Coating thickness gauge

Abstract

A modular coating thickness gauge includes a probe which generates a signal representative of coating thickness, a PCMCIA card connected to the probe for converting the signal into a standard PCMCIA output format, and a portable computing unit for receiving the signal via the PCMCIA card. The gauge allows the on-site user to alternately record coating thickness measurement data and descriptive textual or graphical data relating to each coating thickness measurement.

1. A method of recording coating thickness measurements, comprising the steps of:
 obtaining a plurality of coating thickness values with a probe electrically connected to an electronic memory;  
 recording in the electronic memory the plurality of coating thickness values; and  
 recording in the electronic memory a plurality of descriptive data, each descriptive data is associated with a respective one of the coating thickness values and provides information concerning the respective one coating thickness value,  
   wherein the plurality of descriptive data are recorded by transforming text entered on a computer screen with an input device into digital data .  
 
     
     
       2. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the steps of recording the coating thickness values and of recording the descriptive data are performed alternately. 
     
     
       3. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the coating thickness values are transmitted to the electronic memory via a PCMCIA card. 
     
     
       4. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the descriptive data comprise text  a written description of a thickness reading location on a coated article. 
     
     
       5. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the descriptive data are recorded by transforming  text is handwritten on a  the computer screen with a writing instrument into digital data . 
     
     
       6. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the descriptive data are defined with reference to an electronic pictorial representation of a coated article. 
     
     
       7. The method of  claim 6 , wherein the descriptive data represent locations on the electronic pictorial representation of the coated article. 
     
     
       8. The method of  claim 1 , further comprising the step of displaying a plurality of indicia on a graph on a video display screen, the indicia representing the plurality of coating thickness values. 
     
     
       9. The method of  claim 8 , further comprising the step of retrieving one of the descriptive data by selecting on the graph one of the indicia. 
     
     
       10. An apparatus for measuring a coating thickness, comprising:
 a probe which generates a first signal representative of a measured coating thickness; and  
 a PCMCIA card connected to the probe and which receives the first signal from the probe, the PCMCIA card including means for converting the first signal into a second signal which is compatible with a standard PCMCIA output format; and  
   a portable computing unit which includes a PCMCIA port for receiving the PCMCIA card,    
   wherein the portable computing unit includes a touch - sensitive screen, and the portable computing unit receives descriptive data from a user via the screen .  
 
     
     
       11. The apparatus of  claim 10 , wherein the probe comprises an LC oscillator. 
     
     
       12. The apparatus of  claim 11 , wherein the PCMCIA card includes a counter which measures a frequency of the LC oscillator. 
     
     
       13. The apparatus of  claim 10 , wherein the probe comprises a permanent magnet and a Hall sensor. 
     
     
       14. The apparatus of  claim 13 , wherein the probe further comprises an eddy current search coil. 
     
     
       15. The apparatus of  claim 10 , wherein the probe includes means for discriminating between a ferrous and a nonferrous substrate upon which the coating is coated. 
     
     
       16. The apparatus of  claim 10 , further comprising a portable computing unit which includes a PCMCIA port for receiving the PCMCIA card. 
     
     
       17. The apparatus of  claim 16 , wherein the portable computing unit includes a touch-sensitive screen, and the portable computing unit receives descriptive data from a user via the screen. 
     
     
       18. The apparatus of claim  17    10 , further comprising a pointed writing instrument for entering the descriptive data. 
     
     
       19. The apparatus of claim  17    10 , wherein the portable computing unit comprises a memory and is adapted to alternately record in the memory the descriptive data from the user and numerical data from the second signal which numerical data represent a coating thickness. 
     
     
       20. The apparatus of  claim 19 , wherein the descriptive data are defined with reference to a pictorial representation on the screen of an article upon which a coating is coated. 
     
     
       21. An apparatus for measuring and recording coating thickness measurements, comprising:
 a computer screen; 
 an electronic memory;  
 means for obtaining a plurality of coating thickness values with a probe electrically connected to the electronic memory;  
 means for recording in the electronic memory the plurality of coating thickness values; and  
 means for recording in the electronic memory a plurality of descriptive data so that each descriptive data is associated with a respective one of the coating thickness values and provides information concerning the respective one coating thickness value,  
   wherein the plurality of descriptive data are recorded by transforming text entered on the computer screen with an input device into digital data .  
 
     
     
       22. The apparatus of  claim 21 , wherein the coating thickness values are transmitted to the electronic memory via a PCMCIA card. 
     
     
       23. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the descriptive data includes textual descriptions of the associated coating thickness values. 
     
     
       24. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the descriptive data includes an image of an object measured to obtain the plurality of coating thickness values. 
     
     
       25. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the descriptive data provides a description of a source of the coating thickness values. 
     
     
       26. The apparatus of  claim 21 , wherein the descriptive data includes textual descriptions of the associated coating thickness values. 
     
     
       27. The apparatus of  claim 21 , wherein the descriptive data includes an image of an object measured to obtain the plurality of coating thickness values. 
     
     
       28. The apparatus of  claim 21 , wherein the descriptive data provides a description of a source of the coating thickness values. 
     
     
       29. The method of  claim 1 , further comprising the step of inputting  wherein the plurality of descriptive data via an  are input device prior to recording the plurality of descriptive data  with a writing instrument. 
     
     
       30. The apparatus of  claim 21 , further comprising means for inputting  wherein the plurality of descriptive data are input with a writing instrument. 
     
     
       31. The method according to  claim 37 , wherein the descriptive data identifies the location from which the coating thickness values were taken. 
     
     
       32. The method according to  claim 1 , further comprising the step of performing a statistical analysis of the plurality of coating thickness values. 
     
     
       33. The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the computer screen is a graphical interface to input the descriptive data. 
     
     
       34. The method according to  claim 33 , wherein the data is entered using a pictorial representation of the location. 
     
     
       35. The method according to  claim 33 , wherein the screen is a touchsensitive screen and the data is entered by touching the screen. 
     
     
       36. The method according to  claim 33 , wherein the data is entered by converting handwriting on the screen into text data. 
     
     
       37. The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the descriptive data is recorded after the coating thickness values are recorded. 
     
     
       38. The method according to  claim 1 , wherein each of the descriptive data is recorded after the respective coating thickness value is recorded. 
     
     
       39. The method according to  claim 38 , further comprising the step of performing a statistical analysis of the plurality of coating thickness values. 
     
     
       40. The method according to  claim 38 , wherein the computer screen is a graphical interface to input the descriptive data. 
     
     
       41. The method according to  claim 38 , wherein each descriptive data identifies the location from which the respective coating thickness value was taken. 
     
     
       42. A method of recording coating thickness measurements, comprising the steps of:
   obtaining a plurality of coating thickness values with a probe electrically connected to an electronic memory;        recording in the electronic memory the plurality of coating thickness values; and        recording in the electronic memory a plurality of descriptive data, each descriptive data is associated with a respective one of the coating thickness values and provides information concerning the respective one coating thickness value,        wherein the plurality of descriptive data are entered by touching a touch - sensitive computer screen that includes an electronic pictorial representation of a coated article.     
     
     
       43. An apparatus for measuring and recording coating thickness measurements, comprising:
   a touch - sensitive computer screen;        an electronic memory;        means for obtaining a plurality of coating thickness values with a probe electrically connected to the electronic memory;        means for recording in the electronic memory the plurality of coating thickness values; and        means for recording in the electronic memory a plurality of descriptive data so that each descriptive data is associated with a respective one of the coating thickness values and provides information concerning the respective one coating thickness value,        wherein the plurality of descriptive data are entered by touching the touch - sensitive computer screen including an electronic pictorial representation of a coated article.