Measurement device

• US 6,628,208 B1
• Filed: 07/19/2000
• Issued: 09/30/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 01/26/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: T&D Corporation
• Original Assignee: T&D Corporation
• Inventors: Sunaba, Takashi, Morozumi, Akio
• Primary Examiner(s): Horabik, Michael
• Assistant Examiner(s): WONG, ALBERT KANG
• Application Number:
  US09/619,504
• Time in Patent Office: 1,168 Days
• Field of Search: 340/870.28, 340/539, 340/870.11, 455/9, 455/13.1, 455/456.1, 710/303, 710/106, 710/6, 710/19
• US Class Current: 340/870.28
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 17/02 using a radio link

Abstract

A measurement device of the present invention includes a measurement portion for acquiring measured data from a sensor; a memory portion for storing the measured data; a radio portion for performing radio transmission/reception of the measured data; a PC interface portion for transmitting the measured data to a host computer via the universal interface; and a control portion for controlling the measurement portion, memory portion, radio portion, and PC interface portion, the control portion has a switching function for setting a mode by selecting between a remote mode and base mode; in the remote mode, the measured data acquired by the measurement portion are stored in the memory portion and transmitted by the radio portion, and in the base mode, the measured data acquired from the radio portion are stored in the memory portion and transmitted to the host computer by the PC interface portion. This measurement device allows construction of the measurement system capable of performing wireless measured data collection with the measurement devices of a single set of specifications. Therefore, the measurement system can be constructed in easy and flexible manner.

Claims

1. A measurement device comprising:

a measurement portion for acquiring data from a sensor;

a memory portion for storing the data;

a radio portion for performing radio transmission/reception of the data;

a PC interface portion for transmitting the data to a host computer via a universal interface; and

a control portion for controlling the measurement portion, the memory portion, the radio portion, and the PC interface portion, the control portion has a switching function for setting a mode by selecting between a remote mode and base mode;

in the remote mode, the data acquired by the measurement portion are stored in the memory portion and transmitted by the radio portion, and in the base mode, data acquired by the radio portion from another measurement device are stored in the memory portion and transmitted to the host computer by the universal interface.

2. A measurement device according to claim 1, wherein the control portion has the switching function for setting the mode by selecting among the remote mode, base mode, and a relay mode;

in the relay mode, the measured data acquired by the radio portion from another measurement device are stored in the memory portion and transmitted by the radio portion.

3. A measurement device according to claim 1, wherein, in the remote mode, the radio portion is operated intermittently.

4. A measurement device according to claim 1, wherein the switching function is operable by the host computer via the PC interface portion.

5. A measurement device according to claim 1, wherein the control portion has identification information for transmission/reception being set by the host computer via the PC interface portion.

6. A communication method between a plurality of measurement devices of claim 1 having following steps:

the measurement device of the base mode transmits a broadcast call that calls the measurement devices of remote mode for a period equal to or longer than a intermittent cycle, wherein the call is received by the measurement devices of remote mode so as to synchronize timing counters of the measurement devices of remote mode; and

after an end of the broadcast calling, the measurement devices of remote mode are brought into the ready to transmission/receive state in a predetermined order for transmitting data to the measurement device of base mode.