Six axis machine tool

A machine tool for locating a tool relative to a workpiece, comprising the combination of:

• a pair of spaced supports, the tool being located with respect to one of the supports and the workpiece being located with respect to the other of the supports;
• six leg members with each leg member being joined at a first point to one of the supports and being joined to the other support at a second point that is spaced along the leg member from the first point, the six leg members being arranged in circumferentially sequential pairs with the leg members of certain of the pairs crossing each other;
• and
• means for individually manipulating at least certain of the leg members to vary the position of the points of such leg members relative to each other, wherein one of said supports is suspended beneath the other support by the six leg members.

A mechanism for locating an operator relative to an object, comprising the combination of:

• an operator support and an object support spaced from each other;
• six leg members with each leg member being joined at one point to one of the supports and being operatively connected to the other support at another point that is spaced along the leg member from the one point,
• the areas in the two supports circumscribed by the junctions of the leg members in each support being substantially the same;
• and
• means for individually manipulating at least certain of the leg members to vary the position of the points of such leg members relative to each other to thereby alter the position of the operator with respect to the object.

A mechanism for locating an operator relative to an object, comprising the combination of:

• an operator support and an object support spaced from each other;
• six leg members with each leg member being joined at one point to one of the supports and being operatively connected to the other support at another point that is spaced along the leg member from the one point,
• the areas in the two supports circumscribed by the junctions of the leg members in each support being substantially the same;
• means for individually manipulating at least certain of the leg members to vary the position of the points of such leg members relative to each other to thereby alter the position of the operator with respect to the object, the mechanism further including means for sensing the changes in positions of the points of the leg members;
• and
• control means responsive to the sensing means, said control means coordinating said manipulating means, wherein the six leg members are arranged in pairs with the leg members of each pair crossing each other.

A machine tool for locating a tool relative to a workpiece, comprising the combination of:

• an upright rising from a base;
• a pair of spaced platforms, the tool being fixed with respect to one of the platforms and the workpiece being fixed with respect to the other of the platforms, a first of the platforms being supported on said upright;
• six powered extensible legs connecting the platforms and suspending the second platform from the first platform;
• and
• vibration dampening means in the support of the first platform to said upright.

In a machine tool, the combination comprising:

• a first platform adapted to mount a tool;
• a second platform adapted to mount a workpiece;
• six linearly extensible legs each pivotably mounted adjacent one end to the first platform and each pivotably mounted adjacent the other end to the second platform, the pivot mountings in each platform circumscribing an area, and the areas in each of the two platforms being substantially the same;
• and
• means for individually varying the length of each leg to alter the position of the first platform and the tool with respect to the second platform and the workpiece.

In a machine tool having a tool holder and a workpiece support, the combination of:

• an upright rising from a base that is fixed with respect to the workpiece support;
• a platform mounting the tool holder;
• six linearly extensible legs, three of said legs connecting the platform to the upright and three of said legs connecting the platform to the base;
• and
• means for individually varying the length of each leg to alter the position of the tool holder with respect to the workpiece support.

A mechanism for locating an operator relative to an object, comprising:

• a pair of supports, the operator being located with respect to one of the supports and the object being located with respect to the other support;
• six powered and controllable extensible legs connecting the supports together in spaced relation;
• an actuator for each leg for individually extending and contracting the length of the leg;
• and
• a control for the leg actuators to coordinate the operation of the actuators to vary the position of the operator relative to the object, the control including sensing means for determining the length of each of the six legs, the sensing means including a plurality of extensible instrument arms connected between the supports independent of the legs and in a fixed relation to the legs so that a change in length of the legs alters the relationship between the supports which translates into changes in length of the instrument arms.

A mechanism for locating an operator relative to an object, comprising:

• a pair of supports, the operator being located with respect to one of the supports and the object being located with respect to the other support;
• six powered and controllable extensible legs connecting the supports together in spaced relation;
• an actuator for each leg for individually extending and contracting the length of the leg;
• a control for the leg actuators to coordinate the operation of the actuators to vary the position of the operator relative to the object, the control including sensing means for determining the length of each of the six legs, the sensing means including a plurality of extensible instrument arms connected between the supports in a fixed relation to the legs so that a change in length of the legs alters the relationship between the supports which translates into changes in length of the instrument arms;
• wherein the instrument arms each include a sensor providing a signal proportional to changes in length of said instrument arm, wherein each instrument arm includes two telescoping parts each joined respectively with one of said supports.

A machine tool for locating a tool relative to a workpiece, comprising:

• a base;
• a pair of spaced platforms, the tool being located with respect to one of the platforms and the workpiece being located with respect to the other of the platforms, a first of the platforms being supported by the base;
• six powered extensible legs connecting the second platform to the first platform;
• a manipulating mechanism to control the extension of at least some of the extensible legs;
• and
• a vibration isolation device cooperating with the base and the first of the platforms to alleviate detrimental vibration.

In a machine tool having a tool holder and a workpiece support, the combination comprising:

• a tool holder platform locating the tool holder;
• a workpiece support platform locating the workpiece support;
• six powered and controlled extensible legs connecting the platforms together in spaced relation, each of the legs being joined to the workpiece support platform at one point along the length of the leg and being joined to the tool holder platform at a second spaced point along the length of the leg;
• an actuator for each leg for individually extending and contracting the length of the leg;
• and
• a control for the leg actuators to coordinate the operation of the actuators to vary the position of the tool holder relative to the workpiece support, said control including sensing means for determining the length of each of the six legs,
• the sensing means including a plurality of extensible instrument arms connected between said platforms in a known relation to the legs so that a change in length of the legs alters the relationship between the platforms which translates into changes in length of the instrument arms,
• wherein each powered leg includes two telescoping parts, one of which is joined to the tool holder platform and the other of which is joined to the workpiece support platform.

A mechanism for joining spaced platforms, comprising:

• six legs connecting the platforms together, each of the legs being joined at one point to one of the platforms and being operatively connected to the other platform at another point that is spaced from the one point;
• the six legs being arranged in circumferentially sequential pairs with the legs of each pair crossing each other;
• and
• a manipulator mechanism configured to manipulate at least certain of the legs to vary the positions of the points of such legs relative to each other to thereby alter the position of the platforms with respect to each other.

A method of locating an operator relative to an object, comprising the steps of:

• fixing the operator relative to a first support;
• mounting the object relative to a second support;
• connecting the supports together by six leg members each being joined at one point along its length to one of the supports and being operatively connected to the other support at a point that is spaced along the leg member from the one point;
• locating the junctions of the leg members with the supports such that the areas circumscribed by the junctions in each of the two supports is substantially the same;
• and
• manipulating the leg members to vary the position of the points of such leg members relative to each other to thereby provide three linear degrees of motion and three rotational degrees of motion, or any combination thereof, to the operator relative to the object.

A mechanism for locating an operator relative to an object, comprising the combination of:

• a pair of supports spaced from each other, the operator being located with respect to one of the supports and the object being located with respect to the other of the supports;
• six leg members with each leg member being joined at one point to one of the supports and being operatively connected to the other support at another point that is spaced along the leg member from the one point,
• the six leg members being arranged in adjacent pairs with the leg members of certain of the pairs crossing each other;
• and
• a manipulator mechanism configured to manipulate at least certain of the leg members to vary the position of the points of such leg members relative to each other to thereby alter the position of the operator with respect to the object.