Method for controlling shape measuring apparatus

A nonvolatile recording medium recording a control program for causing a computer to execute a method for controlling a shape measuring apparatus including a probe having a stylus tip at a tip and a moving mechanism which moves the probe, and configured to measure a shape of a workpiece by detecting a contact between the stylus tip and a surface of the workpiece, the shape measuring apparatus comprising a coordinate measuring machine, a motion controller including a movement instruction generation unit, and a host computer, the method comprising:

• in order to calculate a scanning path to move the stylus tip based on design data of the workpiece, and to move the stylus tip along the scanning path while controlling the stylus tip so as to keep an amount of deflection of the probe to the workpiece to be a reference amount of deflection,
• generating a movement instruction by the motion controller for the probe according to a combined velocity vector V calculated by the movement instruction generation unit represented by a following expression:
• combined velocity vector V=Gf·Vf+Ge·Ve+Gc·Vc2,
• wherein Vf is a path velocity vector to move the probe along the scanning path,
• Ve is a deflection correcting vector to keep the amount of deflection of the probe to the workpiece to be the reference amount of deflection, and is given by K(|Ep|−E0)eu
• where Ep is sensor output of the probe,
• E0 is the reference amount of deflection, and
• eu is a unit vector in a displacement direction of the probe,
• Vc1 is a first trajectory correcting vector which is parallel to a perpendicular from the probe portion to the nominal scanning path, in order to correct a position of the probe so that the stylus tip heads to the scanning path,
• q is a trajectory correcting direction vector calculated by a vector product of the unit vector in a displacement direction of the probe eu and the path velocity vector Vf,
• Vc2 is a second trajectory correcting vector determined by the first trajectory correcting vector Vc1 and the trajectory correcting direction vector q, and represented by (Vc1·q)q,
• Gf, Ge, and Gc are a scanning driving gain, a deflection correcting gain, and a trajectory correcting gain respectively, and
• a direction of the second trajectory correcting vector Vc2 is orthogonal to the unit vector eu having the probe displacement direction and the path velocity vector Vf, and
• controlling movement of the probe in the shape measuring apparatus based on the combined velocity vector V,
• wherein Vc2 is parallel to a contact portion of the workpiece where the stylus tip contacts the workpiece and,
• Vc2 is perpendicular to eu and Vf.