US4147052A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Hardness tester
Assignee: Seiko Instruments Inc
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Filing: 1977-08-17
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Granted: 1979-04-03
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Expires: 1997-08-17
Abstract
Abstract A hardness tester has an image sensor and a detecting system. The image sensor has aligned plurality photoelectric sensor elements on an image plane on which a bright and dark image of an indentation is formed through an optical system. The detecting system detects the diagonal length of the indentation by using the differences in amplitude of the output signals developed by the sensor elements in the vicinity of the ends of the indentation image.
Inventors
- 👤 Junpei Tsujiuchi
- 👤 Toshio Honda
- 👤 Hiroshi Okuda
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-31 10:12
CPC Classifications
G; G01; G01N; G01N3/00; G01N3/40; G01N3/42; G01N2203/00; G01N2203/0098; G01N2203/02; G01N2203/06; G01N2203/0641; G01N2203/0647
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 7
Claim 1
Independent Claim
217 words
A hardness tester for determining hardness of a specimen, comprising: indenting means for forming a polygonal pyramidal indentation in a surface of a speciman; imaging means for forming an optical silhouette image of the speciman surface indentation; a solid state image sensor comprised of a plurality of photoelectric sensor elements, each photoelectric sensor element having a narrow elongated photoresponsive area and said plurality of photoelectric sensor elements being relatively positioned with their respective photoresponsive areas positioned along a straight line defining a major axis of said solid state image sensor and with the lengths of their respective photoresponsive areas transverse to the major axis of said solid state image sensor, and said solid state image sensor positioned with the optical image of the specimen surface indentation incident on the photoresponsive areas of said photoelectric sensor elements comprising said solid state image sensor with said photoelectric sensor elements developing respective electrical output signals each having an amplitude representing the intensity of the optical image incident thereon; and detecting means responsive to the differences in amplitude of the electrical output signals developed by said photoelectric sensor elements in the vicinity of the ends of the speciman surface indentation image for detectingthe diagonal length of the speciman surface indentation image along the major axis of said solid state image sensor.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
217 words
A hardness tester for determining hardness of a specimen, comprising: indenting means for forming a polygonal pyramidal indentation in a surface of a speciman; imaging means for forming an optical silhouette image of the speciman surface indentation; a solid state image sensor comprised of a plurality of photoelectric sensor elements, each photoelectric sensor element having a narrow elongated photoresponsive area and said plurality of photoelectric sensor elements being relatively positioned with their respective photoresponsive areas positioned along a straight line defining a major axis of said solid state image sensor and with the lengths of their respective photoresponsive areas transverse to the major axis of said solid state image sensor, and said solid state image sensor positioned with the optical image of the specimen surface indentation incident on the photoresponsive areas of said photoelectric sensor elements comprising said solid state image sensor with said photoelectric sensor elements developing respective electrical output signals each having an amplitude representing the intensity of the optical image incident thereon; and detecting means responsive to the differences in amplitude of the electrical output signals developed by said photoelectric sensor elements in the vicinity of the ends of the speciman surface indentation image for detectingthe diagonal length of the speciman surface indentation image along the major axis of said solid state image sensor.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
17 words
A hardness tester as claimed in claim 1, where said indenting means forms a quadrangular pyramidal indentation.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
48 words
A hardness tester as claimed in claim 1, wherein said imaging means forms a plurality of specimen surface indentation images, and further comprising a solid state image sensor having the same structure as the first-mentioned solid state image sensor for sensing each of the specimen surface indentation images.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
33 words
A hardness tester as claimed in claim 3, wherein the major axis of each solid state image sensor is oriented along a different diagonal of the respective specimen surface indentation image incident thereon.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
29 words
A hardness tester as claimed in claim 4, wherein said indenting means forms a quadrangular pyradmidal indentation, and said imaging means forms two images of the specimen surface indentation.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
41 words
A hardness tester as claimed in claim 1, wherein the respective photoresponsive areas of said plurality of photoelectric sensor elements are rectangular and of the same size, and are disposed equi-spaced along the major axis of said solid state image sensor.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1982-04-02 | 1982-10-02 | 1983-04-03 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1986-04-02 | 1986-10-02 | 1987-04-03 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1990-04-02 | 1990-10-02 | 1991-04-03 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |