JP2006162517A - Measuring instrument - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a measuring instrument having a small contact area with a measuring object. <P>SOLUTION: In this measuring instrument provided with a light shielding cylinder of a cylinder, having an opening part contacting with the measuring object in one end and for shielding incidence of light, an irradiation part for irradiating the measuring object with the light, and a light-receiving part for receiving reflected light of the light emitted from the irradiation part to the measuring object, and for outputting the intensity of the received light of the reflected light as an electrical signal, a substrate installed with the irradiation part is arranged substantially in parallel to the opening part in a position, capable of emitting the light to the measuring object through the opening part from the irradiation part, in an inside of the light-shielding cylinder, and a substrate installed with the light-receiving part is arranged substantially in parallel to the opening part, at a position capable of receiving the reflected light, in the other end of the light-shielding cylinder. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a measuring apparatus that measures information on an object by irradiating the object with light and receiving the reflected light.

In various fields, for example, a measuring device for measuring the color of an object is used. Such a measuring apparatus includes an irradiation unit such as a light emitting diode and a light receiving unit such as a photodiode. Then, the measurement object is irradiated with light from the irradiation unit, and the light receiving unit receives reflected light from the measurement object, whereby the color of the measurement object is measured. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating the structure of a general measurement apparatus. In the measuring device 50, the light receiving unit 51 and the irradiation unit 52 are attached to a dome-shaped light blocking body 53 for preventing external light from entering. The light receiving unit 51 is disposed at a position for receiving diffusely reflected light from the measurement object 54. Not all the light emitted from the irradiation unit 52 is absorbed by the measurement object 54, and the color of the measurement object 54 cannot be measured correctly with the regular reflection light including the color of this light. is there. Similarly, Patent Document 1 discloses a color measuring instrument in which a light source and a light receiving unit are provided in a dome-shaped light shielding space.
JP 2004-198398 A

  As described above, when the dome-shaped light shield is used, if the light shield is made too small, there arises a disadvantage that the light receiving unit directly receives light from the irradiation unit. Therefore, regardless of the size of the light receiving unit and the irradiation unit, the light shielding body cannot be made smaller than a predetermined size, and the contact area between the measuring device and the measurement object is increased. In other words, the size of the measuring device is larger than the size of the light receiving unit and the irradiating unit, and this hinders the structure and design when the measuring device is attached to other devices.

  This invention is made | formed in view of the said subject, and sets it as the main objective to provide the measuring apparatus with a small contact area with a measuring object.

  In order to achieve the above object, a measuring apparatus according to the present invention has an opening that contacts an object to be measured at one end, a light shielding cylinder that is a cylinder that blocks the incidence of light, and an irradiation that irradiates the measuring object with light. And a first substrate provided with the irradiating unit, a light receiving unit that receives reflected light of the light irradiated from the irradiating unit to the measurement object, and outputs the received light intensity of the reflected light as an electric signal; A second substrate provided with the light-receiving unit, wherein the first substrate is located inside the light-shielding tube, at a position where the irradiation unit can irradiate light to the measurement object through the opening. The second substrate is disposed at the other end of the light shielding tube, and the light receiving unit is disposed at a position where the reflected light can be received. The second substrate is disposed substantially parallel to the opening. It will be done.

  Further, the first substrate may be provided with a light transmitting portion that is a hole through which light passes, and the light receiving portion may be disposed at a position where the reflected light can be received through the light transmitting portion. .

  In addition, the first substrate and the second substrate can be physically and electrically connected using a conductive rod-shaped connecting member.

  The irradiation unit may include three light emitting diodes, a red light emitting diode, a blue light emitting diode, and a green light emitting diode.

  The irradiation unit may be provided on the first substrate so that the optical axis of the irradiation unit and the first substrate are substantially perpendicular to each other.

  A measuring device having a small contact area with the object to be measured can be provided.

== Overall structure ==
A measuring apparatus according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a measuring apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The measuring apparatus 1 includes a light-emitting diode 5 that is an irradiation unit that irradiates light onto a cylindrical light-shielding cylinder 3 having an opening 2 at one end and an object 4 for measuring color (hereinafter referred to as “measurement object”). , And a photodiode 6 that is a light receiving unit that receives reflected light from the measurement object 4.

  The light emitting diode 5 is provided on a circular first substrate 7 along the inner periphery of the light shielding tube 3. A light transmitting portion 8 that is a hole through which light passes is provided in a substantially central portion of the first substrate 7. The first substrate 7 is inside the light shielding tube 3, the opening 2 and the first substrate 7 are substantially parallel, and the light emitting diode 5 has an incident angle at a substantially central portion of the opening 2. Is disposed at a position where irradiation is possible at about 45 °. The light emitting diode 5 is arranged so that the optical axis is substantially perpendicular to the first substrate 7.

  The photodiode 6 is provided on the second substrate 9. The second substrate 9 is substantially parallel to the opening 2 so as to cover the other end of the light shielding tube 3, and the photodiode 6 can receive the reflected light from the object 4 through the light transmitting portion 8. Arranged in position.

  Both the boards 7 and 9 are physically and electrically connected using a rod-like connecting member 10 having conductivity such as metal. That is, the first substrate 7 is not bonded to the inner periphery of the light shielding tube 3 but physically connected to the second substrate 9 fixed to the other end of the light shielding tube 3 by the connection member 10. As a result, it is arranged inside the light shielding tube 3.

  FIG. 2 is a view of the first substrate 7 as viewed from the opening 2 side. On the first substrate 7, a red light emitting diode 5a, a blue light emitting diode 5b, and a green light emitting diode 5c are provided as the light emitting diodes 5. Further, the first substrate 7 is provided with a connection portion 11 that is a hole for physically and electrically connecting to the connection member 10.

  FIG. 3 is a view of the second substrate 9 as viewed from the opening 2 side. Similarly to the first substrate 7, the second substrate 9 is provided with a connection portion 12 that is a hole for physically and electrically connecting to the connection member 10. The shape of the second substrate 9 is not limited to a circular shape, and may be any shape that can cover the other end of the light shielding tube 3.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating the shape of the connection member 10. The connecting member 10 includes a columnar main body 13 and joint portions 16 and 17 provided at both end portions 14 and 15 of the main body 13. One end portion 14 of the main body 13 is inserted into the connection portion 11 of the substrate 7, and the other end portion 15 is inserted into the connection portion 12 of the substrate 9. Then, the joint portions 16 and 17 provided in front of the both end portions 14 and 15 are welded to both the substrates 7 and 9, whereby the first substrate 7 and the second substrate 9 have a predetermined gap and the light shielding cylinder 3. Held in. Further, both the boards 7 and 9 are also electrically connected by the connecting member 10.

  FIG. 5 is a circuit block diagram of the measuring apparatus 1. As described above, the first substrate 7 and the second substrate 9 are electrically connected. Under the control of the switches 20a, 20b, and 20c, the light-emitting diodes 5a, 5b, and 5c of the respective colors are sequentially turned on alternately. Then, when the photodiode 6 receives the reflected light of the light emitted from the light emitting diodes 5 a, 5 b, and 5 c to the measurement object 4, a current flows through the photodiode 6. The error amplifier 21 connected to the photodiode 6 outputs a potential difference caused by the current as an electric signal. Further, the amplifier circuit 22 amplifies and outputs the electrical signal output from the error amplifier 21. By using the electrical signal output in this way, the color information (RGB value) of the measurement object can be obtained.

  In the above, the measuring apparatus 1 which is one embodiment of this invention was demonstrated. In the measuring apparatus 1 of the present invention, the substrate 9 on which the photodiode 6 is installed is at the other end of the light shielding tube 3, and the substrate 7 on which the light emitting diode 5 is installed is in the light shielding tube 3. They are arranged in parallel. Therefore, since both the substrates 7 and 9 do not come into contact with each other, the width of the light shielding tube 3 can be reduced within a range in which the photodiode 6 can receive the reflected light from the measurement object 4. That is, in the measuring apparatus 1 of the present invention, the contact area with the measuring object 4 can be reduced as compared with the measuring apparatus using a dome-shaped light blocking body.

  FIG. 6 is an external view of the electronic pen 30 to which the measuring apparatus 1 of the present invention is attached. The electronic pen 30 is an input device used in CAD (Computer Aided Design) or the like. The electronic pen 30 includes a detection unit 31 that detects a trajectory and writing pressure at one end, and the measurement device 1 of the present invention at the other end. In CAD work, a sample may be drawn while actually looking at the sample. When the drawn image is given the same color as the sample, the color information can be acquired by bringing the opening 2 of the measuring device 1 attached to the electronic pen 30 into contact with the sample. That is, since the measuring device 1 of the present invention is narrow, when the measuring device 1 is attached to the electronic pen 30 or the like, the attachment is easy and the appearance is not impaired.

  Moreover, in the structure of the measuring apparatus 1 of this invention, both the board | substrates 7 and 9 are substantially parallel. Therefore, the photodiode 6 does not directly receive the light from the light emitting diode 5 unless the substrates 7 and 9 are extremely close to each other. Therefore, the height of the measuring apparatus 1 is reduced by shortening the distance between the first substrate 7 provided with the light emitting diode 5 and the opening 2 of the light shielding tube 3 and the distance between the substrates 7 and 9. It can also be lowered. In addition, the distance between the light emitting diode 5 and the photodiode 6 and the measurement object is shortened, and the light receiving sensitivity in the photodiode 6 is improved. That is, the influence of noise is reduced, and the color can be measured more accurately.

  In the measuring apparatus 1 of the present invention, the first substrate 7 is provided with the light transmitting portion 8, and the photodiode 6 is provided at a position where the reflected light from the measuring object 4 can be received through the light transmitting portion 8. ing. That is, the two substrates 7 and 9 can be arranged so as to overlap each other when viewed from the opening 2 of the light shielding cylinder 3. Therefore, the width of the light shielding cylinder 3 can be further reduced.

  Further, by physically connecting the first substrate 7 and the second substrate 9 using the connecting member 10, the first substrate 7 has a predetermined gap with the second substrate 9 in the light shielding tube 3. Arranged. That is, the work of fixing the first substrate 7 alone to the light shielding cylinder 3 is not required, and the cost for assembling the measuring apparatus 1 can be reduced. Moreover, since both the boards 7 and 9 are electrically connected, it is not necessary to connect the boards 7 and 9 with a cable, and the cost of cable connection can be reduced.

  When a dome-shaped light shield is used, it is necessary to connect the substrate on which the photodiode is installed and the substrate on which the light emitting diode is installed using a cable. Therefore, when red, blue, and green light emitting diodes are used, it is necessary to connect the substrate on which the photodiodes are installed to the three substrates on which the light emitting diodes are installed, which increases costs. Therefore, one light emitting diode capable of emitting three colors is sometimes used. However, the light-emitting diode capable of emitting three colors is expensive and has not been able to reduce the total cost.

  On the other hand, in the measuring apparatus 1 of the present invention, the first substrate 7 provided with the light-emitting diode 5 and the second substrate 9 provided with the photodiode 6 are substantially parallel, and both the substrates 7 and 9 are connected. The members 10 are electrically connected. Therefore, by attaching the light emitting diodes 5a, 5b, and 5c of red, blue, and green to the first substrate 7 together, a plurality of cable connections and light emitting diodes that can emit three colors become unnecessary, thereby reducing costs. can do.

  Further, as described above, in the measuring device 1 of the present invention, the distance from the measuring object 4 to the photodiode 6 and the light emitting diode 5 can be shortened as compared with the measuring device using a dome-shaped light shield. It is. Therefore, it is also possible to irradiate the measurement object 4 with weak light emitted at an angle different from the optical axis and receive the reflected light by the photodiode 6. Therefore, adjustment such as adjusting the optical axis of the light-emitting diode 5 to the incident angle to the measurement object 4 is unnecessary. That is, the light emitting diode 5 can be attached to the first substrate 7 so that the optical axis of the light emitting diode 5 is substantially perpendicular to the first substrate 7. Therefore, the cost for attaching the light emitting diode 5 to the first substrate 7 can be reduced.

  Although the present embodiment has been described above, the above examples are for facilitating the understanding of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the present invention. The present invention can be changed and improved without departing from the gist thereof, and the present invention includes equivalents thereof.

  For example, in the present embodiment, a light emitting diode is used as the irradiation unit, but a semiconductor laser, a halogen lamp, or the like may be used. Further, instead of using light emitting diodes of red, blue, and green, light emitting diodes capable of emitting these three colors may be used. Further, a phototransistor, a CCD (Charge Coupled Device), or the like can be used as the light receiving unit.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the shape of the light shielding cylinder is a cylindrical shape, but may be a square cylindrical shape. Moreover, it is also possible to reduce the opening of the light shielding cylinder within a range in which the light of the light emitting diode can be applied to the measurement object.

  Moreover, in this Embodiment, although the measuring apparatus 1 which measures a color was demonstrated as an example of the measuring apparatus of this invention, the measuring apparatus of this invention is not restricted to this, Irradiates a measuring object, and the light What is necessary is just to measure the information of a measuring object by receiving reflected light. For example, a scanner or a contact type bar code reader may be used as the measuring apparatus of the present invention. Thereby, the contact area with the measurement object in a scanner, a contact-type barcode reader, or the like can be reduced.

It is sectional drawing of the measuring apparatus which is one Embodiment of this invention. It is the figure which looked at the board | substrate with which the light emitting diode was installed from the opening part side. It is the figure which looked at the board | substrate with which the photodiode was installed from the opening part side. It is a figure which shows the shape of a connection member. It is a circuit block diagram of a measuring apparatus. It is an external view of the electronic pen which attached the measuring apparatus of this invention. It is a figure which shows the structure of a general measuring apparatus.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Measuring apparatus 2 Opening part 3 Light shielding cylinder 4 Measuring object 5 Light emitting diode 5a Red light emitting diode 5b Blue light emitting diode 5c Green light emitting diode 6 Photodiode 7, 9 Board | substrate 8 Translucent part 10 Connection member 11,12 Connection part 13 Main body 14 , 15 End 16, 17 Junction 20a, 20b, 20c Switch 21 Error amplifier 22 Amplifying circuit 30 Electronic pen 31 Detector

Claims (5)

A light shielding cylinder having an opening in contact with an object to be measured at one end and blocking light incidence;
An irradiation unit for irradiating the measurement object with light; and
A first substrate provided with the irradiation unit;
A light receiving unit that receives the reflected light of the light irradiated from the irradiation unit to the measurement object, and outputs the received light intensity of the reflected light as an electrical signal;
A second substrate provided with the light receiving portion,
The first substrate is disposed substantially parallel to the opening at a position where the irradiation unit can irradiate the measurement object with light through the opening, inside the light shielding tube,
The second substrate is disposed at the other end of the light-shielding tube and at a position where the light-receiving unit can receive the reflected light, substantially parallel to the opening;
Measuring device characterized by. The first substrate is provided with a light-transmitting portion that is a hole through which light passes.
The light receiving part is disposed at a position where the reflected light can be received through the light transmitting part;
The measuring apparatus according to claim 1.   The measuring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first substrate and the second substrate are physically and electrically connected using a conductive rod-shaped connecting member. .   The measuring apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the irradiation unit includes three light emitting diodes of a red light emitting diode, a blue light emitting diode, and a green light emitting diode. The said irradiation part is provided in said 1st board | substrate so that the optical axis of the said irradiation part and said 1st board | substrate may become substantially perpendicular | vertical, The any one of Claims 1-4 characterized by the above-mentioned. The measuring device according to item.

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