Length measuring instrument, code, and code conversion method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10803271-B2
Application number	US-201816177706-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 1, 2018
Priority date	Nov 20, 2017
Publication date	Oct 13, 2020
Grant date	Oct 13, 2020

Abstract

A length measuring instrument for measuring length with a measure includes: a measure on which a code is printed, a plurality of patterns each allotted to a different number being arranged, each of the patterns having digits to which an N-notation number (N being 3 or greater) is allotted, each of the digits having a different color corresponding to the allotted numerical value, the patterns being arranged in ascending order or descending order, a Hamming distance between patterns adjacent to each other in an array direction being 1, an amount of change in numerical value at the same digit between the adjacent patterns being 1 in the code; a reading unit that optically reads patterns printed on the measure; and a measuring unit that measures a length of a measurement target from a result of the reading by the reading unit.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A length measuring instrument comprising:
a reader to optically read a plurality of patterns included on a measure on and corresponding to a code, the plurality of patterns each allotted to a different number in the code being arranged on the measure, each of the patterns having digits to which an N-notation number (N being 3 or greater) is allotted, each of the digits having a different color corresponding to the allotted numerical value, the patterns being arranged in ascending order or descending order, a Hamming distance between patterns adjacent to each other in an array direction being 1, an amount of change in numerical value at the same digit between the adjacent patterns being 1 in the code; and
a processor to control the reader to optically read the patterns and to calculate a length of a measurement target from a result of the reading by the reader.

2. The length measuring instrument according to claim 1 , wherein light to be emitted from the reader and reflected light to be received by the reader are at least one of infrared light, visible light, and ultraviolet light.

3. A method of measuring a length of a measurement target, comprising:
optically reading by a reader a plurality of patterns included on a measure and corresponding to a code, the plurality of patterns each allotted to a different number in the code and arranged on the measure, each of the patterns including a plurality of digits to which an N-notation number (N being 3 or greater) is allotted, the patterns arranged in ascending order or descending order, a Hamming distance between adjacent patterns in an array direction is 1, and an amount of change in numerical value at the same digit between the adjacent patterns is 1 in the code; and
controlling, by a processor, the reader to optically read the patterns and to calculate the length of the measurement target from a result of the reading by the reader.

4. The method according to claim 3 , wherein
each of the digits of each of the patterns has a different color corresponding to the allotted numerical value.

5. The method according to claim 3 , wherein the code is printed on the measure for measuring the length of an object.

6. The method as in claim 3 , further comprising:
storing, by a memory, the result of the plurality of patterns read by the reader from the measure.

7. The method as in claim 3 , further comprising:
transmitting, by a communication device, the result to an external terminal.

8. The length measuring instrument as in claim 1 , further comprising:
a memory to store the result of the plurality of patterns read by the reader from the measure.

9. The length measuring instruction as in claim 1 , further comprising:
a communication device to transmit the result to an external terminal.

10. An apparatus comprising:
a memory to store a plurality of patterns included on a measure and corresponding to a code, the plurality of patterns each allotted to a different number being arranged, each of the patterns having digits to which an N-notation number (N being 3 or greater) is allotted, each of the digits having a different color corresponding to the allotted numerical value, the patterns being arranged in ascending order or descending order, a Hamming distance between patterns adjacent to each other in an array direction being 1, an amount of change in numerical value at the same digit between the adjacent patterns being 1 in the code; and
a processor, in communication with the memory, to calculate a length of a measurement target from the plurality of patterns stored in the memory.

11. The apparatus as in claim 10 , further comprising:
a communication device to transmit the result to an external terminal.

Assignees

• Fujitsu Component Ltd

Inventors

• Fuji Koichiro

Classifications

• G06K7/1404 Primary

  Methods for optical code recognition · CPC title

• G01D5/34792 Primary

  with only digital scales or both digital and incremental scales · CPC title

• G01D5/34715

  Scale reading or illumination devices · CPC title

• H03M1/285

  of the unit Hamming distance type, e.g. Gray code · CPC title

• G06K19/06018

  one-dimensional coding · CPC title