A paint film tester for automotive paint repair inspection

By designing a paint film analyzer for automotive paint repair and inspection, and utilizing a digital display controller and support sleeve, the problems of tension spring fatigue and perpendicularity were solved, achieving accurate automotive paint inspection without scratching the paint surface, and at a lower cost than electronic paint film analyzers.

CN224436230UActive Publication Date: 2026-06-30WUHAN HUIJIANCHE INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY CO LTD

Patent Information

Authority / Receiving Office
CN · China
Patent Type
Utility models(China)
Current Assignee / Owner
WUHAN HUIJIANCHE INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY CO LTD
Filing Date
2025-06-24
Publication Date
2026-06-30

AI Technical Summary

Technical Problem

Existing paint testing pens are prone to affecting test results due to spring fatigue, and may scratch the paint surface if perpendicularity is not ensured.

Method used

A paint film tester for automotive paint repair testing was designed. It uses a digital display controller to display the tensile force detected by the tensile sensor, and a support sleeve to ensure that the pen is perpendicular to the paint surface and to prevent the magnetic ball from slipping.

Benefits of technology

The tension detected by the tension sensor is displayed by a digital display controller, avoiding the effects of tension spring fatigue, ensuring vertical operation, preventing scratches on the paint surface, and the cost is lower than that of electronic paint film meters.

✦ Generated by Eureka AI based on patent content.

Smart Images

  • Figure CN224436230U_ABST
    Figure CN224436230U_ABST
Patent Text Reader

Abstract

This utility model discloses a paint film tester for automotive paint repair testing, including a pen sleeve with a pen barrel movably inserted inside. A magnetic ball is embedded in the lower end of the pen barrel. Both the pen sleeve and the pen barrel have graduated markings on their surfaces. A supporting rubber sleeve is fixedly installed on the lower end of the pen barrel. An instrument housing is fixed to the upper end of the pen sleeve, and a digital display controller is embedded in the front of the instrument housing. A tension sensor electrically connected to the digital display controller is installed inside the instrument housing, and a tension spring connects the tension sensor to the top of the pen barrel. The digital display controller displays the tension force of the tension spring on the tension sensor, and the paint thickness is determined by the magnitude of the tension force. The tension force is unaffected by spring fatigue or stiffness, avoiding the influence of spring fatigue on the test results. Simultaneously, the supporting rubber sleeve at the lower end of the pen barrel prevents the magnetic ball from sliding on the paint surface when the pen barrel is not perpendicular to the paint surface; pulling the pen sleeve will cause the magnetic ball to be lifted by the support edge of the rubber sleeve, preventing scratches.
Need to check novelty before this filing date? Find Prior Art

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of automotive paint testing technology, specifically a paint film tester for automotive paint repair testing. Background Technology

[0002] In used car inspection, paint inspection is an important part of assessing a vehicle's history and value. Through methods such as visual observation, physical inspection, and instrument testing, a comprehensive understanding of the paint's condition can be obtained.

[0003] Visual inspection includes checking for color differences between body panels to ensure color consistency across all parts; observing the paint surface for orange peel effect using the principle of reflection (normal paint reflects light evenly); closely inspecting for pinholes, bubbles, and sagging, which may indicate poor paint quality; and checking for overpainting on body strips and other accessories, especially edges and trim. Physical inspection includes touching the paint surface to feel its smoothness (repainted areas may feel rougher), and detecting unevenness by touch; opening the doors and touching the edges to check for unevenness or a rough feel; tapping the body to determine if the paint has been repainted (thicker repainted areas produce a duller sound); and using instruments to measure paint thickness, which can determine if the vehicle has been scratched or damaged. Normal factory paint thickness is generally around 100 to 150 micrometers, with the roof often used as a benchmark because it is less likely to be scratched or repainted after a collision. Significant differences in thickness between other areas and the roof may indicate that those areas have been repainted.

[0004] Currently, automotive paint thickness testing instruments mainly include electronic paint thickness gauges and physical paint thickness gauges. The former uses electromagnetic induction and reading display, offering relatively high accuracy. However, it requires high perpendicularity during testing; otherwise, the results will be affected. It is also more expensive, ranging from several hundred to several thousand yuan, and is often used for situations requiring precise testing. The latter, namely the automotive paint testing pen, uses a pen barrel with a magnetic ball fixed at the front end connected by a spring inside the pen sleeve for magnetic attraction testing. By comparing the color display of the pen barrel and the scale position on the pen sleeve after pulling it out, the approximate paint thickness can be determined. Its accuracy is relatively lower, but due to its simple structure, it is cheaper and is often used for quick and rough testing.

[0005] Our company deals in used cars and frequently needs to inspect car paint. We've found that existing paint inspection pens have the following significant problems:

[0006] 1. The paint test pen uses the tension of the tension spring at the tail end to counteract the magnetic ball at the front end to attract the car surface. If the paint repair is thick, the magnetic ball is more likely to detach from the car surface. The longer the pen stick extends before detaching, the thinner the paint is. Conversely, the thinner the paint repair or the unrepaired paint is. Therefore, the test is affected by the fatigue of the tension spring, and prolonged use will affect the test results.

[0007] 2. The paint test pen also needs to be perpendicular to the car surface. Although it is not necessary to be perpendicular for rough testing, if it is not perpendicular, when pulling the pen cap during operation, the pen cap will pull the magnetic ball along the paint surface through the tension spring and pen barrel, which may scratch the paint surface.

[0008] Therefore, it has been optimized and improved to enhance the effectiveness of testing. Utility Model Content

[0009] To address the shortcomings of existing technologies, this utility model provides a paint film tester for automotive paint repair testing, which solves the problems of existing automotive paint testing pens being prone to affecting test results due to spring fatigue and the magnetic ball easily sliding and scratching the paint surface due to failure to ensure perpendicularity to the paint surface.

[0010] To solve the above-mentioned technical problems, this utility model provides the following technical solution:

[0011] A paint film tester for automotive paint repair includes a pen sleeve, a pen barrel movably inserted into the pen sleeve, a magnetic ball embedded in the lower end of the pen barrel, marking scale lines on the surface of both the pen sleeve and the pen barrel, a support rubber sleeve fixedly installed on the lower end surface of the pen barrel, and an instrument housing fixed to the upper end of the pen sleeve. A digital display controller is embedded in the front of the instrument housing.

[0012] A tension sensor electrically connected to the digital display controller is installed inside the instrument housing. A tension spring connects the tension sensor to the top of the pen barrel, and a buffer pad located above the pen barrel is installed inside the pen sleeve.

[0013] Preferably, the supporting rubber sleeve is a frustum-shaped rubber sleeve, and its bottom is on the same horizontal plane as the bottom of the magnetic ball.

[0014] Preferably, a wide-mouth groove is provided at the bottom of the support sleeve corresponding to the position of the magnetic ball.

[0015] Preferably, a fixing frame is provided inside the instrument housing, and the tension sensor is fixed to the bottom of the fixing frame.

[0016] Preferably, the tension sensor and tension spring are coaxially arranged with the pen barrel.

[0017] Preferably, the bottom of the instrument housing is provided with a fixing groove, and the fixing groove is provided with a through hole at the position corresponding to the tension spring, and the top of the pen cap is inserted and fixed into the fixing groove.

[0018] Preferably, the buffer pad is fixed to the top of the inner wall of the fixing groove and the top of the inner side wall of the pen cap. The buffer pad is a hollow rubber block and is sleeved on the surface of the tension spring.

[0019] Preferably, the instrument housing is provided with a pressure relief hole.

[0020] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0021] This invention displays the tension force of the tension sensor on a digital display controller, and determines the paint thickness by the magnitude of the tension force. The tension force is unaffected by spring fatigue or stiffness, thus avoiding the impact of spring fatigue on the test results. Simultaneously, a support sleeve is provided at the lower end of the pen barrel. When the pen barrel is not perpendicular to the paint surface, pulling the sleeve will cause the magnetic ball to be lifted by the support edge of the sleeve, preventing the magnetic ball from sliding on the paint surface and scratching it. The overall structure remains simple, resulting in a low cost, far lower than electronic paint thickness gauges. Furthermore, its operation is the same as a paint thickness gauge, making it convenient to use. Attached Figure Description

[0022] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of this utility model;

[0023] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of this utility model.

[0024] In the diagram: 1. Pen cap; 2. Pen barrel; 3. Magnetic ball; 4. Support sleeve; 401. Wide-mouth groove; 5. Instrument housing; 501. Fixing bracket; 502. Fixing groove; 503. Through hole; 504. Pressure relief hole; 6. Digital display controller; 7. Tension sensor; 8. Tension spring; 9. Buffer pad. Detailed Implementation

[0025] The technical solutions of the present utility model will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings of the embodiments. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present utility model, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present utility model, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative effort are within the protection scope of the present utility model.

[0026] like Figure 1-2 As shown, this utility model provides a technical solution: a paint film tester for car paint repair and inspection, including a pen sleeve 1, a pen barrel 2 movably inserted into the pen sleeve 1, a magnetic ball 3 embedded in the lower end of the pen barrel 2, marking scale lines on the surface of both the pen sleeve 1 and the pen barrel 2, a support rubber sleeve 4 fixedly installed on the lower end surface of the pen barrel 2, the support rubber sleeve 4 is a frustum-shaped rubber sleeve, and its bottom is at the same level as the bottom of the magnetic ball 3, a wide groove 401 is provided at the bottom of the support rubber sleeve 4 corresponding to the position of the magnetic ball 3, to ensure that the pen barrel 2 is perpendicular to the car surface when the magnetic ball 3 is adsorbed on the car surface, and to avoid the magnetic ball 3 sliding along the car surface and scratching the car paint when the pen sleeve 1 is pulled at an angle;

[0027] The upper end of the pen sleeve 1 is fixed with the instrument housing 5. The bottom of the instrument housing 5 is provided with a fixing groove 502. The fixing groove 502 is provided with a through hole 503 at the position corresponding to the tension spring 8. The top of the pen sleeve 1 is inserted and fixed with the fixing groove 502. The instrument housing 5 is provided with a pressure relief hole 504 to balance the air pressure inside and outside the instrument housing 5 caused by the extension and retraction of the pen 2.

[0028] A digital display controller 6 is embedded in the front of the instrument housing 5. The digital display controller 6 is powered by a battery installed on the back. A tension sensor 7 electrically connected to the digital display controller 6 is installed inside the instrument housing 5. A tension spring 8 is connected between the tension sensor 7 and the top of the pen 2. A fixing bracket 501 is set inside the instrument housing 5. The tension sensor 7 is fixed at the bottom of the fixing bracket 501. The tension sensor 7 and the tension spring 8 are coaxially arranged with the pen 2.

[0029] The pen sleeve 1 is equipped with a buffer pad 9 located above the pen barrel 2. The buffer pad 9 is fixed to the top of the inner wall of the fixing groove 502 and the top of the inner side wall of the pen sleeve 1. The buffer pad 9 is a hollow rubber block used to buffer the impact force of the pen barrel 2 on the pen sleeve 1 after the magnetic ball 3 falls off. The buffer pad 9 is sleeved on the surface of the tension spring 8.

[0030] Working principle:

[0031] With the lower end of the pen barrel 2 perpendicular to the paint surface, it is attached to the car surface by the magnetic ball 3. This method can be used on most cars, except for a few cars with aluminum alloy bodies and plastic body panels. The flat-bottomed support sleeve 4 ensures that the pen barrel 2 is perpendicular to the car surface. Pulling the pen sleeve 1 causes the pen barrel 2 to pull the tension sensor 7 via the tension spring 8. When the tension force is greater than the attraction force of the magnetic ball 3, the magnetic ball 3 will detach from the car surface, and the digital display controller 6 will display the tension force. This tension force reflects the thickness of the car paint. Therefore, when inspecting the car body, the paint on the roof should be inspected first. The tension force corresponding to the roof paint is used as the standard value. When the detected value is less than the standard value, it indicates that the paint has been repaired. The larger the difference, the greater the repair thickness. When it is close to the standard value, it indicates that the repair is smaller or the paint is not damaged.

[0032] It should be noted that, in this document, terms such as “comprising,” “including,” or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not expressly listed, or elements inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus.

[0033] Although embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes, modifications, substitutions and alterations can be made to these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the present invention, the scope of which is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A paint film testing instrument for vehicle paint repair, comprising a pen sleeve (1), a pen barrel (2) movably inserted into the pen sleeve (1), a magnetic ball (3) embedded in the lower end of the pen barrel (2), and marking scale lines provided on the surfaces of both the pen sleeve (1) and the pen barrel (2), characterized in that: A support sleeve (4) is fixedly installed on the lower end surface of the pen (2), and an instrument housing (5) is fixed on the upper end of the pen sleeve (1). A digital display controller (6) is inlaid on the front of the instrument housing (5). The instrument housing (5) is equipped with a tension sensor (7) that is electrically connected to the digital display controller (6). A tension spring (8) is connected between the tension sensor (7) and the top of the pen (2). A buffer pad (9) located above the pen (2) is installed inside the pen sleeve (1).

2. The paint film tester for automotive paint repair testing according to claim 1, characterized in that: The supporting rubber sleeve (4) is a frustum-shaped rubber sleeve, and its bottom is on the same horizontal plane as the bottom of the magnetic ball (3).

3. The paint film tester for automotive paint repair testing according to claim 1, characterized in that: The bottom of the support sleeve (4) is provided with a wide groove (401) at the position corresponding to the magnetic ball (3).

4. The paint film tester for automotive paint repair testing according to claim 1, characterized in that: The instrument housing (5) is provided with a fixing frame (501), and the tension sensor (7) is fixed at the bottom of the fixing frame (501).

5. A paint film testing instrument for vehicle paint repair according to claim 1, characterized in that: The tension sensor (7) and tension spring (8) are coaxially arranged with the pen barrel (2).

6. The paint film tester for automotive paint repair testing according to claim 1, characterized in that: The bottom of the instrument housing (5) is provided with a fixing groove (502), and a through hole (503) is provided at the position of the fixing groove (502) corresponding to the tension spring (8). The top of the pen cap (1) is inserted and fixed to the fixing groove (502).

7. A paint film testing instrument for vehicle paint repair according to claim 6, characterized in that: The buffer pad (9) is fixed to the top of the inner wall of the fixing groove (502) and the top of the inner side wall of the pen cap (1). The buffer pad (9) is a hollow rubber block and is sleeved on the surface of the tension spring (8).

8. A paint film testing instrument for vehicle paint repair according to claim 1, characterized in that: The instrument housing (5) is provided with a pressure relief hole (504).