Patent ID: 6810744
Filing Date: 2004-11-02
Classification: G01B

Abstract:
An evaluation device (1, 10, 20, 30) for evaluating a surface condition of a material (5, 15, 25, 35); the evaluation device comprising:a support (2, 12, 22, 32) having a vibration element (3, 13, 23, 33) attached thereto; wherein the vibration element (3, 13, 23, 33) is bendable and a remote free end of the vibration element (3, 13, 23, 33) sufficiently contacting the surface of the material (5, 15, 25, 35) so as to arch the vibration element (3, 13, 23, 33), the vibration element (3, 13, 23, 33) being moved relative to the surface of the material (5, 15, 25, 35) to cause the at least one vibration element (3, 13, 23, 33) to vibrate; a mechanism (4, 14, 24) carried by the vibration element (3, 13, 23, 33) for measuring particular modes of vibration of the vibration element (3, 13, 23, 22) and furnishing a signal corresponding to the particular modes of vibration; a device (6, 16, 26) for processing and analyzing the furnished signal corresponding to the particular modes of vibration and producing data, corresponding to the furnished signal, indicative of the surface condition of the material (5, 15, 25, 35); an interface (7, 17, 27) for displaying the data; and a second processing device (6â€²) for transforming the data indicative of the surface condition of the material (5, 15, 25, 35) into a value quantifying softness of the surface condition of the material (5, 15, 25, 35).