MEASUREMENT MACHINE UTILIZING A BARCODE TO IDENTIFY AN INSPECTION PLAN FOR AN OBJECT

• US 20130197852A1
• Filed: 01/22/2013
• Published: 08/01/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/27/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Faro Technologies Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Faro Technologies Incorporated
• Inventors: Parker, David H., Grau, Markus
• Granted Patent: US 9,638,507 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 702/123
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 11/005 coordinate measuring machines
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 11/03 by measuring coordinates of points
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 5/008 using coordinate measuring machines
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/124 using tapes, cards or discs with optically sensed marks or codes G05B19/128, G05B19/14 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/36018 Language for dimensional measuring, inspection
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/36369 Measuring object, spectacle glass, to derive position data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 17/00 Digital computing or data processing equipment or methods, specially adapted for specific functions information retrieval, database structures or file system structures therefor G06F16/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/06037 multi-dimensional coding
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/1092 sensing by means of TV-scanning
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/1417 2D bar codes
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/02 Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS]

Abstract

Embodiments of the present invention relate to a measurement machine for measuring an object, and more particularly to a measurement machine such as a portable articulated arm coordinate measuring machine or a laser tracker that measures an object according to a measurement or inspection plan that is identified by a machine readable information symbol located on the object to be measured or on a drawing (e.g., a CAD drawing) of the object.

Claims

1. A method for inspecting a part according to an inspection plan, the method using a portable articulated arm coordinate measuring machine (AACMM) having a base;

a manually positionable arm portion having opposed first and second ends, the second end of the arm portion being coupled to the base, the arm portion including a plurality of connected arm segments, each arm segment including at least one position transducer for producing a position signal;

a measurement device coupled to the first end of the arm portion; and

an electronic circuit which receives the position signal from the at least one position transducer and provides data corresponding to a position of the measurement device;

the method comprising the steps of;

generating an inspection plan for a part to be inspected to determine at least one characteristic of the part;

generating a first machine readable information symbol that includes information that identifies the generated inspection plan;

associating the first generated machine readable information symbol with the part;

reading the first machine readable information symbol from the part with a reader device configured to translate the first machine readable information symbol to determine the information contained therein, the reader device being coupled to communicate with the AACMM; and

measuring the at least one part characteristic according to the generated inspection plan identified by the first machine readable symbol.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the first machine readable symbol is bar code.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the bar code is compliant with the ISO/IEC 24778.2008 standard.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of associating the first machine readable information symbol with the part includes the step of further comprises affixing the bar code to the part.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of associating the first machine readable information symbol with the part includes the step of further comprises affixing the bar code to a drawing of the part.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of displaying the generated inspection plan in response to the reader device reading the first machine readable information symbol.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the generated inspection plan is displayed on a display coupled to the AACMM.

15. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

generating a second machine readable information symbol in response to measuring the at least one part characteristic, the second machine readable information symbol including information on the measurement of the at least one part characteristic; and

affixing the second machine readable information symbol to the part.

16. The method of claim 15 further comprising matching the part with another part using the information on the second machine readable information symbol.

17. The method of claim 15 further comprising:

capturing an image of the second machine readable information symbol; and

displaying the information on the second machine readable information symbol.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein the displayed information includes the measurement of the at least one part characteristic.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein the step of capturing the image includes capturing the image with a cellular phone.

8. A method for inspecting a part according to an inspection plan, the method using a laser tracker having a light source that emits a light beam towards a target located within an environment, and a reader device that captures the light beam reflected back to the laser scanner from the target located within the environment;

the method comprising the steps of;

generating an inspection plan for a part to be inspected to determine at least one characteristic of the part;

generating a first machine readable information symbol that identifies the generated inspection plan;

associating the generated first machine readable information symbol with the part;

reading the first machine readable information symbol with the reader device associated with the laser tracker; and

inspecting the part according to the generated inspection plan identified by the first machine readable information symbol read by the reader device.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the first machine readable information symbol is a bar code.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the bar code is compliant with the ISO/IEC 24778.2008 standard.

11. The method of claim 8 wherein the step of associating the generated first machine readable information symbol with the part includes affixing the generated first machine readable information symbol to the part.

12. The method of claim 8 wherein the step of associating the generated first machine readable information symbol with the part includes affixing the generated first machine readable information symbol to a drawing of the part.

13. The method of claim 8 further comprising the step of displaying the generated inspection plan in response to the data capture component reading the first machine readable information symbol.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the generated inspection plan is displayed on a display coupled to the laser tracker.

20. The method of claim 8 further comprising:

measuring at least one part characteristic while inspecting the part;

generating a second machine readable information symbol in response to measuring the at least one part characteristic, the second machine readable information symbol including information on the measurement of the at least one part characteristic; and

affixing the second machine readable information symbol to the part.

21. The method of claim 20 further comprising matching the part with another part using the information on the second machine readable information symbol.

22. The method of claim 20 further comprising:

capturing an image of the second machine readable information symbol; and

displaying the information on the second machine readable information symbol.

23. The method of claim 22 wherein the displayed information includes the measurement of the at least one part characteristic.

24. The method of claim 23 wherein the step of capturing the image includes capturing the image with a cellular phone.