Back to results
US 11,110,563 B2Granted
Non-contact tool setting apparatus and method
AssigneeRenishaw PLC
InventorsBenjamin Jason Merrifield, Edward Benjamin Egglestone, Alan James Holloway
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Loading patent…
Loading patent…
AssigneeRenishaw PLC
InventorsBenjamin Jason Merrifield, Edward Benjamin Egglestone, Alan James Holloway
Estimating the term…
A method for tool measurement using a non-contact tool setting apparatus mounted to a machine tool, which includes a transmitter for emitting a light beam having a beam width and a receiver for receiving the light beam. The receiver generates a beam intensity signal describing the intensity of received light. The method is for measuring a tool having a nominal tool diameter less than the beam width so fully inserting the tool feature into the light beam would only partially occlude the beam. The method includes moving the tool through the beam thereby causing a change in the intensity signal and generating a trigger signal when the intensity signal crosses a trigger threshold. The tool size is derived using the trigger signal generated. Also, a step of applying a tool length correction that accounts for the nominal tool diameter of the tool being less than the beam width.
A method for tool length measurement using a non-contact tool setting apparatus mounted to a machine tool, the non-contact tool setting apparatus comprising a transmitter for emitting a light beam having a beam width and a receiver for receiving the light beam, the receiver generating a beam intensity signal describing the intensity of received light, the method being for measuring the length of a tool having a nominal tool diameter less than the beam width such that fully inserting the tool into the light beam only partially occludes the light beam, the method comprising the steps of;
An apparatus for performing non-contact tool measurement on a machine tool, comprising;
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.