Apparatus for measuring the consistency or hardness of a material
First Claim
1. Apparatus for measuring the hardness of a material by application of the apparatus against the material to be tested, comprising (a) a support (b) feeler means carried by said support for displacement relative to said support, (c) means for causing said feeler means to bear on the said material with a predetermined force;
- (d) a pressure sensor carried by said support for sensing the bearing pressure of the apparatus on said material and for providing an output signal indicative of the sensed pressure, and (e) means for selectively and automatically detecting the displacement of the feeler means only for a predetermined value PO of the bearing pressure of the apparatus on the material sensed by the pressure sensor, said means comprising, means for comparing the output signal of the pressure sensor with a predetermined threshold and for actuating an indicator to indicate the detected displacement of the feeler means when said output signal reaches the threshold.
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Abstract
An apparatus for measuring the consistency or hardness of a material, for example skin tissue on a living body, comprises a support to be applied against the material to be tested and a feeler movably carried by the support for displacement through a distance which will be proportional to the hardness or consistency being measured. To avoid the need for careful positioning of the device on the test material with a carefully constant bearing pressure, a control circuit is provided for recording the displacement of the feeler only when the bearing pressure of the support on the test material has a predetermined value. The reading of the displacement is held and is preferably digital. Application of the support successively to different points on the test material will enable a true comparison of the readings at the various points.
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Citations
14 Claims
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1. Apparatus for measuring the hardness of a material by application of the apparatus against the material to be tested, comprising (a) a support (b) feeler means carried by said support for displacement relative to said support, (c) means for causing said feeler means to bear on the said material with a predetermined force;
- (d) a pressure sensor carried by said support for sensing the bearing pressure of the apparatus on said material and for providing an output signal indicative of the sensed pressure, and (e) means for selectively and automatically detecting the displacement of the feeler means only for a predetermined value PO of the bearing pressure of the apparatus on the material sensed by the pressure sensor, said means comprising, means for comparing the output signal of the pressure sensor with a predetermined threshold and for actuating an indicator to indicate the detected displacement of the feeler means when said output signal reaches the threshold.
- View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
Specification