# US 7,073,239 B2 · Fiducial calibration method and system for assembling parts

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- Number: US 7,073,239 B2
- Document ID: US7073239B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 10/877,528
- Filed: 2004-06-25
- Published: 2004-12-02
- Granted: 2006-07-11
- Earliest claimed: 2001-02-13
- Assignees: Miller Insight, Ltd.
- Inventors: Jimmie Andrew Miller
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US7073239B2

## CPC

- B23Q 17/20: for indicating or measuring workpiece characteristics, e.g. contour, dimension, hardness
- B23Q 17/22: for indicating or measuring existing or desired position of tool or work {(B23Q16/005 takes precedence)}
- Y10T 29/49771: Quantitative measuring or gauging
- Y10T 29/49778: with aligning, guiding, or instruction
- Y10T 29/4978: Assisting assembly or disassembly
- Y10T 29/53087: with signal, scale, illuminator, or optical viewer
- Y10T 409/300896: with sensing of numerical information and regulation without mechanical connection between sensing means and regulated means [i.e., numerical control]
- B23Q: DETAILS, COMPONENTS, OR ACCESSORIES FOR MACHINE TOOLS, e.g. ARRANGEMENTS FOR COPYING OR CONTROLLING (tools of the kind used in lathes or boring machines B23B27/00); MACHINE TOOLS IN GENERAL CHARACTERISED BY THE CONSTRUCTION OF PARTICULAR DETAILS OR COMPONENTS; COMBINATIONS OR ASSOCIATIONS OF METAL-WORKING MACHINES, NOT DIRECTED TO A PARTICULAR RESULT
- Y10T: TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION

## Abstract

Fiducial calibration systems and methods for precisely and accurately manufacturing a part from a workpiece, inspecting or measuring a part, and/or assembling a plurality of manufactured parts including providing a workpiece, wherein the workpiece and the associated processes are subject to environmental and structural variations, and disposing a plurality of datums on a surface of or within the workpiece. The systems and methods also including calibrating the separation distance between each of the plurality of datums to workpiece distance units and disposing the workpiece in a machine, wherein the machine is subject to environmental and structural variations. The systems and methods further including calibrating a coordinate system of the machine to the workpiece distance units, manufacturing the part from the workpiece, inspecting or measuring the part, and/or assembling the plurality of manufactured parts utilizing the calibrated machine, and intermittently recalibrating the machine to the workpiece distance units.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A fiducial calibration method for precisely and accurately assembling a plurality of manufactured parts, the method comprising:
providing a plurality of parts, the plurality of parts having a plurality of datums on a surface of or within each of the plurality of parts, wherein each of the plurality of parts is subject to environmental and structural variations;
calibrating the separation distance between each of the plurality of datums to workpiece distance units;
disposing the plurality of parts in a machine operable for assembling the plurality of parts, wherein the machine is subject to environmental and structural variations;
calibrating a coordinate system of the machine to the workpiece distance units;
assembling the plurality of parts utilizing the calibrated machine; and
periodically recalibrating the machine to the workpiece distance units.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of parts and the machine are subject to thermal variations.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of datums comprises inherent or intrinsic datums.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of datums comprises fabricated datums.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of datums comprises removable datums.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of datums comprises virtual datums.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of datums comprises a plurality of datums selected from the group consisting of tooling balls, sockets, marks, geometric stock material features, geometric workpiece features, implanted atoms, deposited atoms, and tagged atoms.

### Claim 8

A fiducial calibration system for precisely and accurately assembling a plurality of manufactured parts, the system comprising:
a plurality of parts, the plurality of parts having a plurality of datums disposed on a surface of or within each of the plurality of parts, wherein each of the plurality of parts is subject to environmental and structural variations;
a machine operable for holding and assembling the plurality of parts, wherein the machine is subject to environmental and structural variations;
means for registering the separation distance between each of the plurality of datums into workpiece distance units;
means for calibrating a coordinate system of the machine to the workpiece distance units; and
means for periodically recalibrating the machine to the workpiece distance units.