Device and method for positioning a measuring head on a noncontact three-dimensional measuring machine

In a device for positioning a measuring head on a noncontact three-dimensional measuring machine, wherein said measuring head of said measuring machine is movable in a three-dimensional measuring space;

• the measuring machine including means for determining the position of the measuring head with respect to a first reference system X, Y, Z related to the measuring machine and defined by a first cartesian reference frame defined by perpendicular coordinate X, Y, Z axes;
• said measuring machine further comprising at least one visual sensor carried by the measuring head and having at least one television camera and generating means for generating at least one laser beam;
• said camera imaging a two-dimensional image of the three-dimensional measuring space;
• said two-dimensional image comprising at least one reference point corresponding to the origin of a second reference system X′, Y′, Z′ related to the visual sensor and having a first and a second coordinate axis X′, Y′ perpendicular to each other and in the plane defined by the two-dimensional image;
• the improvement comprising processing and control means which include:
• (a) display means cooperating with visual means to display to an operator said two-dimensional image picked up by said camera;
• (b) presentation means for displaying pointing means on said two-dimensional image;
• (c) control means operated by said operator to move the pointing means on the displayed said two-dimensional image and indicate portions of the displayed two-dimensional image;
• (d) means for selecting on the displayed said two-dimensional image a point of interest indicated by said pointing means;
• (e) automatic control means for moving said measuring head automatically into such a position within the three-dimensional measuring space that the origin of said second reference system X′, Y′, Z′ is located, in the three-dimensional space, at a physical point corresponding on said two-dimensional image to said point of interest selected by means of said pointing means.