Digital measuring head

• US 20050253592A1
• Filed: 07/25/2005
• Published: 11/17/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 08/07/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Masaaki Oguri
• Original Assignee: Masaaki Oguri
• Inventors: Oguri, Masaaki
• Granted Patent: US 7,098,668 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 324/534
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 5/28 for measuring roughness or irregularity of surfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 5/38 by diffraction gratings

Abstract

A digital measuring head in a measuring apparatus measures a work by making a contact element abut to the work. The digital measuring head includes an arm supported rotatably around a support point arranged on a base; a finger having the contact element at a tip end and mounted to a tip end portion of the arm; and a scale and a read head, one of which is provided at a rear end portion of the arm and the other of which is arranged on the base. Displacement of the contact element which contacts with the work is measured with the scale and the read head. Thereby, the measuring head can perform measurement in a wide range and becomes excellent in the actuation property and the temperature property, and masters for calibration of an indicated dimension are only used at an initial adjustment time.

Claims

1. A digital measuring head comprising:

at least one arm rotatably supported around at least one support point arranged on a base;

at least one finger including at least one contact element mounted to an end portion of the at least one arm; and

at least one scale and at least one read head adapted to measure at least one displacement of the at least one contact element based on at least one of refraction and reflection of light by the scale.

2. The digital measuring head of claim 1, wherein

the at least one arm further comprises a first arm and a second arm rotatably supported on a first support point and a second support point, respectively, and

the at least one finger further comprises a first finger, including a first contact element, arranged at the end portion of the first arm and a second finger, including a second contact element, arranged at the end portion of the second arm.

3. The digital measuring head of claim 1, wherein the at least one scale and the at least one read head further comprises,

a first scale and a first read head adapted to measure a first displacement, and

a second scale and a second read head adapted to measure a second displacement.

4. The digital measuring head of claim 1, wherein the at least one readhead further includes,

at least one emitter adapted to emit light, and

at least one receiver adapted to receive at least one of reflected and refracted light.

5. The digital measuring head of claim 1, wherein the at least one scale reflects or refracts light emitted by the readhead.

6. The digital measuring head of claim 1, further including, at least one pressurizing member and at least one damper.

8. The digital measuring device of claim 1, wherein the signals are light signals.

7. A digital measuring device comprising:

a read head adapted to generate signals and receive reflected signals; and

a scale adapted to reflect generated signals;

wherein

one of the scale and the read head is stationary and the other is movable, and wherein

the device is adapted to measure a displacement of a contact element based on the generated signals reflected by the scale.

9. A digital measuring device comprising:

at least one read head adapted to generate signals and receive reflected signals; and

at least one scale adapted to reflect generated signals;

wherein

one of the at least one scale and the at least one read head is stationary and the other is movable, and wherein

the device is adapted to measure a displacement of at least one contact element contacting at least one surface based on the generated signals reflected by the at least one scale.

10. The digital measuring device of claim 9, wherein the signals are light signals.

11. The digital measuring device of claim 10, wherein the at least read head is further adapted to emit the light signals, and the displacement of the at least one contact element is determined based on light signals reflected by the at least one scale and received by the at least one read head.

12. The digital measuring device of claim 9, further comprising:

at least one arm rotatably supported around at least one support point arranged on a base; and

at least one finger including the at least one contacting element.

13. The digital measuring device of claim 12, wherein the at least one support point is a cross spring support point.

14. The digital measuring device of claim 12, wherein

the at least one arm further comprises a first arm and a second arm rotatably supported on a first support point and a second support point, respectively,

the at least one finger further comprises a first finger, including a first contact element, arranged at the end portion of the first arm and a second finger, including a second contact element, arranged at the end portion of the second arm, and wherein

the digital measuring device has a symmetrical structure.

15. The digital measuring head of claim 12, wherein the at least one scale is positioned at one of zero, forty-five or ninety degrees relative to the at least one finger.

16. The digital measuring device of claim 9, wherein the at least one scale and the at least one read head further comprises,

a first scale and a first read head adapted to measure a first displacement, and

a second scale and a second read head adapted to measure a second displacement.

17. The digital measuring device of claim 9, wherein the at least one readhead further includes,

at least one emitter adapted to emit light, and

at least one receiver adapted to receive the reflected light.

18. The digital measuring device of claim 11, further including, at least one pressurizing member and at least one damper.