Data processing: measuring – calibrating – or testing – Measurement system – Dimensional determination
Reexamination Certificate
1999-07-06
2002-12-31
Hoff, Marc S. (Department: 2857)
Data processing: measuring, calibrating, or testing
Measurement system
Dimensional determination
C702S158000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06502057
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is relevant to a transmitter unit for measuring instruments. More specifically, the present invention is relevant to a transmitter unit for measuring instruments that transmits measurement data measured by measuring instruments such as vernier caliper, depth gauge, and so on to external data processing instruments by wireless.
2. Description of Related Figure
Measurement data acquisition/processing systems are conventionally known, where each measurement terminal transmits measurement data to data processing instruments, and the data processing instruments calculate quality control data or statistic data by means of collecting and processing the measurement data transmitted from each measurement terminal.
Above all, in a system where each measurement terminal transmits measurement data by wireless (wireless measurement data transmission system), each measurement terminal needs to be equipped with a wireless transmitter unit respectively.
As a measurement terminal equipped with a wireless transmitter unit, a vernier caliper shown in
FIG. 7
is conventionally known, which consists of a electronic vernier caliper
1
and a transmitter unit
3
connected through a connection cable
2
.
The electronic vernier caliper
1
consists of a main beam
12
and a slider
14
travelling along the main beam
12
. The main beam
12
has an inner measuring jaw
11
A and an outer measuring jaw
11
B on the end. The slider
14
has an inner measuring jaw
13
A and an outer measuring jaw
13
B on the end to measure an artifact together with the jaw
11
A or
11
B by contact. The slider
14
is equipped with an electric hardware module for electronic vernier caliper.
As detail of the electric hardware module for electronic vernier caliper, the slider
14
is equipped with a signal processor
17
inside, a digital display
16
on front, and an output connector
18
on top. The signal processor
17
calculates travelling displacement of the slider
14
(measurement data) by processing signal from an incremental or absolute position sensor
15
fitted between the main beam
12
and the slider
14
to detect travelling displacement of the slider
14
along the main beam
12
. The digital display
16
displays measurement data calculated by the signal processor
17
. The output connector
18
outputs measurement data calculated by the signal processor
17
to the transmitter unit
3
through the connection cable
2
.
The vernier caliper shown on
FIG.7
is operated as follows. Contact the inner measurement jaw
11
A,
13
A or the outer measurement jaw
11
B,
13
B with an measurement artifact by travelling the slider
14
along the main beam
12
on condition that the transmitter unit
3
is connected with the output connector
18
on the slider
14
through the connection cable
2
. Then, travelling displacement of the slider
14
, in other words, dimension between the inner measurement jaw
11
A and
13
A or the outer measurement jaw
11
B and
13
B (measurement data) is digitally displayed on the digital display
16
. By pressing a transmission command switch (not shown) here, the measurement data is transmitted from the transmitter unit
3
by wireless.
However, according to the vernier caliper structure equipped with a conventional wireless transmitter unit, the connection cable
2
may obstruct measurement when travelling the slider
14
along the main beam
12
.
It is an idea to fix the transmitter unit
3
onto the slider
14
by using special fixing means since it is inconvenient to carry the electronic vernier caliper
1
with which the transmitter unit
3
is danglingly connected through the connection cable
2
. However, a special fixing mean to fix the transmitter unit
3
onto the slider
14
, besides the connection cable
2
to connect the electronic vernier caliper
1
with the transmitter unit
3
electrically, causes inevitable increase of number of components and cost.
In addition, the fixing work is difficult because the transmitter unit
3
has to be firmly fixed onto the slider
14
not to be obstructive to measurement. Furthermore, even if the transmitter unit
3
is firmly fixed onto the slider
14
, measurement may still be obstructed by interference between a measurement artifact and the transmitter unit
3
in case that profile of the transmitter unit
3
protrudes beyond front profile of the slider
14
.
This problem occurs not only in case of a vernier caliper but also other instruments, such as depth gauge (depth measuring instrument) or linear scale unit (linear displacement sensor), which measures dimensions of an artifact from the slider travelling displacement along the main beam, thickness gauge (thickness measuring instrument), which measures thickness of an artifact from the spindle travelling displacement against the frame in axial direction, and so on.
The object of the present invention is to provide a transmitter unit for measuring instruments which can overcome above conventional problem, in other words, which is not obstructive to measurement, does not cause increase of number of components, and can be attached onto measuring instruments firmly and easily.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In order to attain aforementioned object, the transmitter unit for measuring instruments on the present invention is to be attached to measuring instruments that have a main beam and a slider travelling along the main beam. As for detail of the measuring instruments, the slider has a signal processor to calculate measurement data based on the slider travelling displacement along the main beam and an output connector to output measurement data calculated by the signal processor. The transmitter unit for measuring instruments on the present invention is characterized as follows. The transmitter unit consists of a main unit, which accommodates a transmission circuit inside to transmit measurement data by wireless, and an attachment module to retain the main unit attachably and detachably on the slider. The attachment module, which is constituted to be plugged into and unplugged from the output connector on the slider, has a connector to connect the transmission circuit in the main unit with the output connector on the slider.
In this structure, by inserting the attachment module into the output connector on the slider, the transmission circuit in the main unit is electrically connected with the output connector on the slider automatically as well as the main unit is mechanically retained onto the slider.
In other words, mechanical means to retain the main unit onto the slider works also as electrical means to connect the transmission circuit in the main unit with the output connector on the slider. Accordingly, the transmitter unit can be attached firmly and easily only by inserting the attachment module into the output connector on the slider without using any extra components. In addition, this cableless structure can keep measurement free from obstruction by connection cables.
Also, the transmitter unit for measuring instruments on the present invention is to be attached to measuring instruments that have a main beam and a slider equipped with a digital display in addition to a signal processor and an output connector aforementioned above. The digital display displays the measurement data calculated by the signal processor. In this case, the attachment module retains the main unit attachably and detachably on second side of the slider opposite to first side on which the digital display is located. Further, the transmitter unit for measuring instruments on the present invention is characterized by that the main unit profile is formed at least not to protrude beyond first side profile of the slider on condition that the main unit is retained onto second side of the slider, in addition to the aforementioned characters.
This structure can keep measurement free from obstruction by interference between a measurement artifact and the main unit, besides the aforementioned effects, since the main unit profile at lea
Barbee Manuel L.
Hoff Marc S.
Mitutoyo Corporation
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