Display unit for a measuring instrument

• US 6,605,784 B2
• Filed: 09/27/2001
• Issued: 08/12/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mettler Toledo GmbH
• Original Assignee: Mettler Toledo GmbH
• Inventors: Eigenmann, Marc, Gluvakov, Siegfried, Nüesch, Reto
• Primary Examiner(s): GIBSON, RANDY W
• Application Number:
  US09/967,213
• Publication Number:
  US 20020020569A1
• Time in Patent Office: 684 Days
• Field of Search: 177/25.11, 177/25.12, 177/25.13, 177/177, 340/815.53, 340/500, 340/665, 340/666, 345/55, 345/87, 345/173, 345/35, 705/416, 708/160, 702/1, 702/127, 702/173
• US Class Current: 177/25.13
• CPC Class Codes: G01G 23/3721 with particular representation of the result, e.g. graphic

Abstract

A display unit for a measuring instrument, particularly for a weighing balance (1), has at least one line-shaped pointer element (25, 27) presented as an image on a display screen composed of individually controllable image dots. The image dots are aligned in the customary dot-matrix arrangement along two grid axes. The display controller is programmed so that the line-shaped pointer element, as it sweeps through its display range, maintains a constant slope angle in relation to the grid axes.

Claims

1. A display unit for a measuring instrument with an image screen (4) to display arbitrary symbols composed of individual image dots (6), said image screen comprising pixel elements in the size of the image dots, said pixels elements being individually controllable by means of a control device (ALU, MEM, DR) and being arranged in the directions of a first dot-matrix axis and a second dot-matrix axis (V), wherein the control device (ALU), MEN, DR) individually controls said pixel elements such that a linearly shaped pointer element (25, 27;

36) is formed that gives the appearance of a line moving within the display and wherein the control device (ALU, MEM, DR) causes said pointer element to move slantedly across said image screen (4) based on a measuring value such that the pointer element maintains a constant slope angle (β

) in relation to the second dot-matrix axis (V).

2. The display unit of claim 1, wherein the measuring instrument is a balance (1).

3. The display unit of claim 1, wherein the pointer element (36) comprises a first segment and a second segment, the first segment extending in the direction of the second dot-matrix axis (V), said segments being composed of individual bar elements (37) and said bar elements being oriented parallel to the first dot-matrix axis and staggered at a different pitch in the first segment compared to the second segment, said segments meeting at a break point (39), and wherein further the pointer element (36) is changed by moving the break point (39) along the second dot-matrix axis (V) and adjusting the length of the first segment, while at the same time moving the second segment in the direction of the first dot-matrix axis in a parallel motion and adjusting the length of the second segment.

4. The display unit according to claim 1, wherein the pointer element is constituted by a first row of image dots (25) oriented in the direction of the first dot-matrix axis and movable in the direction of the second dot-matrix axis (V), and a second row of image dots (27) oriented in the direction of the second dot-matrix axis (V) and movable in the direction of the first dot-matrix axis.

5. The display unit of claim 1, wherein the display unit is adapted for a balance and said display unit provides a coarse weight indication for a first weighing range below a targeted weight value and a fine weight indication for a second weighing range close to the targeted weight value, wherein further the coarse and fine weight indications can be displayed overlapping each other within a single display field, and wherein within said single display field the coarse weight indication is realized by means of a first pointer element part that is movable in the direction of one of said dot-matrix axes and the fine weight indication is realized by means of a second pointer element part that is movable in the direction of the other of said dot-matrix axes.

6. The display unit of claim 1, wherein the first dot-matrix axis and the second dot-matrix axis (V) are substantially perpendicular to each other.

7. The display unit of claim 6, wherein the second dot-matrix axis (V) is oriented vertically.

8. The display unit of claim 3, wherein the display unit is adapted for a balance and said display unit provides a coarse weight indication for a first weighing range below a targeted weight value and a fine weight indication for a second weighing range close to the targeted weight value, wherein further the change of the pointer element (36) serves to provide the fine weight indication, while the coarse weight indication is realized by setting the break point (39) at a stationary position corresponding to a minimal length of the first segment and by activating a weight-dependent portion of the bar elements (37) of the second segment.

9. The display unit of claim 3, wherein the display unit is adapted for a balance and said display unit provides a coarse weight indication for a first weighing range below a targeted weight value and a fine weight indication for a second weighing range close to the targeted weight value, wherein further the change of the pointer element (36) serves to provide the fine weight indication, while the coarse weight indication is realized by setting the break point (39) at a stationary position corresponding to a minimal length of the first segment and by successively activating a weight-dependent number of first bars (31) that are arranged above one another, each first bar extending between one of the bar elements (37) and a first display-field border closer to said one of the bar elements (37).

10. The display unit of claim 9, wherein the coarse weight indication is further realized by activating a second bar (32) together with each first bar, said second bar being mirror-symmetric to said first bar in relation to the dot-matrix axis (V).

11. The display unit of claim 5, wherein the display field (15a) is adapted to further display at least one line-shaped image element (28, 30) to mark at least one value from a group that consists of a target value, limit values and tolerance values.

12. The display unit of claim 11, wherein the display unit comprises means (10, 10a, 10b) for entering said at least one value, and wherein the control device (ALU, MEM, DR) comprises an arithmetic device (ALU) to convert the at least one value into a display control value that serves to position said at least one demarcation line.

13. The display unit of claim 12, wherein the display unit further comprises an acoustical indicator (18) and the control device (ALU, MEM, DR) triggers an acoustical signal when a measured weight value enters a certain weighing range, the acoustical indicator (18) being designed to emit at least two different signals distinguished by at least one of the sound qualities of loudness and pitch.

14. The display unit of claim 13, wherein the acoustical indicator (18) is designed to emit a first signal when one of the limit values has been reached and to emit a second signal when the target value has been reached.

15. A display unit for a balance with an image screen (4) to display arbitrary symbols comprised of individual image dots (6), said image screen comprising pixel elements in the size of the image dots, said pixels elements being individually controllable by means of a control device (ALU, MEM, DR) and being arranged in the direction of a first dot-matrix axis and a second dot-matrix axis (V), wherein the control device (ALU, MEN, DR) individually controls said pixel elements based on a measured weight such that a linear pointer element (25, 27;

36) is formed that gives the appearance of a line moving within the display and wherein the control device (ALU, MEM, DR) causes said pointer element (25, 27;

36) to move at a slant across said image screen (4) such that the pointer element maintains a constant slope angle (β

) relative to the second dot-matrix axis (V) and indicates relative to a reference scale a change in the measured weight.