INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE

The following documents are incorporated herein by reference as if fully set forth: German Patent Application No. 10 2018 118 933.8, filed Aug. 3, 2018.

BACKGROUND

The invention relates to a measurement device comprising a measurement module and a communication module, wherein the measurement module comprises at least one sensor for measuring a physical and/or chemical parameter, wherein an interface is or can be organized for the communication between the measurement module and the communication module.

The invention further relates to a design series and the use of a communication device for the sending and/or receiving of data and/or commands to and/or from a measurement device.

Such measurement devices are known and are formed for example by mounting a separate sensor in a communication device, such as a mobile telephone, at an electrical interface, such as a USB socket and/or an audio jack socket.

The drawback in these solutions is that the sensors must always be directly attuned to the communication device. This may involve for example a mechanical coupling site between the respective communication device and the sensor and/or an electrical coupling for example via electrical contacts between the respective communication device and the sensor. The communication device manufacturers almost all use different configurations of their device housings for their mobile telephones, so that for example the geometries of the devices and/or the existing interfaces on the communication devices have different configurations and/or positions, in order to allow a unified design of a sensor to be connected with the communication device.

Moreover, a loose connection or coupling, which is produced for example solely by a mechanical and/or wireline interface, such as a USB socket, does not afford sufficient stability and robustness, so that such a loose arrangement is hardly practicable. Because of the loose connection, the components may often become lightly damaged or the transmission between components will be faulty, for example, if a plug slides out from the socket during a data transmission.

SUMMARY

Therefore, the problem which the invention proposes to solve is to eliminate the aforementioned drawbacks.

For the solution of this problem, a measurement device of the abovementioned kind is provided with one or more features of the invention. In particular, for the solution of the problem, a measurement device of the abovementioned kind is provided which is characterized in that the measurement module comprises a measurement module housing and the communication module a communication module housing, which can be interconnected in mechanically releasable manner, for example by a mechanical coupling device, and the communication module comprises a communication device. Hence, it is possible to create a unified, especially a mechanical, coupling site and/or interface on both housing pieces, which can be used to connect the communication module to the measurement module. The communication module housing thus takes on the task of a kind of universal adapter. This has the benefit that the connection between the measurement module housing and the communication module is independent of the design of the communication device.

In the following, advantageous embodiments of the invention shall be described, which can be combined alone or in combination with the features of other embodiments optionally together with the features noted above.

According to a first embodiment, the measurement module may comprise a locking element and the communication module a counter-locking element corresponding to the locking element, by which a releasable mechanical connection can be organized between the measurement module and the communication module or in particular is organized in the position of use. In this way, a mechanical coupling can be organized, enabling a secure connecting of the measurement module to the communication module. For example, it may be provided that a secured connection between the measurement module and the communication module is produced by a relative movement between the measurement module and the communication module and can be released once more for example by a corresponding opposite movement. The relative movement may refer for example to a relative movement in the axial direction. The opposite movement may be a relative movement counter to the mentioned relative movement. Thus, thanks to the mechanical coupling, at least one locked position in which the modules are interconnected and/or firmly coupled together and one free position in which the two modules are separate or can be separated are defined.

According to a further embodiment of the measurement device, the interface can be organized for the sending and/or receiving of data and/or commands between the measurement module and the communication module. For example, the interface for the sending and/or receiving of data and/or commands can be organized by a wire connection and/or by a wireless connection. It may be further provided that the operating of the measurement device is done by means of the communication device.

In order to organize an interface for the sending and/or receiving of data and/or commands between the measurement module and the communication module, it may be provided that the communication device comprises at least one terminal connection and the communication module housing at least one counter-terminal connection corresponding to it, for organizing in particular an electrical and/or electromagnetic connection between the communication device and the communication module housing. The terminal connection for example may be designed as a terminal socket, especially a USB socket and/or a jack socket. The counter-terminal connection may be designed for example as a plug, especially a USB plug and/or a jack plug. In order to facilitate a use with different communication devices, especially of different kinds, the counter-terminal connections may be designed movable in its position relative to the other parts of the communication module housing. This makes it possible to orient the counter-terminal connection with respect to the position of the terminal connection on the communication device or to be oriented in its position of use. Alternatively or additionally, it may be provided that the terminal connection and the counter-terminal connection are designed as interconnected or interconnectible sender/receiver. For example, a Bluetooth connection can be provided.

In order to organize an electrical and/or electromagnetic coupling for example between the module housings, the communication module housing may comprise at least one connection element and the measurement module housing a counter-connection element corresponding to the connection element for organizing the interface, for example an electrical and/or electromagnetic interface, between the measurement module and the communication module. The term electromagnetic interface may pertain for example to a wireless interface.

In order to achieve a better, especially a more failsafe use in outdoor areas, the communication module housing and the measurement module housing may interact in the connected state such that a closed measurement device housing is formed. In particular, closed may mean in this context water-tight, so that for example a use of the measurement device is possible during harsh weather conditions, such as rainfall.

According to a further embodiment of the measurement device, the communication device may comprise an input device and/or an output device. For example, the input device and/or the output device may be configured as touchscreens. The input device and the output device may thus be a combined unit.

It may be especially expedient to configure the communication device as a mobile telephone. The mobile telephone may be configured for example as a smartphone. Mobile telephones are manufactured in very large numbers today and have a considerable data processing performance. Thus, it is possible to provide a relatively economical yet still especially powerful measurement device. According to one modification, it may be provided that an operating system of the mobile telephone is closed such that no installation of unapproved software is permitted. This will prevent the coordination between the measurement module and the communication device from being negatively affected by the installation of malicious or incompatible software.

According to a modification of the measurement device, a cover plate is arranged between the communication device and the measurement module housing in the connected state of the communication module and the measurement module. The cover plate may be removable, in particular removable from a hood of the communication module housing, so that an easy access is assured. The cover plate may thus be part of the communication module housing. In particular, at least one, such as the at least one already mentioned connection element, can be arranged on or in the cover plate. For example, the at least one connection element can be designed as a flat contact, which is acted upon in the position of use by the at least one counter-connection element designed as a pin sticking out for example from the measurement module housing. Alternatively or additionally, the cover plate may have a counter-locking element, such as the one previously mentioned. Further, alternatively or additionally to the previously mentioned features, it may be provided that the cover plate has a counter-terminal connection, such as the one previously mentioned. Thus, the communication device may first be connected on the cover plate to the counter-terminal connection, before a hood is placed on the communication module housing. The cover plate may be connected to the hood in the closed state, for example by a fastener, especially a screw connection. In particular, a mounting direction of the communication device may run slanted or perpendicularly to a mounting direction of the cover plate on the hood. The mounting direction may correspond to a coupling direction between the communication module and the measurement module.

In order to better avoid a damaging of the measurement device, the communication module housing can form an impact protection for the communication device, for example by the already mentioned hood. For example, this can be achieved in that the communication device is housed in the communication module housing with the exception of a recess for the input device and/or the output device. Alternatively or additionally, the communication module housing may comprise a spacer. For example, this may be formed as an encircling spacer wall around the input device and/or the output device. Thus, the spacer can avoid a direct bearing of the input device and/or the output device against a supporting base.

According to one embodiment, a connection element, such as the one already mentioned, and/or the previously mentioned counter-connection element are floating mounted. In this way, a relative movement is possible between the connection element and the counter-connection element, without the other components of the measurement device moving relative to each other. This simplifies the making of a connection.

In order to organize a redundant power supply of the measurement device, the communication module and the measurement module may have their own respective energy accumulator. Especially advantageously, a charging of an energy accumulator of the one module by the energy accumulator of the other module is possible, for example, across the interface.

In order to make possible a simple replacement of an interchangeable energy accumulator and/or a SIM card, the communication module housing may have at least one access to an energy accumulator and/or a SIM card of the communication device. In particular, the access may be reclosable and/or reachable from the outside.

According to a further embodiment of the measurement device, the communication module housing can comprise a receiver for inserting the communication device. In particular, the communication device may be secured and/or held in the inserted state in the receiver, for example by at least one holding element.

According to one modification, the communication device may comprise a communication device housing, especially one separate from the communication module housing. This has the benefit that the communication device represents a self-enclosed and/or interchangeable device. The communication device housing is thus an additional housing besides the communication module housing and the measurement module housing, so that it can be provided that it is organized not only to form the measurement device housing closing the measurement device off from the outside, but also in particular being housed inside it.

It may be provided for one embodiment of the invention that the communication module housing is secured by a locking mechanism on the measurement module housing. Advantageously, a secure and easily releasable fastening of the communication module housing on the measurement module housing can be achieved in this way. It may be provided that the communication module housing is guided with a sliding guide on the measurement module housing and the locking mechanism blocks a movement guided by the sliding guide. In this way, an especially secure holding of the communication module housing on the measurement module housing can be achieved.

The invention furthermore relates to a design series with a communication module and at least two different configurations of measurement modules, which can be optionally and releasably connected to the communication module to form a measurement device or which are connected in the position of use to form a measurement device. Thus, the above-stated problem can also be solved by the design series. The design series has the benefit over previously known ones that a stable connection of a universally applicable communication module can be organized with different measurement modules, in order to perform various measurements of physical or chemical parameters. Thus, one does not require several individual measurement devices, but only several interchangeable measurement modules. Thus, the design series can replace a multitude of different and costly measurement devices, since the communication module is reusable and therefore the overall costs can be significantly reduced. Moreover, the benefits mentioned for the measurement device apply analogously, since it can be provided that the design series can form a measurement device as is described and claimed herein.

Finally, the invention relates to the use of a communication device for sending and/or receiving of data and/or commands to and/or from a sensor, which is arranged in a measurement module housing, wherein the communication device is inserted in a communication module housing, wherein the communication module housing is mechanically connected to the measurement module housing and assembled to form a measurement device, and wherein an interface is organized between the sensor and the communication device for the sending and the receiving of data and/or commands. For example, the measurement device may be a measurement device as described and claimed herein, so that the benefits described in this context hold analogously for the mentioned use.

