Position finder, measuring apparatus with position finder, and measuring system

• US 6,710,776 B2
• Filed: 12/28/2000
• Issued: 03/23/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: TLV Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: TLV Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Usaki, Yoshihiko
• Primary Examiner(s): AWAD, AMR A
• Application Number:
  US09/750,849
• Publication Number:
  US 20010006384A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,181 Days
• Field of Search: 345/173, 345/179, 345/156, 345/204, 345/473, 345/635, 345/781, 376/259, 376/216, 700/17, 700/83, 340/525
• US Class Current: 345/473
• CPC Class Codes: F16T 1/48 Monitoring arrangements for inspecting, e.g. flow of steam and steam condensate

Abstract

A picture of a plan view of an area is displayed on a screen of a base unit of a measuring apparatus. The picture contains symbols for respective traps disposed in the displayed area. A bar code is assigned to each trap for identifying it. When the bar code on one trap is read out, a marking “X” is added to the symbol for that trap, so that an operator can readily know the location in the area of that trap on the display screen and, therefore, the current position of the operator in the area.

Claims

1. A position finder, comprising:

an identification data taking arrangement for taking identification data from each of a plurality of identification devices disposed at locations in a given area, the identification data being uniquely assigned to respective ones of the plurality of identification devices;

a first memory for storing information including the identification data relating to the respective ones of the plurality of identification devices;

a display including a display screen; and

a first display control arrangement for causing an area picture of the given area to be displayed on the display screen and for causing a symbol for each of the plurality of identification devices to be displayed at a location on the area picture corresponding to the location in the given area where the respective one of the plurality of identification devices is disposed, wherein;

the first display control arrangement, when the identification data of any one of the plurality of identification devices is taken by the identification data taking arrangement, causes the symbol corresponding to the taken identification data to be displayed in a different manner from other symbols.

2. The position finder according to claim 1, further comprising:

a second display control arrangement responsive to an external information display command and for causing at least a part of the information stored in the first memory of the identification device associated with the identification data as taken by the identification data taking arrangement to be displayed on the display screen.

3. The position finder according to claim 1, wherein:

the first display control arrangement is responsive to an external display scale change command for changing a scale on which the area picture is displayed on the display screen.

4. The position finder according to claim 1, wherein:

the plurality of identification devices is disposed over a plurality of areas,

a plurality of area pictures corresponds to respective ones of the plurality of areas, and

the first display control arrangement, when the identification data of one of the plurality of identification devices is taken by the identification data taking arrangement, causes the area picture corresponding to the area where the one identification device is disposed to be displayed on the display screen.

5. A measuring apparatus, comprising:

a measuring device for measuring a physical quantity of each of a plurality of objects disposed in a given area;

an identification data taking arrangement for taking from each of a plurality of identification devices identification data uniquely assigned to respective ones of the plurality of objects, the plurality of identification devices bearing the identification data being disposed at a location that is one of on and near the respective ones of the plurality of objects;

a first memory for storing information including the identification data of each of the plurality of objects;

a display including a display screen; and

a first display control arrangement for causing an area picture of the given area to be displayed on the display screen and for causing a symbol for each of the plurality of objects to be displayed at a location on the area picture corresponding to the location in the given area where that object is disposed, wherein;

the first display control arrangement, when the identification data of any one of the plurality of objects borne by the one of the plurality of identification devices associated with that object is taken by the identification data taking arrangement, causes the symbol corresponding to that object to be displayed in a different manner from other symbols.

6. The measuring apparatus according to claim 5, wherein:

the information of each of the plurality of objects stored in the first memory includes a parameter for measuring the physical quantity of that object, the measuring apparatus further comprising;

a setting arrangement for, when the identification data taking arrangement takes the identification data of any one of the plurality of objects borne by the identification device associated with that object, calling the parameter for the object corresponding to the taken identification data from the first memory and for setting the parameter in the measuring device.

7. The measuring apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising:

a first memory control arrangement for storing measurement data resulting from measuring the physical quantity of each of the plurality of objects with the measuring device, in the first memory; and

a second display control arrangement for causing the symbol for the object of which the physical quantity has been already measured, to be displayed in a different manner from other symbols, in accordance with a content which has been stored in the first memory by the first memory control arrangement.

8. The measuring apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising:

a first memory control arrangement for storing measurement data resulting from measuring the physical quantity of each of the plurality of objects with the measuring device, in the first memory; and

a second display control arrangement for causing the symbol for the object which is operating normally to be displayed in a different manner from a symbol for a faulty object, in accordance with a content which has been stored in the first memory by the first memory control arrangement.

9. A measuring system, comprising:

a measuring device for measuring a physical quantity of each of a plurality of objects disposed in a given area;

an identification data taking arrangement for taking from each of a plurality of identification devices identification data uniquely assigned to respective ones of the plurality of objects, the plurality of identification devices bearing the identification data being disposed at a location that is one of on and near the respective ones of the plurality of objects;

a first memory for storing information including the identification data of each of the plurality of objects;

a display including a display screen;

a first display control arrangement for causing an area picture of the given area to be displayed on the display screen and for causing a symbol for each of the plurality of objects to be displayed at a location on the area picture corresponding to the location in the given area where that object is disposed, wherein;

the first display control arrangement, when the identification data of any one of the plurality of objects borne by the one of the plurality of identification devices associated with that object is taken by the identification data taking arrangement, causes the symbol corresponding to that object to be displayed in a different manner from other symbols;

a first transmitter arrangement for transmitting measurement data obtained by measuring the physical quantity of each of the plurality of objects by the measuring device; and

a host device including;

a first receiver arrangement for receiving the measurement data transmitted from the first transmitter arrangement, wherein the host device includes;

a second memory for storing information relating to each of the objects, and

a first memory control arrangement for storing the measurement data received by the first receiver arrangement in the second memory.

10. A measuring system comprising:

a plurality of measuring apparatuses, each of the measuring apparatuses including;

a measuring device for measuring a physical quantity of each of a plurality of objects disposed in a given area,

an identification data taking arrangement for taking from each of a plurality of identification devices identification data uniquely assigned to respective ones of the plurality of objects, the plurality of identification devices bearing the identification data being disposed at a location that is one of on and near the respective ones of the plurality of objects,

a first memory for storing information including the identification data of each of the plurality of objects,

a display including a display screen,

a first display control arrangement for causing an area picture of the given area to be displayed on the display screen and for causing a symbol for each of the plurality of objects to be displayed at a location on the area picture corresponding to the location in the given area where that object is disposed, wherein;

the first display control arrangement, when the identification data of any one of the plurality of objects borne by the one of the plurality of identification devices associated with that object is taken by the identification data taking arrangement, causes the symbol corresponding to that object to be displayed in a different manner from other symbols;

a first memory control arrangement for storing measurement data resulting from measuring the physical quantity of each of the plurality of objects with the measuring device, in the first memory, and

a second display control arrangement for causing the symbol for the object of which the physical quantity has been already measured, to be displayed in a different manner from other symbols, in accordance with a content which has been stored in the first memory by the first memory control arrangement;

a first transmitter arrangement for transmitting measurement data obtained by measuring the physical quantity of each of the plurality of objects by at least one of the measuring apparatuses;

a first receiver arrangement for receiving renewal data externally applied thereto, the first memory control arrangement being so arranged as to store the renewal data as received by the second receiver arrangement in the first memory; and

a host device including;

a second receiver arrangement for receiving the measurement data transmitted from each one of the plurality of measuring apparatuses, and

a second transmitter arrangement for transmitting the measurement data as received by the first receiver arrangement to the plurality of measuring apparatuses as the renewal data.