Method and apparatus for measuring the distance between a body a

Electricity: measuring and testing – Impedance – admittance or other quantities representative of... – Lumped type parameters

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324662, 324678, 324688, 324679, G01R 2726

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active

050217402

ABSTRACT:
A distance-measuring apparatus for measuring the distance between a capacitance-type sensing probe (60) and a nearby surface of a conductive body is provided. A probe (60) includes a plurality of measuring electrodes (56.sub.l -56.sub.n) and a grounding electrode (58). The grounding electrode protrudes from the probe and grounds the nearby surface of the conductive body. A control system (10) is connected to the probe (60). A processor (12) issues control instructions, S.sub.CTL, to a selector (16). The selector (16) selects one of a plurality of measuring electrodes (56.sub.l -56.sub.n) and connects the selected electrode to a converter (14). A charging circuit (18) applies a charging voltage to the selected electrode, causing a capacitor formed by the selected electrode and the nearby surface of the conductive body to charge up. A timing circuit (22) starts a counter (32) when one of the measuring electrodes (56.sub.l -56.sub.n) is selected and stops the counter (32) when a capacitor charge voltage, V".sub.C, becomes greater than or equal to a threshold voltage, V.sub.T. The counter (32) counts clock pulses, V.sub.CK, produced by a clock (34) and produces a count value, S.sub.CNT, that is proportional to the charge time of the capacitor. The processor (12) translates the S.sub.CNT value into a distance value corresponding to the distance between the sensing probe (60) and the nearby surface of the body being inspected.

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Getex, You Can Make 192 Quality Checks on Any One of These Holes in Just 3 Seconds, Jan. 2, 1986, 15 pgs.

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