Inspection program editing environment providing user defined collision avoidance volumes

A method for programming workpiece feature inspection operations for a coordinate measuring machine (CMM), the method comprising:

• providing a computer aided design (CAD) file processing portion which inputs a workpiece CAD file corresponding to a workpiece and analyzes the file to automatically determine workpiece features on the workpiece corresponding to a plurality of geometric feature types;
• providing a user interface comprising:
• a workpiece inspection program simulation portion configured to display a 3D view including at least one of workpiece features on the workpiece or inspection operation representations corresponding to inspection operations to be performed on workpiece features according to a current workpiece feature inspection plan;
• and
• one or more auxiliary collision avoidance volume creation elements operable to perform operations that at least one of create or define an auxiliary collision avoidance volume, wherein an auxiliary collision avoidance volume as at least one of created or defined is displayable in the 3D view;
• providing an inspection motion path generation portion that automatically generates at least part of an inspection motion path used in an inspection program generated by the system for inspecting the workpiece represented by the input workpiece CAD file;
• and
• operating the inspection motion path generation portion to automatically generate the inspection motion path configured to avoid an auxiliary collision avoidance volume such that moving parts of the CMM do not enter the auxiliary collision avoidance volume during the execution of the inspection program generated by the system for inspecting the workpiece represented by the input workpiece CAD file.

A system for programming workpiece feature inspection operations for a coordinate measuring machine, the coordinate measuring machine (CMM) including at least one sensor used for determining workpiece feature measurement data, a stage for holding a workpiece wherein at least one of the sensor or the stage are movable relative to one another, and a CMM control portion, the system comprising:

• a computer aided design (CAD) file processing portion which inputs a workpiece CAD file corresponding to a workpiece and analyzes the file to automatically determine inspectable workpiece features on the workpiece corresponding to a plurality of geometric feature types;
• a user interface comprising:
• a workpiece inspection program simulation portion configured to display a 3D view including at least one of workpiece features on the workpiece or inspection operation representations corresponding to inspection operations to be performed on workpiece features according to a current workpiece feature inspection plan;
• and
• one or more auxiliary collision avoidance volume creation elements operable to perform operations that at least one of create or define an auxiliary collision avoidance volume;
• and
• an inspection motion path generation portion that automatically generates at least part of an inspection motion path used in an inspection program generated by the system for inspecting the workpiece represented by the input workpiece CAD file,
• wherein:
• the system is configured such that in response to an operation of one or more auxiliary collision avoidance volume creation elements to at least one of create or define an auxiliary collision avoidance volume, the display in the 3D view is automatically updated to display the auxiliary collision avoidance volume as it has been at least one of created or defined;
• and
• when the inspection motion path generation portion automatically generates an inspection motion path, the inspection motion path is configured to avoid the auxiliary collision avoidance volume such that moving parts of the CMM do not enter the auxiliary collision avoidance volume during the execution of the inspection program generated by the system for inspecting the workpiece represented by the input workpiece CAD file.