Patent · US Expired

Electronic wall-stud sensor display

US6198271A · kind A · utility

64Cited by
23References
4Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateMar 26, 1999
Grant dateMar 6, 2001
Priority date
Expiry dateMar 26, 2019

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG01V3/15
  • WIPO fieldMeasurement
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

A device for locating the edges of wall studs includes a comparison circuit connected to each of three capacitive elements. As the device is moved along a wall, the comparison circuit monitors the relative charge time associated with each capacitive element, the charge times providing an indication of the relative capacitances of the three capacitive elements. Changes in the relative capacitances of the three elements as the device is moved along a wall are due to a change in the dielectric constant of the wall, which normally results from the presence of a wall stud behind the surface over which the device is moved. The comparison circuit uses differences in the measured relative capacitances of the first, second, and third capacitive elements to locate the edges of the stud.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.