Coordinate Measuring Machine and Method for Operating a Coordinate Measuring Machine

• US 20080295349A1
• Filed: 07/15/2008
• Published: 12/04/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/19/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Carl Zeiss Industrielle Messtechnik GmbH (Carl-Zeiss-Stiftung)
• Original Assignee: Carl Zeiss Industrielle Messtechnik GmbH (Carl-Zeiss-Stiftung)
• Inventors: Maier, Thomas, Grupp, Gunter, Uhl, Peter
• Granted Patent: US 7,627,957 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 33/503
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 21/047 Accessories, e.g. for positioning, for tool-setting, for measuring probes
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 5/008 using coordinate measuring machines

Abstract

In a method for operating a coordinate measuring machine and to a coordinate measuring machine, a coordinate measuring device, of the coordinate measuring machine is moved in at least one direction while being driven by an electric motor. An electrical drive current which flows through the electric motor for moving the electric motor and, move the coordinate measuring device is measured. A limit value for the electrical drive current is determined on the basis of a desired speed and/or on the basis of a desired acceleration with which the electric motor or the coordinate measuring device is intended to move. If the electrical drive current reaches the limit value determined and/or if the electrical drive current exceeds the limit value determined, the coordinate measuring device is changed to a predefined state, by virtue of the computer or the microcontroller switching off one of the switches disposed in the current path.

Claims

1. A method for operating a coordinate measuring machine having a coordinate measuring device movable in at least one direction and driven by at least one electric motor, which comprises the steps of:

a) measuring an electrical drive current flowing through the electric motor to move the electric motor and in this way to move the coordinate measuring device;

b) determining one of a limit value and a limit value range defined by a lower limit value and an upper limit value for the electrical drive current in dependence on at least one of a set speed and a set acceleration at which one of a movement of the electric motor and a movement of the coordinate measuring device is intended to take place, and a functional relationship is fixedly predetermined between at least one of the set speed and the set acceleration on the one hand and a current limit value on the other hand; and

c) bringing the coordinate measuring device to a predefined state if one of the electrical drive current reaches the limit value, the electrical drive current exceeds the limit value, and the limit value range is departed from.

2. The method according to claim 1, which further comprises switching off the electrical drive current if the electrical drive current at least one of reaches and exceeds the limit value continuously over a time interval of predetermined length.

3. The method according to claim 1, which further comprises using in step c) a value which has been obtained after smoothing of time fluctuations in the measured value determined in step a) as the electrical drive current.

4. The method according to claim 1, which further comprises determining a functional relationship between at least one of the set speed and the set acceleration on the one hand and the current limit value on the other hand, in addition by use of at least one parameter unambiguously determined by at least one of the factors listed selected from the group consisting of an environmental temperature, a temperature of parts of the coordinate measuring machine, a position of the coordinate measuring device in a fixed-position coordinate system, a relative position of the coordinate measuring device with respect to a measurement object or with respect to other parts of a test layout, and an operating state of the coordinate measuring machine.

5. The method according to claim 2, which further comprises reversing a current direction of the electrical drive current, before the electrical drive current is switched off.

6. The method according to claim 1, which further comprises:

providing a plurality of electric motors to move the coordinate measuring device, movements of the electric motors can be clearly associated with movement components of the movement of the coordinate measuring device; and

carrying out the steps a) to c) separately for each of the plurality of electric motors, and at least one of the set speed and the set acceleration in step b) is available for each of the movement components, and the limit value is in each case determined in dependence on this.

7. The method according to claim 1, which further comprises comparing at least one value measured in step a) of the electrical drive current during operation of the coordinate measuring machine to an expected value for checking the measurement of the electrical drive current for measurement errors.

8. The method according to claim 7, which further comprises determining the expected value using the set speed and the set acceleration.

9. The method according to claim 1, which further comprises measuring and storing normal values of the electrical drive current for at least one of various values of speed and acceleration of the coordinate measuring device during a calibration mode of the coordinate measuring machine, during which the coordinate measuring device is moved freely without being impeded by objects, and the limit values of the electrical drive current are defined for various values of the set speed and/or of the set acceleration from the normal values, before operation of the coordinate measuring machine.

10. The method according to claim 1, which further comprises determining a speed and an acceleration of the coordinate measuring device during a calibration mode using one of an evaluation device provided for actual operation of the coordinate measuring machine for determining coordinates and a tacho-signal from the electric motor.

11. The method according to claim 1, which further comprises providing a measuring head as the coordinate measuring device.

12. The method according to claim 1, which further comprises comparing at least one value measured in step a) of the electrical drive current during movement of the coordinate measuring device to an expected value for checking the measurement of the electrical drive current for measurement errors.

13. A coordinate measuring machine, comprising:

at least one electric motor;

a coordinate measuring device movable in at least one direction, and driven by said electric motor;

a current measuring device for measuring an electrical drive current flowing through said electric motor for moving said electric motor and in this way to move said coordinate measuring device;

a set-value determination device for determining one of a limit value and a limit value range for the electrical drive current depending on at least one of a set speed and a set acceleration at which one of a movement of said electric motor and a movement of said coordinate measuring device is intended to take place, a functional relationship being fixedly predetermined between at least one of the set speed and the set acceleration on the one hand and a current limit value on the other hand; and

an operating device connected to said current measuring device and to said set-value determination device and configured for bringing said coordinate measuring device to a predefined state if one of the electrical drive current reaches the limit value determined by said set-value determination device, the electrical drive current exceeds the limit value determined by the set-value determination device, and the drive current departs from the limit value range.

14. The coordinate measuring machine according to claim 13, wherein said operating device has a switch-off device, connected to said current measuring device and to said set-value determination device, and configured to switch off the electrical drive current if one of the electrical drive current reaches the limit value, the electrical drive current exceeds the limit value, and the drive current departs from the limit value range.

15. The coordinate measuring machine according to claim 13, wherein said coordinate measuring device is a measuring head.