Automated profiling of the hardness of wood
AssigneeOsmose Utilities Services, Inc.
InventorsRandal K. More, Nelson G. Bingel, III, Thomas Pope, Lawrence J. Geitner
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The present invention pertains to a device, system, and method for evaluating the condition of a wooden structure by automated profiling of the hardness of the structure. More particularly, the present invention is directed towards a probing device comprising a blade coupled to a resistance mechanism and a mechanical sensor for measuring the hardness of wood in a structure; a system comprising such a device, and a computing device coupled to the device that outputs the hardness measurements of the device; and a method for operating such a device and determining the condition of wood by identifying changes in hardness in a wooden structure.
Claims20
A device for measuring hardness of wooden structures, the device comprising:
- a shaft comprising an at least partially hollow interior and a hole;
- a blade coupled to said shaft, wherein said blade is configured to move inward and outward of said hole;
- a resistance mechanism coupled to said blade, said resistance mechanism biasing said blade out of said hole of said shaft toward a protruded position;
- and
- a mechanical sensor coupled to said blade,
- wherein responsive to contacting a wooden structure of sufficient hardness, said blade is configured to displace inwardly into said shaft from said protruded position and said mechanical sensor is configured to measure displacement of said blade.
A method for measuring hardness of wooden structures, the method comprising the steps of:
- (a) inserting a blade into a wooden structure, wherein said blade is coupled to a resistance mechanism such that said resistance mechanism biases said blade toward a protruded position and said blade is configured to displace from said protruded position responsive to contacting a wooden structure of sufficient hardness;
- (b) determining a location of said blade in said wooden structure;
- and
- (c) measuring an amount of displacement of said blade with respect to said protruded position at said location using a mechanical sensor.
A system for evaluating hardness of wooden structures, the system comprising:
- a device for measuring hardness of wooden structures, the device comprising:
- a tube;
- a blade coupled to said tube, wherein said blade is configured to move inward and outward of a hole of said blade;
- a resistance mechanism coupled to said blade, said resistance mechanism biasing said blade out of said hole of said tube toward a protruded position;
- and
- a mechanical sensor coupled to said blade,
- wherein responsive to contacting a wooden structure of sufficient hardness, said blade is configured to displace inwardly into said tube from said protruded position and said mechanical sensor is configured to measure an amount of displacement of said blade;
- and
- a computing device configured to receive and process data from said device.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.