TWI867418B - Measurement unit and electronic device - Google Patents

Abstract

A measurement unit is adapted to connect to a main body of an electronic device is provided. The measurement unit includes a carrier, a transmission shaft and at least one measurement element. The transmission shaft is rotatably disposed at the main body along a rotation axis. A center of gravity of the measurement unit is located on the rotation axis. The carrier is connected to the transmission shaft and is adapted to pivot relative to the main body by the transmission shaft. The at least one measurement element is disposed on the carrier, and the at least one measurement element is used for emitting a light, and a path of the light emitted by the at least one measurement element is parallel to a gravity direction. In addition, an electronic device is also mentioned.

Description

Measuring unit and electronic device

The present invention relates to a measuring unit and an electronic device, and in particular to a measuring unit capable of automatically adjusting position and an electronic device having the measuring unit.

The measuring equipment of today's electronic devices may include a rangefinder, which is fixedly mounted on the body of the electronic device and can determine the distance between it and the object to be measured by the time difference between light emission and reception. When the body of the electronic device is tilted, the rangefinder tilts with the body, causing the light emitted by the rangefinder to tilt relative to the surface of the object to be measured. The time of light emission and reception is affected by the tilt angle, causing errors between the distance measured by the rangefinder and the actual distance.

The present invention provides a measuring unit and an electronic device. The measuring unit can automatically adjust its position to keep the measuring unit level.

The measuring unit of the present invention is suitable for being connected to a main body of an electronic device. The measuring unit includes a carrier, a transmission shaft and at least one measuring piece. The transmission shaft is rotatably arranged on the main body along a rotation axis. The center of gravity of the measuring unit is located on the rotation axis. The carrier is connected to the transmission shaft and is suitable for pivoting relative to the main body by being driven by the transmission shaft. At least one measuring piece is arranged on the carrier, and at least one measuring piece is used to emit a light, and the path of the light emitted by at least one measuring piece is parallel to a gravity direction.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the measuring unit further comprises a bearing. The driving shaft passes through the bearing, and the bearing is located between the driving shaft and the bearing member.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the above-mentioned supporting member includes a connecting portion having an opening, the bearing is arranged in the opening, and the central axis of the opening is the rotation axis.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the measuring unit further comprises at least one wire. The drive shaft comprises an axial hole, an inner diameter of the axial hole is larger than an outer diameter of the at least one wire, and the at least one wire is connected to at least one measuring piece and passes through the opening and the axial hole.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the measuring unit further comprises a counterweight. The bearing member comprises a groove, and the counterweight is movably connected to the groove.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the measuring unit further includes a goniometer disposed on the main body.

The electronic device of the present invention includes a main body and a measuring unit. The measuring unit includes a carrier, a transmission shaft and at least one measuring piece. The transmission shaft is rotatably arranged on the main body along the rotation axis. The center of gravity of the measuring unit is located on the rotation axis. The carrier is connected to the transmission shaft and is suitable for pivoting relative to the main body by being driven by the transmission shaft. The transmission shaft is connected to the main body and the carrier. At least one measuring piece is arranged on the carrier, and at least one measuring piece is used to emit light, and the path of the light emitted by the at least one measuring piece is parallel to the direction of gravity.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the electronic device further comprises at least one first buffer, which is disposed on the main body and between the main body and the carrier.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the electronic device further comprises at least one second buffer, wherein the main body comprises at least one recess, and the at least one second buffer is disposed in the at least one recess.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the above-mentioned supporting member includes at least one block, the at least one block extends toward the main body, and the at least one second buffer member is located below the at least one block in the direction of gravity.

Based on the above, the measuring unit of the present invention is arranged on the main body of the electronic device, and the center of gravity of the measuring unit is located on the rotation axis. When the main body is tilted, the measuring unit can freely pivot relative to the main body, so that the measuring unit remains horizontal, and the light emission path of the measuring piece is parallel to the direction of gravity. It can be seen that the measuring unit can automatically adjust its position to prevent the tilted main body from affecting the measurement value of the measuring piece, thereby reducing the measurement error.

In order to make the above features and advantages of the present invention more clearly understood, embodiments are specifically cited below and described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the electronic device of FIG. 1 on an inclined plane. FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 simplify some components to clearly show the relative positions of the components. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of the electronic device of FIG. 1 at another viewing angle. FIG. 4 is an exploded view of the electronic device of FIG. 1, and FIG. 4 omits some components (e.g., wire 127). Cartesian coordinates X-Y-Z are provided here to facilitate component description.

Please refer to FIGS. 1 to 4 together. The electronic device 100 includes a main body 110 and a measuring unit 120. The main body 110 includes a fixing seat 112 located at a side E of the main body 110. The measuring unit 120 includes a supporting member 121, a bearing 122, a transmission shaft 123 and at least one measuring member 124. The surface of the main body 110 shown in FIG. 1 is parallel to a horizontal plane S3. The horizontal plane S3 is parallel to the X-Y plane.

The measuring member 124 is disposed on the supporting member 121. The supporting member 121 includes a connecting portion 121a, and the connecting portion 121a has an opening P1. The transmission shaft 123 is rotatably disposed on the fixing seat 112 of the main body 110 along a rotation axis A. The supporting member 121 is connected to the transmission shaft 123, and the supporting member 121 can be driven by the transmission shaft 123 to pivot relative to the main body 110. The bearing 122 is disposed at the opening P1 of the connecting portion 121a, and the transmission shaft 123 is passed through the bearing 122. In other words, the bearing 122 is located between the transmission shaft 123 and the connecting portion 121a. Thus, the bearing 121, the bearing 122 and the transmission shaft 123 can pivot or swing along the rotation axis A relative to the fixing seat 112 of the main body 110. The central axis of the opening P1 of the connecting portion 121a is the rotation axis A. The bearing 122 can be a ball bearing, and the number of the bearings 122 can be three, but is not limited thereto. The rotation axis A is parallel to the X axis.

The bearing member 121 can freely pivot relative to the main body 110 through the transmission shaft 123 and the bearing 122, so that the measuring member 124 can pivot relative to the main body 110 (as shown in FIG. 2 ). The center of gravity of the measuring unit 120 is located on the rotation axis A.

The measuring device 124 of this embodiment is, for example, a laser rangefinder, but is not limited thereto. FIG. 2 shows the path of light with arrows. As shown in FIG. 2 , the measuring device 124 can emit light to an object surface S1 and receive light reflected by the object surface S1. The measuring device 124 can determine the distance between the object surface S1 and the measuring device 124 by the time difference between the emission and reception of the light. The measuring device 124 can, for example, determine the structural undulations of the object surface S1 by multi-point measurement.

The measuring unit 120 includes four measuring elements 124, but is not limited thereto. Two of the measuring elements 124 emit and receive light upward, and the other two of the measuring elements 124 emit and receive light downward. Therefore, the measuring unit 120 can simultaneously measure the distance between the upper and lower object surfaces S1 and the four measuring elements 124.

As shown in FIG2 , the main body 110 of the electronic device 100 is, for example, a self-propelled trolley, but is not limited thereto. Since the center of gravity of the measuring unit 120 is located on the rotation axis A and the carrier 121 can freely pivot relative to the main body 110, when the electronic device 100 moves onto an inclined plane S2 and the main body 110 tilts (i.e., the surface of the main body 110 is parallel to the inclined plane S2), the measuring unit 120 can automatically and stably rotate relative to the main body 110 to a horizontal state as shown in FIG2 .

The path of the light emitted by the measuring piece 124 of the measuring unit 120 in a horizontal state is parallel to a gravity direction G, i.e., the -Z axis direction, and is perpendicular to the object surface S1. The gravity direction G is perpendicular to the horizontal plane S3 and the object surface S1, and is perpendicular to the rotation axis A. Thus, the time difference between the light emission and reception of the measuring piece 124 will not be affected by the tilt angle of the main body 110, thereby improving the measurement accuracy of the measuring piece 124 and reducing the measurement error.

It can be seen that no matter whether the surface of the main body 110 is parallel to the horizontal plane S3 (FIG. 1) or parallel to the inclined plane S2 (FIG. 2), the measuring unit 120 of this embodiment can automatically adjust its relative position with the main body 110 by gravity, so that the measuring unit 120 is always in a horizontal state. This can improve the convenience of use of the electronic device 100, improve the measurement accuracy of the measuring unit 120 and reduce the measurement error.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 2 , the measuring unit 120 further includes an inclinometer 129 and a controller (not shown), and the inclinometer 129 is disposed on the main body 110. The controller can be disposed on the main body 110, but is not limited thereto. The controller is electrically connected to the measuring member 124 and the inclinometer 129. When the main body 110 is tilted, the inclinometer 129 tilts along with the main body 110 to measure the inclination angle between the main body 110 and the horizontal plane S3. The controller can correct the distance measured by the measuring member 124 through the inclinometer 129.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 4 , the measuring unit 120 may further include a counterweight 126, and the supporting member 121 includes a groove P2. The groove P2 and the measuring member 124 are located on opposite sides of the supporting member 121. The counterweight 126 includes a protruding post. The protruding post can be movably inserted into the groove P2, so that the counterweight 126 can slide relative to the supporting member 121. The user can adjust the center of gravity of the measuring unit 120 through the counterweight 126 to ensure that the center of gravity of the measuring unit 120 is always located on the rotation axis A.

As shown in FIG3 and FIG4 , the electronic device 100 may further include at least one first buffer 130 and at least one second buffer 140. The electronic device 100 of this embodiment includes two first buffers 130 and two second buffers 140, and the material of the two first buffers 130 and the two second buffers 140 is, for example, sponge, but not limited thereto.

The first buffer 130 is disposed at the side E of the main body 110 and between the main body 110 and the supporting member 121. The rough surface of the first buffer 130 contacts the supporting member 121 (FIG. 3). The first buffer 130 can act as a damper to prevent the supporting member 121 from excessively rotating or shaking relative to the main body 110, so that the supporting member 121 can quickly return to the horizontal state shown in FIG. 2 and remain stable.

As shown in FIG4 , the main body 110 may include at least one recess 114 recessed from the side E, and the number of the at least one recess 114 corresponds to the number of the second buffer members 140, that is, two. The second buffer member 140 is disposed in the recess 114. Preferably, the second buffer member 140 is disposed at the bottom of the recess 114. As shown in FIG3 , the support member 121 may further include two blocks 128 corresponding to the two second buffer members 140. The block 128 of the support member 121 extends and protrudes toward the main body 110, and the second buffer member 140 is located below the block 128 in the gravity direction G. The second buffer 140 can be used as a stopper. When the support member 121 moves downward significantly relative to the main body 110, the block 128 can move into the recess 114 and contact the second buffer 140 to prevent the support member 121 from continuing to move downward and quickly return to the horizontal state shown in FIG. 2 .

FIG5 is a cross-sectional view of the electronic device of FIG1. Referring to FIG1 and FIG5, the electronic device 100 further includes a circuit board 150, and the measuring unit 120 further includes at least one wire 127. The number of wires 127 corresponds to the number of measuring components 124, and the wires 127 are used to connect the measuring components 124 and the circuit board 150. The four wires 127 of this embodiment are connected to the same circuit board 150, but are not limited thereto. In an embodiment not shown, the electronic device 100 may include two circuit boards 150, two wires 127 are connected to one circuit board 150, and the other two wires 127 are connected to the other circuit board 150.

As shown in FIG5 , the transmission shaft 123 includes an axial hole P3. The axial hole P3 is used to allow the wire 127 of the measuring unit 120 to pass through. An inner diameter D1 of the axial hole P3 is larger than an outer diameter D2 of the four wires 127 as a whole. The wire 127 passes through the opening P1 of the connecting portion 121a, the axial hole P3 of the transmission shaft 123 and the fixing seat 112, and is connected to the circuit board 150 disposed on the main body 110 ( FIG1 ). This ensures that when the support member 121 rotates relative to the main body 110, the wire 127 will not hinder the rotation of the support member 121.

In summary, the measuring unit of the present invention is arranged on the main body of the electronic device, and the center of gravity of the measuring unit is located on the rotation axis. When the main body is tilted, the measuring unit can freely pivot relative to the main body, so that the measuring unit remains horizontal, and the light emission path of the measuring piece is parallel to the direction of gravity. It can be seen that the measuring unit can automatically adjust its position to prevent the tilted main body from affecting the measurement value of the measuring piece, thereby reducing the measurement error.

Although the present invention has been disclosed as above by the embodiments, they are not intended to limit the present invention. Any person with ordinary knowledge in the relevant technical field can make some changes and modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, the protection scope of the present invention shall be defined by the scope of the attached patent application.

A: Rotation axis D1: Inner diameter D2: Outer diameter E: Side G: Direction of gravity P1: Opening P2: Groove P3: Shaft hole S1: Object surface S2: Inclined surface S3: Horizontal surface X-Y-Z: Cartesian coordinates 100: Electronic device 110: Main body 112: Fixed seat 114: Notch 120: Measuring unit 121: Carrier 121a: Connecting part 122: Bearing 123: Drive shaft 124: Measuring part 126: Counterweight 127: Wire 128: Block 129: Inclinometer 130: First buffer 140: Second buffer 150: Circuit board

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the electronic device of FIG. 1 on an inclined plane. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of the electronic device of FIG. 1 at another viewing angle. FIG. 4 is an exploded view of the electronic device of FIG. 1. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the electronic device of FIG. 1.

E: Side

G: direction of gravity

P1: Opening

P2: Groove

P3: shaft hole

S1: Object surface

S2: Inclined surface

S3: Horizontal plane

X-Y-Z: Cartesian coordinates

100: Electronic devices

110: Subject

120: Measurement unit

121: Carrier

121a: Connection part

122: Bearings

123: Drive shaft

124: Measuring parts

126: Counterweight

127: Conductor wire

129: Tiltmeter

Claims (10)

A measuring unit is suitable for connecting to a main body of an electronic device. The measuring unit comprises: a transmission shaft rotatably arranged on the main body along a rotation axis, and the center of gravity of the measuring unit is located on the rotation axis; a carrier connected to the transmission shaft and suitable for pivoting relative to the main body by the drive of the transmission shaft; and at least one measuring piece arranged on the carrier, the at least one measuring piece is used to emit a light upward or downward to a corresponding object surface, and receive the light reflected by the object surface, the path of the light emitted by the at least one measuring piece is parallel to a gravity direction, and the at least one measuring piece determines the distance between the object surface and the at least one measuring piece by the time difference between emitting the light and receiving the light. The measuring unit as described in claim 1 further includes a bearing, wherein the drive shaft passes through the bearing, and the bearing is located between the drive shaft and the carrier. A measuring unit as described in claim 2, wherein the carrier includes a connecting portion having an opening, the bearing is disposed in the opening, and the central axis of the opening is the rotation axis. The measuring unit as described in claim 3 further includes at least one wire, wherein the transmission shaft includes an axial hole, an inner diameter of the axial hole is larger than an outer diameter of the at least one wire, and the at least one wire is connected to the at least one measuring piece and passes through the opening and the axial hole. The measuring unit as described in claim 1 further includes a counterweight, wherein the supporting member includes a groove, and the counterweight is movably connected to the groove. The measuring unit as described in claim 1 further includes a goniometer disposed on the main body. An electronic device includes: a main body; and a measuring unit, including: a transmission shaft, rotatably arranged on the main body along a rotation axis, the center of gravity of the measuring unit is located on the rotation axis; a carrier, connected to the transmission shaft and suitable for pivoting relative to the main body by the drive of the transmission shaft; and at least one measuring piece, arranged on the carrier, the at least one measuring piece is used to emit a light upward or downward to a corresponding object surface, and receive the light reflected by the object surface, the path of the light emitted by the at least one measuring piece is parallel to a gravity direction, and the at least one measuring piece determines the distance between the object surface and the at least one measuring piece by the time difference between emitting the light and receiving the light. The electronic device as described in claim 7 further includes at least one first buffer, which is disposed on the main body and located between the main body and the carrier. The electronic device as described in claim 7 further includes at least one second buffer, wherein the main body includes at least one notch, and the at least one second buffer is disposed in the at least one notch. An electronic device as described in claim 9, wherein the carrier includes at least one baffle, the at least one baffle extends toward the main body, and the at least one second buffer is located below the at least one baffle in the direction of gravity.

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