Abstract:
A glove is provided. The glove includes: a palm portion; first and second fingers extending from the palm portion; a first probe attached to the first finger; a second probe attached to the second finger; connectors contained within the glove operatively connected to the first and second probes; and a display operatively connected to the first and second probe.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    The present invention relates generally to a multimeter or oscilloscope for use by automotive repair technicians. More particularly, the present invention relates to a glove with a multimeter and/or oscilloscope built into the glove. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0002]    Automotive repair technicians currently use digital multimeters or oscilloscopes with external probes attached to a block or box which contains a readout display and selection switches. Unfortunately, the use of the external probes may require one hand and holding the box with the readout display may require the second hand. Furthermore, due to space or size constraints, it may be difficult for the automotive repair technician to manipulate the probes and order to achieve a useful readout. 
         [0003]    Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a method and apparatus that allows automotive technicians to more easily manipulate the probes to achieve a useful readout for multimeters and/or oscilloscopes and, in some instances, require the use of only one hand. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0004]    The foregoing needs are met, to a great extent, by the present disclosure, wherein in one aspect an apparatus is provided that in some embodiments allows automotive technicians to more easily manipulate the probes to achieve a useful readout for multimeters and/or oscilloscopes and, in some instances, require the use of only one hand. 
         [0005]    In accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure, a glove is provided. The glove includes: a palm portion; first and second fingers extending from the palm portion; a first probe attached to the first finger; a second probe attached to the second finger; connectors contained within the glove operatively connected to the first and second probes; and a display operatively connected to the first and second probe. 
         [0006]    In accordance with another embodiment of the present disclosure, a method of assembling an instrument is provided. The method includes: attaching a first and second probe to a glove; connecting the first and second probes to a controller; operatively connecting a display to the controller; operatively connecting an input device to the controller; and configuring the controller to operate the instrument as at least one of either a multimeter and an oscilloscope. 
         [0007]    In accordance with yet another embodiment of the present disclosure, a glove is provided. The glove includes: a palm portion; first and second fingers extending from the palm portion; a first probe attached to the first finger; a second probe attached to the second finger; means for connecting the first and second probe to a controller, the means for connecting contained within the glove; and means for displaying data associated with the controller operatively connected to the controller. 
         [0008]    There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, certain embodiments of the disclosure in order that the detailed description thereof herein may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are, of course, additional embodiments of the invention that will be described below and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto. 
         [0009]    In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of embodiments in addition to those described and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein, as well as the abstract, are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. 
         [0010]    As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception upon which this disclosure is based may readily be utilized as a basis for the designing of other structures, methods and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the present invention. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0011]      FIG. 1  is a schematic diagram illustrating a glove in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure. 
           [0012]      FIG. 2  is a schematic diagram illustrating the measuring system in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0013]    Various embodiments will now be described with reference to the drawing figures, in which like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout. An embodiment in accordance with the present disclosure provides a measuring system integrated with a glove to allow maintenance personnel or anyone else to perform the functions of the digital multimeter and or oscilloscope in a different manner than previously done. In some embodiments, a measuring apparatus such as a multimeter and/or oscilloscope are integrated with a glove to allow an automotive technician to put on the glove and place various probes or contacts at an appropriate place within a piece of equipment being maintained or serviced and readout various things being measured such as current, resistance, voltage, and etc., just by manipulating the operators gloved hand. 
         [0014]      FIG. 1  illustrates a glove measuring system  10  in accordance with one embodiment. The glove measuring system  10  includes a glove  12 . The glove  12  includes leads or probes  14  and  15  which are attached to the middle  18  and index fingers  20  respectively in the glove  12 . The glove  12  also includes a ring finger  22 , pinky  24 , and thumb  26 . The fingers  18 ,  20 ,  22 ,  24 , and  26  all extend from a palm portion  27  of the glove  12 . In other embodiments, the probes  14  and  15  maybe located in other fingers  22 ,  24 , and  26  and are not limited to the middle finger  18  and index finger  20 . While these documents may refer to first, second, and third fingers such numbered designations should not be limited to specific fingers (such as index finger, middle finger, and thumb, etc.). Rather, these numbered designations should refer to the fact at the globe  12  has multiple fingers and distinguishes one finger from another. 
         [0015]    In some embodiments and as shown in  FIG. 1 , an inductive pickup  28  may be embedded in the palm portion  27  and/or one of the fingers, such as the thumb  26 , of the glove  12 . The glove  12  may be made of an electrically insulating material  30  which surrounds the internal wires  32  connecting the leads  14  and  16  and the inductive pickup  28 . 
         [0016]    It will be appreciated that the inductive pickup  28  and internal wires  32  are embedded within the glove  12 . The internal inductive pickup  28  and the internal wires  32  are illustrated in  FIG. 1  in order to show the reader these features, but it will be appreciated that the inductive pickup  28  and internal wires  32  are located within the insulating material  30  of the glove  12  and would not normally be visible from outside the glove  12 . 
         [0017]    Optionally lights  46  may be located on or integrated into the glove  12  and oriented to shine on the probes or leads  14  and  16 . The lights  46  may assist the user in locating features of the machine being tested or serviced. 
         [0018]    In some embodiments, an optional ground clamp  34  may be attached via an optional ground clamp connector  36  to a display  38  or some other electrical feature of the glove in order to ground the glove  10 . The ground clamp  34  is used to connect to a ground prior to using the leads  14  and  16  or inductive pickup  28 . Optionally, the ground clamp  34  could be used in the place of the finger ground which could be one of leads  14  or  16 . 
         [0019]    The display  28  may be operatively connected to the leads  14  and  16  and to the inductive pickup  28  in order to display values detected or measured by the leads  14 ,  16  and/or inductive pickup  28 . The glove measuring system  10  may be powered by a battery  40 . In other embodiments, some other type of power source  42 , such as an external power source, may power the glove measuring system  10 . The external power source  42  may be a DC or AC power source. Connectors  44  may connect the battery pack  40  or the other power sources  42  to the display  38 . 
         [0020]    In some embodiments, the battery  40  may be on a wristband that attaches to the arm of a user of the glove measuring system  10  so that the battery  40  may be located proximate to the glove measuring system  10 . 
         [0021]      FIG. 2  is an illustrative schematic diagram of a generic glove measuring system  10  which may be in accordance with the glove measuring system  10  of  FIG. 1  or other variants of the glove measuring system  10  in accordance with the present disclosure. 
         [0022]    As shown in  FIG. 2 . The glove measuring system  10  may optionally include lights  46  and/or a wireless communicator  48  operatively connected to a controller  50 . In some embodiments, the controller  50  may be a microcontroller  50  configured to operate the glove measuring system  10 . 
         [0023]    The lights  46  may be LED lights and may be useful in helping a user identify where to attach or connect the probes  14 , and  16  when working in an engine compartment or other dark or only semi-lit space. The lights  46  may be attached to any of the fingers  18 ,  20 ,  22 ,  24 , or  26  of the glove  12  and configured to shine on or just forward of the probes  14  and  16 . 
         [0024]    The wireless communicator  48  is an optional element which allows the controller  50  to communicate data received by the probes  14 ,  16  or inductive pickup  28  to an external device  54  or to display the data on the display  38 . The display  38  may be located on the back of the glove  12  as shown in  FIG. 1  and may include an illuminated LED screen or any other screen suitable for displaying data. In some embodiments, the display  38  maybe illuminated or otherwise configured to operate in low light conditions. 
         [0025]    Optionally, the controller  52  may communicate data via the wireless communicator  48  or a wired connection  52  to an external device  54 . The external device  54  may be a computer, a remotely located display screen, laptop computer, notebook computer, a smart phone, a dedicated tool or any other suitable device for displaying and/or saving any data sent by the controller  50 . In addition to, or in lieu of, a wired connection  52 , the wireless communicator  54  may transmit data via Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, or any other suitable wireless communication protocol. 
         [0026]    In some embodiments and as illustrated in  FIG. 2 , an exterior control or switch panel  56  is operatively connected to the controller  50 . The switches or controls  56  allow a user to operate the glove measuring system  10 . In some embodiments the switches or controls  56  may be located on the glove  12 . In other embodiments the switches or controls  56  may be located off of the glove. In some embodiments the controller switches  56  may be integrated with the display  38 . In instances where the display  38  is a touchscreen, the control of the glove measuring system  10  may be accomplished by touching the display screen  38 . In other embodiments the control switches  56  may be actual buttons or other actuated items that may be located on the display  38 , or elsewhere on the glove  12  but not necessarily on the screen. 
         [0027]    As shown in  FIG. 2 , the probes  14 ,  16 , inductive pickup  28 , and the lights  46  may be operatively connected to the controller  50  via internal wires  32  similar to that shown in  FIG. 1 . The ground connection  34  may be operatively connected to the controller  50  via ground clamp connector  36 . The controller  50  may be operatively connected to the wireless communicator  48 , the control switches  56 , the display  38 , the power source  40  or  42 , a wired connection  52 , and the external device  54  via connectors  44  as shown. 
         [0028]    Operation of the glove measuring system  10  may be as follows. The user may put the glove  12  on the user&#39;s hand. The user may then use the ground connection  34  to attach or ground the glove  12  by clipping or otherwise attaching the ground connection clip onto an automobile frame or other appropriate ground. 
         [0029]    The user may then connect the probes or leads  14  and  16  to respective positive and negative terminals of a device to be tested. Once a contact has been made, signals are relayed to the controller  50 . The controller  50  may modify the signal and then cause it to be displayed on the display  38  and/or transmitted to an external device  42 . 
         [0030]    Manipulation of the switches or controls  56  or a touch screen  38  may allow the user to operate the glove measuring system  10 . In some embodiments, the controls  56  may include voice recognition technology in order to allow a user to give oral instructions. Similarly, the system  12  can also broadcast audio readings by electronic voice as well as or instead of displaying data on the display  38 . In some embodiments the glove measuring system  10  may perform typical tasks, accomplished by multimeters and or oscilloscopes. The probes  14  and  16  may be used to contact aspects of a vehicle or other device being serviced in order to determine current, voltage, and/or resistance. 
         [0031]    In some embodiments, an inductive pickup  28  may be integrated into the glove  12  and allow a user to grab a wire conductor. Once the wire conductor has been grasped by the user wearing the glove  12 , the inductive pickup  28  may pick up a reading and send it to the controller  50  which then sends the data either to the display  38  or via the wireless communicator  48  or wired connection  52  to an external device  54 . In some embodiments, more probes can be included in the globe  12  and/or more inductive pickups  28  can be used. 
         [0032]    The many features and advantages of the invention are apparent from the detailed specification, and thus, it is intended by the appended claims to cover all such features and advantages of the invention which fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and variations will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation illustrated and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention.