Method of measuring by coordinate measuring instrument and coordinate measuring instrument
AssigneeMitutoyo Mfg. Co., Ltd.
InventorHideo Iwano
Life of this patent
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Abstract
This invention relates to a method of measuring by a coordinate measuring instrument and the coordinate measuring instrument, wherein a probe to be brought into abutting contact with a work to be measured is moved in two- or tri-dimensional direction by a robot mechanism provided independently of a main body of measuring instrument. A moving path of the robot mechanism is preset, and, when a command to carry out a predetermined measuring program is given from a data processing unit, the robot mechanism is moved in accordance with the moving path, and a measured result is calculated to seek a dimension of the work, on the basis of measured data given through an abutting contact between the probe and the work.
Claims13
A method of measuring by a coordinate measuring instrument including a moving mechanism for moving a decting element in at least one of a two- and a tri-dimensional direction to bring same into contact with a work to be measured rested on a mount, a displacement detector for detecting a displacement value of said detecting element and a data processing unit for processing an output signal from said displacment detector in a predetermined manner to seek dimensions and the like of said work, comprising:
- moving said detecting element independent of a main body of a measuring instrument by said moving mechanism in accordance with a measuring step program including a plurality of steps preset in said data processing unit, while, a moving path of a robot mechanism is stored by a robot operating command unit;
- operating said robot mechanism during a measured data fetch process to bring said detecting element into contact with said work in accordance with moving path data stored in said robot operating command unit in response to a step exciting command of said measuring step program, and simultaneously, for fetching an output signal of said displacement detector into said data processing unit;
- and
- calculating dimensions and the like of said work during a measured value calculating process on the basis of the measured data fetched during said measured data fetch process and giving a succeeding step exciting command to said robot operating command unit upon completion of the calculation;
- whereby said measured data fetch process and said measured data calculating process are repeated automatically over all the steps of said measuring step program.
A coordinate measuring instrument including a moving mechanism for moving a detecting element in at least one of a two- and a tri-dimensional direction to bring same into contact with a work to be measured rested on a mount, a displacement detector for detecting a displacment value of said detecting element and a data processing unit for processing an output signal from said displacement detector in a predetermined manner to seek dimensions and the like of said work, comprising:
- a robot mechanism connected to said moving mechanism by a connecting arm thereof and independent of a main body of a measuring instrument for moving said detecting element in at least one of a two- and a tri-dimensional direction through said moving mechanism;
- and
- a robot operating command means for storing data defining a moving path of said robot mechanism when said detecting element is moved in accordance with a measuring step program including a plurality of steps preset in said data processing unit and for automatically operating said robot mechanism in accordance with stored data defining said moving path,
- said robot operating command means being automatically operated by a value of said data defining said moving path which corresponds to a step in response to a succeeding step exciting command generated upon calculation of the dimensions and the like by said data processing unit.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.