Rolling electronic length measuring device
US7036241B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jul 19, 2004 |
| Grant date | May 2, 2006 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Aug 17, 2024 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG01B3/12
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
An electronic measuring device is disclosed which includes a pair of wheels connected to an axle that passes through a drive gear. The drive gear is enmeshed to a second gear which, in turn, is coaxially connected to an encoder disk. The encoder disk has spaced-apart fins around its outer periphery. As the wheels turn and the encoder disk rotates, the fins and openings between the fins pass between an emitter and a receiver. The emitter and receiver are linked to a controller which calculates the distance traversed by the wheels based upon the number of fins that pass between the emitter and receiver, or with an active counting system (ACS). The controller also includes functions to establish start and stop points for a measurement and an easy means for dividing a measured distance into equal parts or segments and a means for marking the boundary points that define the segments when the measuring device is rolled back across the measured distance. The device can be used on both planar and non-planar surfaces.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.