DEVICE FOR MEASURING DIMENSIONS

• US 20120004886A1
• Filed: 05/16/2011
• Published: 01/05/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/02/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tesa Sa (Hexagon AB)
• Original Assignee: Tesa Sa (Hexagon AB)
• Inventors: JORDIL, Pascal, HOCHET, Bertrand, MARILLER, Serge, POMPILI, Pierre
• Granted Patent: US 9,423,235 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 702/150
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 2210/58 Wireless transmission of information between a sensor or probe and a control or evaluation unit
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 2210/60 Unique sensor identification
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 3/22 Feeler-pin gauges, e.g. dial gauges for measuring contours or curvatures G01B5/20
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 7/287 using a plurality of fixed, simultaneously operating transducers G01B7/293 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 7/34 for measuring roughness or irregularity of surfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/00 Digital computers in general details G06F1/00 – G06F13/00; Data processing equipment in general
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/0275 for measuring
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/0283 for data storage and retrieval

Abstract

Measuring system having a plurality of probes for measuring lengths, each probe including a probe tip connected in removable fashion relative to a casing, a transducer supplying an electric signal that is representative of the position of said probe tip relative to the casing, a digital processing unit for sampling the signal from said transducer and transforming it into a digital representation of said position, and a bidirectional interface for a wireless communication network connecting said probes with a control unit. A method including a step during which the clocks of the digital processing units of the probes are synchronized through said bidirectional wireless interface and a step during which the control unit transmits commands determining the instant at which said electric signals are sampled.

Claims

1. A system for acquiring variations in dimension comprising:

a plurality of position measuring probes, each position measuring probe including;

a transducer supplying an analog electric signal that is representative of the variation in distance between said probe and the observed part;

a digital unit for sampling said analog electric signal and capable of transforming it into a digital signal proportional to the displacement;

a bidirectional interface for a wireless communication network connecting said probes with a control unit; and

a processing unit provided with an embedded clock enabling said digital unit and said communication interface to be controlled, wherein said clocks of said probes can be programmed through said communication interface, said programming enabling the instant of measurement to be programmed in said probes.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said wireless communication network comprises at least one base station that organizes, synchronizes and sends commands to said probes and peripherals participating in the network.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein said wireless communication interface transmits measurements of said probes and the programming of the measurement parameters.

4. The system of claim 3, arranged so as to transfer the operating parameters of one probe of said network to another probe of said network.

5. The system of claim 4, having one or several portable monitoring systems that can be connected in a wireless network and arranged so as to interrogate said base station and/or said probes and peripherals.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the monitoring system is arranged for visualizing the probe'"'"'s stroke and enabling it to be positioned and oriented relative to the part to be measured.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein said time programming is defined by a time delay of the measurement that can be programmed in each probe, said time programming being variable according to said probes to perform synchronous or asynchronous measurements.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the measurement is triggered by a countdown of said clock, said countdown being triggered by a synchronization radio signal and a trigger command.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the probes perform a series of measurements at time intervals defined by programming.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the probes are also provided with other measurement means making it possible to take into account environmental disturbances at the moment of the measurement.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the probes also comprise orientation sensors and are adapted to supply vectorial measurements.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the frequency and power of the radio signal are optimized relative to the ambient noise so as to limit the probes'"'"' electric consumption for transmitting on said wireless network.

13. The system of claim 1, arranged to determine and transmit tolerance information depending on a programmed tolerance limit.

14. The system of claim 1, having a trigger switch or push-button arranged for generating a measurement programming command.

15. The system of claim 1, arranged for controlling sorting systems through the wireless network.

16. The system of claim 1, arranged for checking the state of the peripherals before programming a measurement.

17. The system of claim 1, arranged for computing in said control unit at least one variation of one of the following values:

diameter, thickness, perpendicularity, parallelism, concentricity, orthogonality and conicity.