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US 4,045,877 AGranted
Retractable dial bore gauge
AssigneeSunnen Products Company
InventorHarold T. Rutter
Life of this patent
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AssigneeSunnen Products Company
InventorHarold T. Rutter
Estimating the term…
A dial bore gauge for measuring the size and surface characteristics of internal surfaces including surfaces which may include spaced portions to be gauged, said gauge including a gauging portion having spaced work engaging elements thereon, a dial portion for indicating the condition of the work engaging portions, members operatively connecting the gauging portions with the dial portion, and an actuator element operatively connected to the gauging portions and movable between different selected positions in one of which at least one of the work engaging elements is in a retracted condition and in another of which all of the work engaging elements are in their work engaging positions.
In a dial bore gauge for measuring the size and surface characteristics of a cylindrical work surface, said gauge including dial means including a scale and means to indicate a reading on the scale, a work engaging portion including spaced opposed work engaging contacts for engaging opposite sides of a surface to be gauged, one of said work engaging contacts being fixedly positioned on the work engaging portion and the other being movable along an arcuate path primarily in a radial direction thereon, a pair of other work engaging members on the work engaging portion located at spaced locations on opposite sides of one of said work engaging contacts, and means connecting the dial means with the work engaging portion of the gauge, the improvement comprising a first member pivotally mounted on the work engaging portion, said first member having angularly related portions one of which includes means on which the movable work engaging contact is located, and means on said gauge engageable with the other angularly related portion of said first pivotal member biasing said movable work engaging contact outwardly on the work engaging portion whereby said work engaging contacts are able to engage opposite sides of a cylindrical surface being gauged, second means including a second member pivotally mounted on the work engaging portion for supporting the spaced pair of work engaging members, said second pivotal member having angularly related portions one of which supports the spaced work engaging members, means engageable with the other angularly related portion biasing said second pivotal member and said pair of spaced work engaging members mounted thereon outwardly into engagement with the surface being gauged, and means operable to retract the movable work engaging contact and the spaced pair of work engaging members on the work engaging portion, said retraction means including an operator member having separate operative connections to the first and second pivotal members.
In a dial bore gauge for measuring the size and surface characteristics of cylindrical work surfaces, said gauge including dial means for indicating the reading and including a scale and means for indicating a reading on the scale, a work engaging portion including spaced opposed work engaging contacts for engaging opposite sides of a cylindrical surface to be gauged, one of said work engaging contacts being fixedly positioned on the work engaging portion and the other being movable along an arcuate path primarily in a radial direction thereon, a pair of other work engaging members on the work engaging portion at spaced locations on opposite sides of one of said work engaging contacts, and means operatively connecting the dial means with the work engaging portion of the gauge, the improvement comprising means for mounting the movable work engaging contact on the work engaging portion including a shaft fixedly supported on the work engaging portion and a member pivotally mounted on said shaft, said pivot member having an opening therethrough for receiving said shaft, said opening having a diameter larger than the diameter of the shaft and a pair of spaced shoulders formed on one side of said opening, biasing means located on said pivotal member and engageable with said shaft to bias the shaft into engagement with said spaced shoulders, said pivotal member having a first arm portion extending therefrom to a free end, a hardened work engaging member mounted on said arm and adjacent to said free end to form said movable work engaging contact, and a second arm portion, and means operatively connecting said second arm portion with the means for indicating the reading on the scale, said last means including means normally biasing the pivotal member in a direction to move the movable work engaging contact along an arcuate path about the said shaft primarily in a radial outward direction.
A dial bore gauge comprising a dial portion, a work engaging portion, and means operatively connecting the dial and work engaging portions, including a rod member having spaced exposed end surfaces, said dial portion including a face plate with a scale thereon and a pointer movable relative to the face plate and relative to the scale to give a reading, means operatively engageable with the pointer to move the pointer relative to the scale including actuating means operatively engaged with the pointer and biased into engagement with one of said rod end surfaces, said means operatively connecting the dial and work engaging portions of the gauge including means to support the rod member for longitudinal movement, said work engaging portion including a pair of spaced opposed relatively movable work engaging contacts one of which is fixedly positioned on the work engaging portion, means including a bell crank member having first and second angularly related portions pivotally mounted on the work engaging portion, the other of said work engaging contacts being mounted on said first angularly related bell crank portion for arcuate movement in a substantially radial direction during pivotal movement thereof, the second angularly related bell crank portion engaging the other of said spaced opposed rod end surfaces, means including the rod member normally biasing the movable work engaging contact outwardly along an arcuate path to a radially extended position on the work engaging portion of the gauge, means including an operator member pivotally mounted adjacent to the dial portion of the gauge and operatively engageable with the rod member, said operator member being movable between a first position in which the movable work engaging contact is able to move radially outwardly on the work engaging portion away from the stationary work engaging contact and a second position in which the movable work engaging contact moves along the arcuate path to a retracted position, and means to position the opposed work engaging contacts on a diameter of a cylindrical surface to be gauged, said positioning means including a pair of spaced work engaging centralizer members located on the work engaging portion on opposite sides of one of said work engaging contacts, a second bell crank member mounted on the work engaging portion having angularly related portions, means on one of said angularly related portions for supporting the centralizer members, means engageable with the other angularly related portion biasing the centralizer members outwardly toward radially extended positions on the work engaging portion, said operator member having a separate operable connection with the second bell crank member for moving the centralizer members inwardly along an arcuate path to a retracted position when the operator member is moved to its second position.
A dial bore gauge comprising a dial portion, a work engaging portion, and means operatively connecting the dial and work engaging portions, including a rod member having spaced opposed end surfaces, said dial portion including a face plate with a scale thereon and a pointer movable relative to the face plate and relative to the scale to give a reading, means operatively engageable with the pointer to move the pointer relative to the scale including actuating means operatively engaged with the pointer and biased into engagement with one of said rod end surfaces, said means operatively connecting the dial and work engaging portions of the gauge including means to support the rod member for longitudinal movement, said work engaging portion including a pair of spaced opposed relatively movable work engaging contacts one of which is fixedly positioned on the work engaging portion, means including a bell crank member having first and second angularly related portions pivotally mounted on the work engaging portion, the other of said work engaging contacts being mounted on said first angularly related bell crank portion for arcuate movement in a substantially radial direction during pivotal movement thereof, the second angularly related bell crank portion engaging the other of said spaced opposed rod end surfaces, means including the rod member normally biasing the movable work engaging contact outwardly along an arcuate path to a radially extended position on the work engaging portion of the gauge, means including an operator member pivotally mounted adjacent to the dial portion of the gauge and operatively engageable with the rod member, said operator member being movable between a first position in which the movable work engaging contact is able to move radially outwardly on the work engaging portion away from the stationary work engaging contact and a second position in which the movable work engaging contact moves along the arcuate path to a retracted position, said one angularly related portion of the bell crank member has a free end formed by spaced connected portions of different thickness located on opposite sides of a slot formed therebetween, a socket formed by and between said connected end portions, a ball-shaped contact member formed of hard wear resistant material of a size to be formed into said socket.
A dial bore gauge comprising a dial portion, a work engaging portion, and means operatively connecting the dial and work engaging portions, including a rod member having spaced opposed end surfaces, said dial portion including a face plate with a scale thereon and a pointer movable relative to the face plate and relative to the scale to give a reading, means operatively engageable with the pointer to move the pointer relative to the scale including actuating means operatively engaged with the pointer and biased into engagement with one of said rod end surfaces, said means operatively connecting the dial and work engaging portions of the gauge including means to support the rod member for longitudinal movement, said work engaging portion including a pair of spaced opposed relatively movable work engaging contacts one of which is fixedly positioned on the work engaging portion, means including a bell crank member having first and second angularly related portions pivotally mounted on the work engaging portion, the other of said work engaging contacts being mounted on said first angularly related bell crank portion for arcuate movement in a substantially radial direction during pivotal movement thereof, the second angularly related bell crank portion engaging the other of said spaced opposed rod end surfaces, means including the rod member normally biasing the movable work engaging contact outwardly along an arcuate path to a radially extended position on the work engaging portion of the gauge, means including an operator member pivotally mounted adjacent to the dial portion of the gauge and operatively engageable with the rod member, said operator member being movable between a first position in which the movable work engaging contact is able to move radially outwardly on the work engaging portion away from the stationary work engaging contact and a second position in which the movable work engaging contact moves along the arcuate path to a retracted position, said one work engaging contact including an elongated member threadedly mounted for radial adjustment on the work engaging portion of the gauge, means for locking the threaded member in different radially extended positions thereon, said threaded member having an elongated slot extending therein from the radial extended end thereof to bifurcate said radially extended end, a socket formed in the radially extended end of said threaded member, a ball member formed of relatively hard wear resistant material positioned in said socket, said slot intersecting the socket formed therein, the bifurcated portion of said threaded member enabling the socket portions on opposite sides of the slot to move resiliently apart to admit the ball member into the socket.
Means to mount a first member in a second member comprising a spherical first member having predetermined hardness and wear characteristics, a second member having a portion with a socket formed therein, said socket being positioned adjacent one side thereof, and of a size and shape to receive and support the first member therein, a groove formed in the second member at a location to intersect the socket at an intermediate location, the portions of said second member on opposite sides of the groove resiliently yielding relative to each other to permit movement of the first member into and out of the socket, said second member including an elongated portion and the socket is formed adjacent to one side thereof, said groove extending longitudinally from the end of said elongated portion a distance substantially greater than the diameter of the socket.
Means to mount a first member in a second member comprising a spherical first member having predetermined hardness and wear characteristics, a second member having a portion with a socket formed therein, said socket being of a size and shape to receive and support the first member therein, a groove formed in the second member at a location to intersect the socket at an intermediate location, the portions of said second member on opposite sides of the groove resiliently yielding relative to each other to permit movement of the first member into and out of the socket, the second member being an elongated member having an end portion, said socket being formed in the end portion, said groove extending into said elongated member from the socketed end portion a distance substantially greater than the diameter of the socket.
Means to mount a first member in a second member comprising a spherical first member having predetermined hardness and wear characteristics, a second member having a portion with a socket formed therein, said socket being positioned adjacent one side thereof, and of a size and shape to receive and support the first member therein, a groove formed in the second member at a location to intersect the socket at an intermediate location, the portions of said second member on opposite sides of the groove resiliently yielding relative to each other to permit movement of the first member into and out of the socket, the groove formed in the second member bifurcating a portion thereof, the portions of the second member difurcated by the groove being of different thickness in opposite sides of the groove.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.
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No related US applications are recorded in the indexed filing history.
Term ended 6 Sep 1994 (estimated)
USPTO file history isn’t available for this patent, so only indexed dates are shown.
Many pieces of machinery and other devices have internal surfaces or bores that are used for a large variety of purposes. There has been a continuing need to be able to accurately measure the diameter and surface characteristics of such holes or bores for a variety of reasons. This need has been met in the past by a variety of devices some of which include gauges of various types including dial bore gauges which have members which engage the surfaces being meaured and dials which are connected to the work engaging portions to indicate the condition and size of the hole or bore. Representative of the prior art gauging devices are the devices shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,454,246; 3,081,548 and 3,225,447.
One of the shortcomings of all known gauging devices is their inability to be able to be moved from one portion of a bore to another easily and quickly. This is due to the fact it has not been possible to move the work engaging portions including the gauging portions and the centralizing portion for locating the gauging portions on a diameter of the work being gauged from an extended to a retracted condition and to maintain the retracted condition so that the work engaging members can be moved from one part of a bore to another and from different portions of the same or similar bores such as across a land formed in a bore between spaced bore portions without encountering difficulties and without making it difficult to remove the gauge once a measurement has been completed. Also, by not being able to retract the work engaging portions of known gauges has meant that it has been necessary to press the work engaging portions against the work surface and to rub them on the work surfaces being measured to relocate or install or remove the gauge. This has caused premature wear of the work engaging members, it has strained sensitive portions of the gauges, and has resulted in inaccuracy and unreliability of the results obtained. Still further, when known gauges are inserted or removed from relatively long bores, especially from long bores formed by spaced bore portions, it has usually been necessary to tilt them often rubbing them against the edges of the bores, and to apply excessive pressure against the work engaging elements or some of them in order to be able to withdraw or insert the gauge into the work. These disadvantages have also caused bending and/or twisting of critical parts in the known constructions all of which is undesirable. The present gauge construction overcomes these and other disadvantages of the known constructions and teaches the construction and operation of an improved dial bore gauge characterized by having retractable work engaging elements. The present invention also teaches means by which the work engaging portions of a gauge can be easily and quickly relocated to compensate for wear of the work engaging portions.
It is therefore a principal object of the present invention to provide an improved and more versatile dial bore gauge.
These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent after considering the following detailed specification which discloses several different embodiments of the subject device in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:
FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of a dial bore gauge constructed according to a preferred form of the subject invention;
FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the gauge of FIG. 1;
Referring to the drawings more particularly by reference numbers, number 10 identifies a dial bore gauge constructed according to a preferred form of the present invention. The gauge 10 includes a dial end portion 12, a gauging end portion 14, and means 16 connecting the dial and gauging portions 12 and 14.
The dial portion 12 includes a dial indicator assembly 18 which is mounted in a housing 20. The housing 20 is shown for illustrative purposes as being cup-shaped and as having an open front which exposes the face 22 of the indicator 18 and a substantially annular side wall portion 23 which is connected to a closed rear wall. The housing 20 also has an integral extension portion 24 which cooperates with one end of the connection means 16 which connects the dial portion 12 to the gauging portion 14. The face 25 of the dial 22 includes an annular graduated scale 26 which cooperates with a rotatable pointer 28 to indicate a reading. The face of the dial 22 also includes a smaller graduated scale 30 with its own associated movable pointer 32. The scale 30 and the pointer 32 cooperate to register the number of full rotations made by the pointer 28 during a gauging operation thereby substantially increasing the range of the instrument. In an actual gauge one complete rotation of the pointer 32 on the scale 30 indicates ten full scale readings or rotations of the pointer 28 on the scale 26.
The face 25 on which the scale 26 is located is mounted in the assembly 18 and the assembly is located in the housing 20. The scale 26 is rotatable relative to the housing 20 for adjustment so that the zero point on the scale can be located at any desired place at the discretion of the operator. It is an advantage to be able to relocate the position of the dial scale 30 for various purposes including for convenience purposes. Once the position of the scale 26 has been set, it can be locked in position against further movement by means of threaded locking member 34 and associated brake member 36 which is positioned to bear against the indicator assembly 18. The indicator assembly 18 has a tubular or stem portion 38 which extends from one side thereof into one end of a tubular member 40 which extends through the connection portion 16. The assembly 18 has an operator member 42 located on the end of an operator shaft 44 and the shaft 44 extends through the tubular stem 38 and cooperates with means located in the dial portion 18 which causes the pointers 28 and 32 to rotate in response to movements thereof. The construction and operation of the dial portion 18 may be well known, and these features are not at the heart of the invention.