Methods and apparatus for determining the location of a shaft within a vessel
US6434847B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Nov 2, 1999 |
| Grant date | Aug 20, 2002 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Nov 2, 2019 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG01N2013/006
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
Apparatus and methods for measuring the amount by which the centerline of a shaft disposed in a vessel is offset from the central vertical axis of the vessel, and for measuring the height of such shaft above the inside bottom of the vessel. Apparatus includes a shaft centerline offset measurement device, a shaft height measurement device, and a control/display console. Each measurement device includes a transducer or optical encoder for sensing a displaced position of a biased plunger to which a code strip is mounted. The devices may be combined into a single shaft offset and height measurement device. Improved methods include calculating shaft offset based on a plurality of readings from the transducer, and applying trigonometric relationships. The apparatus and methods are particularly useful in the verification of paddle or basket shafts utilized in dissolution testing stations, so that the dissolution testing protocol complies with government agency guidelines.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.