Measurement system with image capture capabilities

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9551597-B2
Application number	US-201313838994-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 15, 2013
Priority date	Mar 15, 2013
Publication date	Jan 24, 2017
Grant date	Jan 24, 2017

Abstract

In at least one embodiment, a mobile measurement system includes a handheld device, a measurement device, and an optical sensing device. The measurement device and the optical sensing device are communicatively coupled to the handheld device. The handheld device receives measurement data that comprises at least one measured electrical parameter corresponding to a physical property of an external system. The measurement device generates measurement data that corresponds to a period of time. The measurement device communicates the generated measurement data to the handheld device. The optical sensing device generates optical data corresponding to an interface of the measurement device and the external system where the measurement data is being generated. The generated optical data corresponds to a particular time within the measurement period of time. The mobile measurement system associates and stores the generated optical data for the particular time with measurement data corresponding to the period of time.

First claim

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:

1. A mobile measurement system comprising:
a handheld device configured to receive measurement data pertaining to a measurement of an external system, wherein the received measurement data comprises at least one measured electrical parameter corresponding to a physical property of the external system;
a measurement device communicatively coupled to the handheld device, wherein the measurement device is configured to measure the physical property of the external system and generate the measurement data, wherein the generated measurement data corresponds to a period of time, and wherein the measurement device communicates the generated measurement data to the handheld device; and
an optical sensing device communicatively coupled to the handheld device, wherein the optical sensing device generates optical data depicting an image of a physical interface of the measurement device and the external system where the measurement device is measuring the physical property of the external system,
wherein the generated optical data corresponds to a particular time within the period of time, and
wherein the mobile measurement system is further configured to associate and store the generated optical data corresponding to the particular time with the measurement data corresponding to the period of time.

2. The mobile measurement system of claim 1 , wherein the mobile measurement system is further configured to generate a first image from the generated optical data.

3. The mobile measurement system of claim 2 , wherein the mobile measurement system is further configured to generate a second image comprising a textual representation of at least a portion of the measurement data that is associated with the generated optical data.

4. The mobile measurement system of claim 2 , wherein the mobile measurement system is further configured to transmit at least the first image and the associated measurement data to another device.

5. The mobile measurement system of claim 2 , wherein the mobile measurement system is further configured to activate the optical sensing device after a threshold condition has occurred.

6. The mobile measurement system of claim 5 , wherein the mobile measurement system is further configured to determine whether the measurement data received by the handheld device is stable, and wherein the threshold condition is that the received measurement data is stable.

7. The handheld device of claim 1 , wherein the handheld device is further configured to store and associate with the optical data at least one of the particular time, a technician identifier, settings data, a date, and whether the measured data associated with the optical data is stable.

8. A method for associating optical data with measurement data, the method comprising:
applying a configurable handheld measurement device to an external system and generating measurement data using the configurable handheld measurement device, wherein the generated measurement data corresponds to a measured property of the external system;
generating optical data using an optical sensing device, wherein the generated optical data corresponds to a particular time in which the measurement data is generated, and wherein the generated optical data depicts an interface between the external system being measured and the configurable handheld measurement device where the handheld measurement device is applied to the external system; and
associating the generated optical data with the generated measurement data.

9. The method of claim 8 , further comprising:
generating a first image based on the generated optical data;
generating a second image that includes a textual representation of at least a portion of the measurement data associated with the optical data; and
combining the first image with the second image to form a combined image.

10. The method of claim 9 , further comprising determining whether the measurement data is stable.

11. The method of claim 10 , further comprising adding an indication of whether the optical data is stable to the combined image.

12. The method of claim 10 , further comprising generating optical data only after one of: (1) the measurement data is determined to be stable; or (2) the measurement data has been determined to be unstable for at least a threshold period.

13. The method of claim 8 , further comprising transmitting the associated measurement data and optical data to another device.

14. A mobile measurement device comprising:
a measurement instrument configured to measure one or more properties of an external system and generate measurement data corresponding to the one or more properties of the external system; and
an optical sensing device configured to generate optical data showing a measurement interface between the measurement instrument and the external system, wherein the generated optical data corresponds to a particular time at which the measurement data is generated and depicts the external system where the measurement instrument is measuring the one or more properties of the external system,
wherein the mobile measurement device is configured to associate measurement data corresponding to the particular time with the optical data corresponding to the particular time,
wherein the mobile measurement device includes a plurality of measurement settings, and
wherein the measurement data is further associated with a particular measurement setting of the mobile measurement device.

15. The mobile measurement device of claim 14 , wherein the mobile measurement device is further configured to generate an image based on the generated optical data.

16. The mobile measurement device of claim 15 , wherein the mobile measurement device is further configured to generate and add a representation of at least a portion of the measurement data to the image.

17. The mobile measurement device of claim 16 , wherein the mobile measurement device is further configured to generate and add a representation of at least a portion of the particular measurement setting to the image.

18. The mobile measurement device of claim 16 , wherein the mobile measurement device is further configured to automatically transmit the image to an external device.

Assignees

• Fluke Corp

Inventors

• Epperson David Lawrence
• Vetter Glen Howard

Classifications

• G01R1/06788

  Hand-held or hand-manipulated probes, e.g. for oscilloscopes or for portable test instruments (end pieces terminating in a probe H01R11/18) · CPC title

• G01D9/00

  Recording measured values · CPC title

• G01D21/00 Primary

  Measuring or testing not otherwise provided for · CPC title

• G01D5/39 Primary

  Scanning a visible indication of the measured value and reproducing this indication at the remote place, e.g. on the screen of a cathode ray tube {(mechanical adjustment G01D5/264)} · CPC title