Digital displacement measuring instrument

• US 20080250665A1
• Filed: 01/22/2008
• Published: 10/16/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/25/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mitutoyo Corporation
• Original Assignee: Mitutoyo Corporation
• Inventors: Hayashida, Shuji, Tsuji, Shozaburo
• Granted Patent: US 7,552,544 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 33/825
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 3/18 Micrometers

Abstract

A rotor bushing restrictor (50) that prevents a rotor bushing (44) from moving away from a stator (42) is provided. The rotor bushing restrictor (50) includes a fixing member (51) fixed on a body and a rotor bushing attitude retainer (52) placed between the rotor bushing (44) and the fixing member (51). The rotor bushing attitude retainer (52) includes two first abutment portions (522) contacted with the rotor bushing (44) and two second abutment portions (523) contacted with the fixing member (51). The two first abutment portions (522) are symmetrically placed to each other with respect to the axis of the spindle (2), and the two second abutment portions (523) are symmetrically placed to each other with respect to the axis of the spindle (2). The two first abutment portions (522) and the two second abutment portions (523) are placed such that a straight line connecting the two first abutment portions (522) and a straight line connecting the two second abutment portions (523) are orthogonal with each other.

Claims

1. A digital displacement measuring instrument, comprising:

a body;

a spindle slidably provided on the body; and

an encoder that detects displacement of the spindle,

wherein the encoder comprises a rotor that rotates in a circumferential direction of the spindle and a stator that is fixed on the body being spaced apart from the rotor by a predetermined gap,

wherein the rotor is supported by a rotor bushing comprising an engaging key engageable with a key groove axially provided on an external circumference of the spindle in a manner that the gap between the rotor and the stator is kept constant,

wherein the rotor bushing comprises a rotor bushing restrictor that prevents the rotor bushing from moving in a direction away from the stator along the axial direction of the spindle, and

wherein the rotor bushing restrictor comprises;

a fixing member fixed on the body; and

a rotor bushing attitude retainer placed between the rotor bushing and the fixing member to be contacted with both of the rotor bushing and the fixing member to keep the rotor bushing in an attitude substantially perpendicular to the axis of the spindle.

2. The digital displacement measuring instrument according to claim 1,

wherein the rotor bushing attitude retainer comprises:

two first abutment portions contacted with the rotor bushing; and

two second abutment portions contacted with the fixing member,

wherein the two first abutment portions are symmetrically placed to each other with respect to the axis of the spindle,

wherein the two second abutment portions are symmetrically placed to each other with respect to the axis of the spindle, and

wherein the two first abutment portions and the two second abutment portions are placed such that a straight line connecting the two first abutment portions and a straight line connecting the two second abutment portions are substantially orthogonal with each other.

3. The digital displacement measuring instrument according to claim 2,

wherein the fixing member is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape and is fixed on the body so as to surround the spindle,

wherein the rotor bushing attitude retainer comprises a body section that is substantially plate-shaped and a hole provided on the body section through which the spindle passes, and

wherein the two first abutment portions are two projections provided on a first side of the body section and the two second abutment portions are two projections provided on a second side of the body section.

4. The digital displacement measuring instrument according to claim 1,

wherein at least one of the rotor bushing and the fixing member comprises a rotor bushing attitude retainer restricting section that restricts vertical movement of the rotor bushing attitude retainer with respect to the axis of the spindle.

5. The digital displacement measuring instrument according to claim 3,

wherein the fixing member comprises a rotor bushing attitude retainer restricting section that restricts vertical movement of the rotor bushing attitude retainer with respect to the axis of the spindle, and

wherein the rotor bushing attitude retainer restricting section comprises a recess provided on an end surface of the fixing member on a side of the rotor bushing to house the rotor bushing attitude retainer.