What is the sensitivity in load cell?

Answer 1

A load cell is an electronic device (transducer) that is used to convert a force into an electrical signal. This conversion is indirect and happens in two stages. Through a mechanical arrangement, the force being sensed deforms a strain gauge. The strain gauge converts the deformation (strain) to electrical signals. A load cell usually consists of four strain gauges in a Wheatstone bridge configuration. Load cells of one or two strain gauges are also available. The electrical signal output is typically in the order of a few millivolts and requires amplification by an instrumentation amplifier before it can be used. The output of the transducer is plugged into an algorithm to calculate the force applied to the transducer.

Sensitivity (mV/V) = Full Scale Output (mV) / Excitation Voltage (V)

mV = milli Volt

V = Volts

Standard sensitivities are 2 mV/V and 3 mV/V

Example:

For a load cell with 10V excitation has 20 mV full scale output, sensitivity is 20mV / 10V i.e. 2mV/V.

Answer 2

Load sensitivity is the ability to sense and to compensate for changes in the load. A voltage regulator, for instance, provides a current flow into a node of a circuit and monitors the voltage at the node. If the circuit connected to that node (the load) were to start drawing more current, the voltage at that node would drop. The regulator would sense this and compensate by providing more current, restoring the voltage to the correct value.