Apparatus and method for producing a numeric display corresponding to the volume of a selected segment of an item

A method of displaying a numeric value corresponding to the volume of any selected segment of an item comprising:

• disposing said item on a support surface;
• displacing a sensor bar from a reference position over any section of said item to a position over a selected other section of said item, the portion of said item between said reference position section and said selected other section defining a selected segment thereof;
• providing a visual reference extending across said item and visually indicating each section of said item corresponding to each position of said sensor bar assumed in being displaced along said item, including projecting an elongated pattern of visible light extending in a direction lying across said item to visually indicate each successive section of said item passing below said sensor bar at each position assumed by said sensor bar along said item, said elongated pattern of visual light and numeric display being positioned to both be visible to an observer at the same time;
• generating sensor signals corresponding to the contour of said selected segment of said item as said sensor bar is displaced to said selected other section;
• detecting displacement of said sensor bar required to reach said selected other section of said item, and generating corresponding detector signals;
• processing said generated sensor and detector signals to calculate therefrom the volume of said selected segment of said item;
• deriving a numeric value corresponding to the calculated volume of said selected segment;
• and,
• displaying a numeric value thereby derived with said sensor bar in position over said selected other section of said item while providing said visual indication of said selected other section.

An apparatus for displaying a numeric value corresponding to the volume of any selected segment of an item comprising:

• a support surface for supporting said item;
• a sensor arrangement which is able to be manually selectively positioned aligned over any selected section of said item to be able to define a selected segment of said item extending between any two sections of said item;
• a visual indicator providing a visual indication on each successive section of said item corresponding to each successive position of said sensor arrangement over said item as said sensor arrangement is moved along said item, said visual indicator comprising a visible light projector arrangement carried by said sensor support projecting a visible elongated pattern of light onto and extending in a direction lying across said item at each corresponding section of said item over which said sensor support is located in each successive position of said sensor support in being moved along said item;
• a detector arrangement which generates signals corresponding to the displacement of said sensor arrangement from a position at which said sensor arrangement is aligned with a selected starting section of said item to a position aligned with any selected other section of said item;
• said sensor arrangement generating signals corresponding to the contour of said selected segment of said item extending between said selected starting section and said selected other section;
• a signal processor receiving said signals generated by said detector arrangement and said sensor arrangement and computing therefrom the volume of said selected segment of said item defined between said selected starting section of said item and said selected other section of said item;
• and,
• a display enabling displaying a numeric value corresponding to said volume of the selected segment of said item as computed by said signal processor with said sensor arrangement at a position aligned with said selected other section of said item.

A method of displaying a numeric value corresponding to the volume of any selected segment of an item resting on a support surface comprising displacing an indicator along said item from a selected reference position with respect to said item while providing a visual indication extending across each successive section of said item corresponding to each relative position of said indicator in being displaced along said item by projecting an elongated pattern of visible light in a direction lying across said item from said indicator to thereby provide said visual indication on each successive section of said item corresponding to the successive positions of said indicator along said item;

• detecting the displacement of said indicator from said selected reference position;
• sensing the contour of said item passed over by said indicator in being displaced along said item;
• and, calculating the volume of a selected segment of said item between said selected reference position and a selected other position with respect to said item from said detected displacement and sensed item segment contour;
• and, displaying a numeric value corresponding to said calculated volume of said selected segment after said indicator is in said selected other position.