IoT Architecture​

The data flow of the Mative solution follows a structured 5-layer IoT architecture, ensuring raw data is successfully turned into actionable insights for the Fleet Manager:

  1. Angular Sensor (Edge Hardware): Detects mechanical deformation and generates voltage variation (0-5V / 0-10V).
  2. Telematics Tracker (Edge Computing): Acquires the signal, applies stabilization filters, appends geolocational data, and digitizes the packet.
  3. Cellular Network (Connectivity): Safely transports data, encrypting it via industrial IoT protocols (e.g., MQTT, CoAP, or HTTPS).
  4. Synapsis IoT by Mative (Cloud Data Bridge): Backend layer responsible for massive data ingestion, real-time buffering, and applying the mathematical conversion models (calibration).
  5. Mative Cloud (Dashboard & Analytics): The application front-end where the end user views data through intuitive charts, receives real-time alerts on overload attempts, and generates advanced fleet efficiency reports.

The Calibration Process and Linear Accuracy​

Because every vehicle possesses unique structural rigidity and elastic responses, the system's accuracy relies on an initial calibration phase, managed entirely through software algorithms within the Mative cloud:

  1. Tare Point (Empty Vehicle): The minimum voltage emitted by the sensor when the vehicle is completely empty is recorded.
  2. Known Load Points: Intermediate and full-load weighings are carried out at a certified public weighbridge, storing the corresponding voltage values.
  3. Angle-to-Weight Conversion Curve: The cloud algorithm processes these reference points to generate a custom mathematical regression curve for that specific vehicle.

Typical Accuracy: The solution guarantees an accuracy range between 3% and 5% of the maximum payload. This margin of error is ideal for remote logistics monitoring, delivering excellent visibility without the prohibitive costs of commercial-grade certified load cells.

Ideal Application Fields​

This technology delivers its highest value in demanding operational environments where traditional weighing systems would suffer frequent breakdowns:

  • Concrete Mixers: Monitoring concrete payload and preventing solid buildup inside the mixing drum.
  • Tipper Trucks and Dumpers: Immediate verification during loading operations in quarries to prevent road fines.
  • Aggregates and Bulk Transport: Trip optimization to maximize fleet productivity without exceeding legal limits.
  • Construction and Municipal Fleets: Tracking the volume of materials or waste handled per job site or operational route.

Competitive Advantages of the Mative Solution​

  • Non-Invasive, Quick Installation: Requires no structural modifications to the chassis or suspension (unlike load cells). Installation takes only a few hours, eliminating workshop downtime.
  • Reduced Total Cost of Ownership (TCO): Costs a fraction of traditional load cell systems, making large-scale adoption across an entire corporate fleet highly scalable.
  • Mechanical Robustness and Resilience: Located outside the direct load path, the sensor is protected from violent shocks caused by heavy materials dropping into the truck bed.
  • Native IoT Integration: Data is not isolated on an in-cab display; it is natively shared and integrated with company ERP and management software through Mative Cloud.
  • Minimal Maintenance: No hydraulic fluids or components under constant load stress, drastically reducing the need for recalibration or repairs.

Conclusion​

The Mative on-board load weight measurement solution proves that the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) must be driven by pragmatism. Instead of overloading vehicles with complex, expensive, and delicate hardware, the smarter approach is to exploit the intrinsic physical properties of the vehicle, shifting accuracy and intelligence to cloud-based software data processing.

Optimizing logistics, protecting corporate assets, and ensuring regulatory compliance has never been this straightforward and efficient.