HARDNESS METER AND HARDNESS MEASURING METHOD

• US 20190313962A1
• Filed: 12/15/2017
• Published: 10/17/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Maxell, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Maxell, Ltd.
• Inventors: SANO, Yuko, KANDORI, Akihiko, OKIMOTO, Mitsuo, ANDO, Shigemitsu, WATANABE, Mitsunobu
• Granted Patent: US 11,337,641 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2505/07 Home care
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0219 Inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers, gyroscopes, tilt switches
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0223 Magnetic field sensors
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0247 Pressure sensors
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0252 Load cells
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0053 by applying pressure, e.g. compression, indentation, palpation, grasping, gauging
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/442 Evaluating skin mechanical properties, e.g. elasticity, hardness, texture, wrinkle assessment
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/445 Evaluating skin irritation or skin trauma, e.g. rash, eczema, wound, bed sore
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4848 Monitoring or testing the effects of treatment, e.g. of medication
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4854 Diagnosis based on concepts of traditional oriental medicine
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/743 Displaying an image simultaneously with additional graphical information, e.g. symbols, charts, function plots
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2203/0005 Repeated or cyclic
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2203/0019 Compressive
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2203/0032 using mechanical means
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2203/0083 Rebound strike or reflected energy
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2203/0218 Calculations based on experimental data
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2203/0617 Electrical or magnetic indicating, recording or sensing means
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 3/40 Investigating hardness or rebound hardness

Abstract

The objective of the present invention is to provide a hardness meter which estimates hardness in a stable manner regardless of a compression strength. Disclosed is a hardness meter characterized in being provided with: a movable portion which is continuously pressed against an object to be measured; a sensor which outputs an output signal reflecting a reaction force at a part of the object to be measured that is in contact with the movable portion; a motive force mechanism that causes the movable portion to perform a piston motion; and a hardness estimating portion which estimates the hardness of the object to be measured on the basis of an alternating current component of the output signal, generated by the piston motion of the movable portion.

Claims

1. A hardness meter comprising:

a movable portion which is continuously pressed against an object to be measured;

a sensor which outputs an output signal reflecting a reaction force at a part of the object to be measured that is in contact with the movable portion;

a motive force mechanism that causes the movable portion to perform a piston motion; and

a hardness estimating portion which estimates the hardness of the object to be measured on the basis of an alternating current component of the output signal, generated by the piston motion of the movable portion.

2. The hardness meter according to claim 1,

wherein the hardness estimating portion estimates the hardness of the object to be measured on the basis of an amplitude of the alternating current component of the output signal.

3. The hardness meter according to claim 2,

wherein the hardness estimating portion estimates the hardness of the object to be measured on the basis of the amplitude of the alternating current component when a magnitude of a direct current component of the output signal is fixed at a predetermined value.

4. The hardness meter according to claim 2,

wherein the hardness estimating portion estimates the hardness of the object to be measured on the basis of a magnitude of a direct current component when the amplitude of the alternating current component of the output signal is fixed at a predetermined value.

5. The hardness meter according to claim 2 comprising an abnormal waveform detecting unit which detects an abnormal waveform under a condition that a magnitude of a direct current component of the output signal is out of a certain range,

wherein the hardness estimating portion estimates the hardness of the object to be measured on the basis of the alternating current component of the output signal in a range where the abnormal waveform is undetected at the abnormal waveform detecting unit.

6. The hardness meter according to claim 2, comprising an abnormal waveform detecting unit which detects an abnormal waveform under a condition that an upper limit and a lower limit of the alternating current component of the output signal are undetectable,

wherein the hardness estimating portion estimates the hardness of the object to be measured on the basis of the alternating current component of the output signal in a range where the abnormal waveform is undetected at the abnormal waveform detecting unit.

7. The hardness meter according to claim 2 comprising a voltage and pressure conversion unit which converts an output voltage of the sensor into pressure information.

8. The hardness meter according to claim 1 comprising:

a position estimating portion which estimates a measurement position of the hardness meter; and

a hardness map display unit which displays the hardness estimated using the measurement position in a map.

9. The hardness meter according to claim 8,

wherein the hardness map display unit presents a difference between two hardness maps.

10. A hardness measuring method comprising:

a first step of vibrating a movable portion;

a second step of obtaining a sense signal on the basis of a reaction force from an object to be measured when the movable portion is caused to contact the object to be measured;

a third step of obtaining an alternating current component of the sense signal; and

a fourth step of estimating hardness of the object to be measured on the basis of an amplitude of the alternating current component.

11. The hardness measuring method according to claim 10,

wherein a vibration member which vibrates the movable portion is used, and the vibration member is coupled to the movable portion via a spring in the first step, and

the sense signal is obtained on the basis of a magnetic sensor signal detected such that a first coil arranged on the movable portion and a second coil arranged on the vibration member are used and a signal transmitted from one coil is received at the other coil in the second step.

12. The hardness measuring method according to claim 11 which uses a computer device including a microprocessor, a storage unit, an input unit, and an output unit,

wherein the microprocessor converts a waveform of the magnetic sensor signal obtained from the input unit into a waveform of a pressure with a voltage and pressure conversion to obtain the sense signal.

13. The hardness measuring method according to claim 12 which prepares a correspondence table between the amplitude of the alternating current component of the sense signal and the hardness as a database in the storage unit,

wherein the microprocessor estimates the hardness on the basis of the correspondence table.

14. The hardness measuring method according to claim 11 which uses a computer device including a microprocessor, a storage unit, an input unit, and an output unit,

wherein the microprocessor uses a waveform of the magnetic sensor signal directly as the sense signal.

15. The hardness measuring method according to claim 14 which prepares a correspondence table between an amplitude of the sense signal and the hardness as a database in the storage unit,

wherein the correspondence table shows a correspondence between an amplitude of the alternating current component of the sense signal and the hardness when a direct current component of the sense signal is fixed or shows a correspondence between an amplitude of the direct current component of the sense signal and the hardness when the alternating current component of the sense signal is fixed, and

the microprocessor estimates the hardness on the basis of the correspondence table.