Abstract: A digital measuring tape includes a shell body, a tape, and a tape spool. A coiling shaft is provided inside the shell body. The tape spool is installed on the coiling shaft for rotating with respect to the coiling shaft. The tape is coiled around the tape spool, and a front end of the tape is provided with a hook. The digital measuring tape further includes a grid dial, a grid detector, a circuit board, and a display screen. The grid dial is fixed on the tape spool for rotating. A circumferential edge of the grid dial is provided with a plurality of grids. Rotation of the grid dial and the grids enables the grid detector to produce a detecting signal of rotation of the grid dial. With the detecting signal, a length of the pulled tape is calculated through the circuit board, and displayed on the display screen.

Abstract: A positioning device includes a computer including a stored design file, such as a CAD file, for positioning a selected portion of the design on a workpiece. In a first embodiment, a base unit houses an extensible cable including a free end for placement by a user at a design point on the workpiece. A turn carriage freely rotates about a turn axis to follow cable movement. In output mode, the user is directed to move the cable free end toward the portion of the design and a cable tensioning motor adjusts the tension in the cable sufficiently to indicate when cable free end is at a distance to the portion of the design. Other embodiments include: a turn carriage servoed motor for rotating the turn carriage to follow the cable; and a pitch carriage and servoed motor for rotating the pitch carriage for following the cable.

Abstract: An electronic measuring device that includes a transceiver device, a microprocessor operatively connected to the transceiver device, as well as a memory, an electronic output device, and a plurality of input mechanisms, all of which are operatively connected to the microprocessor. In some embodiments, the microprocessor may be programmed with logic that allows a user of the device to take and manipulate measurements using a menu-driven procedure by using the input mechanisms to select and activate desired operations.

Abstract: A method for generating an anti-shrink to delta creep amplitude performance metric for a tensilized tape. The method may include the steps of determining a zero point of the tensilized tape, determining a total length of the tensilized tape, generating a zero point ratio by dividing the zero point of the tensilized tape by the total length of the tensilized tape, and generating the anti-shrink to delta creep amplitude performance metric by subtracting the zero point ratio from a constant.

Abstract: A shoe-based weight measuring system, comprising: a shoe; one or more weight sensitive detectors constructed and arranged with the shoe to sense weight of a person wearing the shoe and walking or standing; a processor for processing signals from the detectors to determine a weight of the person; a remote receiver; and a communications port for wirelessly communicating the weight to the remote receiver. An on demand weight system, comprising a weight detector coupled with a shoe for sensing weight of a person on the detector, a processor processing information from the detector for determining applied weight, a personal data display, and a communications port for wirelessly relaying the applied weight to the data display.

Abstract: Measurement of respective distances to two remote points and measurement of the included angle, permit electronic calculation of the distance between the two remote points such as points on the opposed edges of an interior wall the length or other linear dimension of which is to be measured. The preferred embodiment is implemented using two laser-based pointer devices connected on a common housing through a shaft encoder. Each pointer device has a laser transmitter and detector for determining the distance to selected points at opposite ends of a wall. The angle between the pointers is determined by a shaft encoder as one of the two pointers is rotated from pointing at a first edge of the wall to the point at the second edge while the other of the pointers remains directed toward the first edge.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for detecting and computing tape reel radius using low-resolution angular position sensors is disclosed.