Sealed mechanical configuration for electronic calipers for reliable operation in contaminated environments
US5574381A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jan 6, 1995 |
| Grant date | Nov 12, 1996 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jan 6, 2015 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG01B7/02
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
An electronic caliper configuration making such calipers more reliable in the presence of liquid and particulate contaminants. Included in the caliper configuration is an elongated cavity added to the main beam of the caliper. The cavity is sealed with a cover. The measuring scale element of the measuring transducer, and the associated shorter pickoff element are mounted in this cavity. The depth bar, ordinarily attached to the sliding jaw in conventional calipers, is inserted into the cavity through a hole or holes aligned parallel to the longitudinal axis of the caliper and internally joined to the moving transducer element. A conventional lip seal provides an effective seal around the diameter of the depth bar. An external portion of the depth bar is coupled to the sliding jaw of the caliper via axially rigid linkage or alternately an axially rigid flexure. In this way, the internally isolated transducer elements can be actuated by the external sliding caliper jaw. As a result, the measuring transducer elements, which are contamination sensitive, may be isolated within a cavity in a caliper which nearly maintains the preferred, historically proven form and functions to provide a…
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.