JP2001147152A - Electronic scale - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a small-size lightweight electronic scale facilitating a visual check of weight display by a subject or another measurement recorder. SOLUTION: This electronic scale is divided into a main body including a measurement base, a force sensor, an electronic circuit, and a wireless transmission means transmitting a scale measurement result and a display unit including a receiving means receiving an electric signal transmitted from the main body and displaying device displaying the electric signal as a weight measurement result. For the electronic scale, the following various structures may be used if necessary: for the wireless transmission, electric wave, infrared, or ultrasonic transmission can be used; a direction indicator may be arranged in the main body; the display unit and the main body separated from each other can be connected together mechanically, and measurement of weight can be carried out in this connected state; the display unit can interlock with the main body for saving electricity; and a power source for the display unit can be supplied from the main body.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a configuration of an electronic weighing scale in which a main body and a display section are separated. In the present invention, the electronic scale has a measuring table on which a person can ride,
A balance capable of measuring the weight of an object placed on the measuring table with a precision of about 0.5 kg or more over a range of at least several kg to several tens of kg or more, and displaying the measurement result on an electronic display device. Shall mean.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Electronic weighing scales have been widely used in the past with a general tendency toward health. The main forms are shown in FIGS. 3 (a) and 3 (b). Conventional example (a) shows box-shaped main body 1
It is organized in a compact. The upper surface of the main body 1 is a weighing platform 1a on which a person to be weighed rides. Inside the weighing platform 1a, an operation switch (not shown), a force sensor for sensing the weight on the weighing platform 1a, an amplifier, and an A / D converter are provided. It contains a container, a decoder, a numerical display device 2a such as an LED, a power supply battery, and the like. In the other conventional example (b), the electrical configuration is almost the same, but the display unit 2 having the display device 2a is located at a high position separated from the main body 1 by the column 1d, and the reading of the measurement result is facilitated. .

[0003]

In the prior art shown in FIG. 3 (a), the display 2a is almost at the same surface as the weighing platform 1a and is at the foot of the person whose weight is to be measured. Therefore, in order to read the weight, the subject must be in a downward facing posture. This makes fat people squeeze their posture, and people wearing clothes with wide skirts can hardly see the display. Also, when trying to measure the weight of a large number of people one after another, the measurement recorder who is by the side has to look into the foot of the person to be measured one by one, which makes it difficult to visually recognize and record. In the conventional example of FIG. 3B, the problem of difficulty in viewing is considerably improved, but there are some difficulties when the measurement recorder looks at the display device 2a obliquely from the side (because the subject is present in front). is there. In addition, the scale itself becomes large and heavy, which is inconvenient for handling and storing, and it is easy to get in the way if it is always installed.

[0004] It is an object of the present invention to provide a small and lightweight electronic scale that makes it easy for a person to be measured or another measurement recorder to visually recognize the weight display.

[0005]

To achieve the above object, the electronic scale of the present invention has the following features. (1) A body including a weighing platform, a force sensor and an electronic circuit that measures the weight of the weighing platform and converts the weight into an electric signal, and a transmitting unit that modulates the electric signal and transmits the modulated signal wave to the outside. A display unit including, separately from the main body, receiving means for receiving the signal wave transmitted from the main body and extracting the electric signal, and a display device for displaying the received electric signal as a measurement result of body weight Consisting of

[0006] The electronic scale of the present invention may further include at least one of the following features. (2) The signal wave is one of radio waves, infrared rays, and ultrasonic waves.

(3) The position of the display section is within a predetermined angle range in front of and obliquely above the main body and within a predetermined distance from the main body, and the front direction of the display device is at a predetermined angle. The radiation condition of the signal wave is determined so that sufficient sensitivity can be obtained when it is within the range, and a display indicating a direction is provided on the main body.

(4) The display unit can be mechanically connected to the main body, and the display unit can display a measurement result even in a connected state.

(5) The main body has power saving means for stopping power consumption after the last measurement, and the display unit detects that the main body is in a power saving state and sets the display device to a power saving state. Having prepared.

(6) The display unit has a secondary power supply device for charging energy obtained from a power supply of the main body when the display unit is in contact with the main body. The power stored in the power supply device is used as the power supply for the display device.

(7) The display section has a receiver and a rectifier for the wireless energy wave generated by the main body, and rectifies the output of the receiver to be used as a power supply for the display device.

[0012]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS FIG. 1 shows a weight scale as an example of an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 (a) is a perspective view showing a use state thereof, and FIG. 1 (b) is a top view and a left side view thereof. . A flat box-shaped main body 1 of an electronic weighing scale is placed on the floor 4, and the upper surface thereof is a weighing table 1a, on which a person 3 to be measured stands. The display unit 2 separated from the main body has a display device 2a on the front surface, and is mounted on the wall 5 at approximately the height of the eyes of the person 3. Although not particularly shown, the attachment means may be any member that can be attached to and detached from the wall surface, such as a hanging string, a hook on the back surface, a suction cup, and a magnet. In addition, you may attach to the auxiliary board fixed to the wall surface.

A signal wave 6 emitted from the transmitting section 1b of the main body 1 and reaching the receiving section 2b (not visible in the perspective view (a)) of the display section 2 is modulated by the measured weight data of the person 3, The display device 2a demodulates it and displays it. As the signal wave 6, radio waves, light (for example, infrared rays), ultrasonic waves, and the like can be used, and have different characteristics. However, in the present embodiment, there is a certain degree of directivity and noise is hardly generated in the environment. It is assumed that infrared rays, which are widely used in devices and personal computer devices, are used.

On the upper surface of the main body 1, a direction mark 1c consisting of an arrow and a character is written. This mainly corrects the direction of the main body 1 with respect to the display unit 2 (for example, do not mistake the front and rear).
However, at the same time, it may also serve as a mark for the person 3 to correctly get on the weighing platform 1a. The form is not limited to the arrow of the present example, and for example, a left and right footprint or the like may be drawn. In addition, the directivity of the signal wave 6 is low or low (such as in the case of radio waves or ultrasonic waves),
If the position and orientation of the person on the main body are not related to the measurement accuracy, it is not necessary to provide a direction mark. 16
Reference numerals 22 denote switches for turning ON / OFF the power of the main unit 1 and the display 2 respectively.

By arranging the display unit 2 apart from the main body 1, the person 3 can read his / her weight in a natural posture and the display is not hidden by clothes. In addition, even when there is a measurement recorder other than the person to be measured (such as a group examination), the display device 1a can be tilted in that direction or its height adjusted to obtain better visibility, and displayed on the person to be measured. You can even not show. Conversely, if the person to be measured gets on the weighing platform while holding the display unit 2 by himself, he can measure his or her own weight display without showing it to others. The type, directivity, and strength of the signal wave 6 and the structure, arrangement, sensitivity, and the like of the transmission / reception unit are designed in consideration of these various use states. As an example, the distance between the display unit and the main body is within 3 m, the height is within 2 m, the elevation angle when looking up the display unit from the main body is 30 ° to 80 °, the normal of the display surface is 45 ° above and below the horizontal plane, and the vertical axis The direction of rotation is such that each 90 ° is allowed to the left and right in the body direction.

As shown in FIG. 1B, the display section 2 can be connected to the front surface of the main body 1 to integrate them. The connection is performed by screwing two connection screws 2c penetrating the display unit 2 into a female screw provided on the main body side. The connecting means is not limited to the screw, but may be, for example, a magnet, a dovetail structure, a spring hook, or the like. Transmission and reception of weight measurement data is also possible during connection. In this example, the transmitting section 1b and the receiving section 2b are provided on the slopes of the main body 1 and the display section 2, respectively, so that the central part of the beam of the signal wave 6 having the intensity of the signal does not face the receiving section 2b. Since the distance is very short, data transmission can be sufficiently performed by picking up a weak signal wave at the periphery of the beam.

In the connected state, the display device 2a faces upward, and is in a state similar to that of the conventional example shown in FIG. 3A, and can be used in the same manner. In addition, by connecting and integrating, there is no danger of losing one when not in use, and it is convenient for storage and storage.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a circuit configuration of an example of the above-described embodiment of the present invention. In the main body 1,
The force sensor outputs a signal corresponding to the weight on the weighing platform, and the amplifier 12 moderates this signal. The output is converted into a digital serial signal by the signal converter 13 and sent to the transmitter 14. The transmitter 14 has an infrared light emitting diode, intermittently modulates the light emission intensity with a weight signal, and transmits it as a signal wave 6 as an infrared light beam from a transmission unit which is a window with a lens.

The power supply 15 is, for example, a manganese dry battery and supplies power to all these circuits. Reference numeral 16 denotes a manual switch. Further, the power saving circuit 17 monitors the operation of a part of the amplifier 12, and when there is no weighing output for a first predetermined time (for example, 20 seconds), the power saving circuit 17 is supplied to a main circuit except a part for monitoring. Disconnect the power path. Further, if a part of the amplifier 12 restarts within the second predetermined time (for example, 5 minutes), the power supply to the remaining circuits is restored. However, if there is no restart within the second predetermined time, the power of all circuits is turned off.
To

In the display section 2 of FIG. 2, the receiver 21 includes a sensor such as a photodiode, receives the signal wave 6 incident from the receiving section 2b which is a window with a lens, and outputs the weight signal that has been conveyed. It is separated and extracted and sent to the drive circuit 22. The drive circuit 22 includes a decoder for a signal for display, and operates the display device 2a including a liquid crystal or an LED group to display the weight. The power source 23 is a power source for each circuit such as a manganese dry battery, and is turned on / off by a manual switch 24.
FF is performed. If a power source such as a dry battery is separately provided for the main body 1 and the display unit 2 separated from the main unit 1, the entire power supply configuration becomes the simplest. The power saving circuit 25 monitors the presence or absence of the signal wave 6 when the main body 1 is in a power saving state, detects when the signal wave 6 is cut off, and cuts off power supply to parts other than the monitoring circuit portion. Unless the signal wave is re-received for a predetermined time (for example, 5 minutes), all power is cut off.

While an example of the embodiment of the present invention has been described above, a modified example other than the modified example mentioned in the above description and several examples of other embodiments will be described below. Embodiments of the present invention are not limited to these examples. (1) In the case where the person to be measured weighs the display unit with his / her hand to keep his / her weight from others, another manual switch unit and a subtraction unit operated by the manual switch unit are added to the display unit, and the display unit is held in the hand. If the weight is held, the weight of the display unit is automatically subtracted from the measurement result and displayed, eliminating the trouble of mental calculation.

(2) When the main body 1 and the display unit 2 are connected, signals are directly transmitted and received using an electric connector without using signal waves, thereby saving energy for creating signal waves and saving power. (3) The power supply device of the display unit is a chargeable secondary power supply, which is charged via the connector by the power supply of the main body when connected to the main body. With this configuration, the maintenance of the power supply such as the replacement of the battery can be performed only on the main body side.

(4) An energy beam is sent from the main body together with the signal wave. A radio wave (electromagnetic wave) is optimal as the energy beam. The display unit does not have an independent power supply, but has a receiver for the energy beam from the main body, and converts the received energy beam into a DC power supply internally to be used as a power supply for the display unit. With this configuration, there is no need to maintain the power supply of the display unit. The energy beam may be modulated with a measurement signal and used also as a signal wave.

[0024]

(1) In the present invention, since the display unit is separated from the main body, there is a degree of freedom in the position and direction of the display unit, and the posture of the subject is naturally close to that of the subject and others. Excellent visibility can be exhibited. In addition, since there is no connecting member between the two, an electronic weighing scale which is small in size and light in weight as a whole and has good handleability can be obtained, both in use and in storage.

(2) Further, by providing a direction indication display on the main body, the positional relationship with the display unit can be made correct. (3) In addition, since the measurement can be performed even when the display unit is connected to the main body, the display unit can be used as an integrated weight scale as in the related art, and the storage property is further improved. (4) Since the display unit is configured to automatically save power simultaneously with the main unit, it is possible to prevent unnecessary power consumption of the display unit due to forgetting to switch off.

(5) Further, the configuration in which the display unit uses and charges the power obtained from the main body can reduce the maintenance of the power supply of the display unit. (6) In addition, since the energy of the display unit is obtained from the main body in use, maintenance of the power supply of the display unit can be eliminated.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIGS. 1A and 1B are external views of an electronic weight scale according to a first embodiment of the present invention, wherein FIG. 1A is a perspective view in a used state, and FIG. 1B is a top view and a left side view in a connected state.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an internal circuit configuration of the electronic weighing scale according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a conventional electronic weighing scale, (a),
(B) shows different conventional examples.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Main body 1a Measuring stand 1b Transmitting part 1c Direction mark 1d Support 2 Display part 2a Display device 2b Receiving part 2c Connecting screw 3 people 4 Floor 5 Wall 6 Signal wave 11 Force sensor 12 Amplifier 13 Signal converter 14 Transmitter 15 Power supply 16 Switch 17 power saving circuit 21 receiver 22 drive circuit 23 power supply 24 switch 25 power saving circuit

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. A weighing platform, a force sensor and an electronic circuit that measure the weight of the weighing platform and convert the weight into an electrical signal, and a transmitting unit that modulates and transmits the electrical signal to a wireless signal wave to the outside. A main body including the main body, a receiving unit that receives the signal wave transmitted from the main body and extracts the electric signal, and a display device that displays the received electric signal as a measurement result of weight. An electronic weighing scale comprising a display unit. 2. The electronic weighing scale according to claim 1, wherein said signal wave is one of radio waves, infrared rays, and ultrasonic waves. 3. The position of the display section is within a predetermined angle range in front of and obliquely above the main body and within a predetermined distance from the main body, and the front direction of the display device is within a predetermined angle range. 3. The electronic weight according to claim 1, wherein the radiation condition of the signal wave is determined so as to obtain sufficient sensitivity when the condition is satisfied, and a display indicating a direction is provided on the main body. Total. 4. The electronic weight according to claim 1, wherein the display unit is mechanically connectable to the main body, and the display unit can display a measurement result even in a connected state. Total. 5. The power saving means for stopping the power consumption after the last measurement, and the display unit comprises a power saving means for detecting that the main body is in a power saving state and setting the display device to a power saving state. The electronic weight scale according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein: 6. The display unit has a secondary power supply device for charging energy obtained from a power supply included in the main body when the display unit is in contact with the main body. The electronic weight scale according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein electric power stored in the device is used as a power source for the display device. 7. The display unit according to claim 1, wherein the display unit has a receiver for a wireless energy wave generated by the main body, and rectifies an output of the receiver to be used as a power supply for the display device. 6. The electronic scale according to any one of 6.