Dial gauge

• US 4,528,755 A
• Filed: 09/14/1983
• Issued: 07/16/1985
• Est. Priority Date: 10/25/1982
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Mitutoyo Mfg. Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Mitutoyo Mfg. Co., Ltd., Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Igarashi, Toru, Kanda, Tikara
• Primary Examiner(s): Little, Willis
• Application Number:
  US06/532,240
• Time in Patent Office: 671 Days
• Field of Search: 33/172 R, 33/147 R, 116/292
• US Class Current: 33/559
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 3/22 Feeler-pin gauges, e.g. dial gauges for measuring contours or curvatures G01B5/20

Abstract

A dial gauge according to the present invention wherein moving ranges of a dial plate and a needle are determined to be within predetermined limits.

In this dial gauge, the dial plate is interposed between an inner frame and an outer frame in a manner to be rotatable relative to either the inner frame or the outer frame, and a projection formed on the undersurface of this dial plate is positioned within a groove formed on the top face of an outer frame mounting portion of the inner frame to thereby control the dial plate in its moving range. On the other hand, a slot is formed in a gear for enlarging and transmitting a movement of a spindle in the circumferential direction of the gear and the forward end of a pawl affixed to the inner frame is loosely inserted into the slot to thereby restrict the needle in its turning to less than one turn.

Claims

1. A one turn type dial gauge comprising:

a casing including an inner frame for axially displaceably supporting a spindle having at one end thereof a measuring element and an outer frame rotatably coupled onto said inner frame;

a dial plate interposed between said inner frame and said outer frame in a manner to be rotatable relative to said inner frame and said outer frame, brought into pressing contact with said outer frame through a biasing means and partially provided thereon with an ungraduated portion;

a means for controlling the turning range of said dial plate relative to said inner frame, including a groove formed on one of said dial plate and said inner frame over a predetermined range in the turning direction of said dial plate and a projection formed on the other of said dial plate and said inner frame and slidably disposed in said groove;

a gear mechanism for converting an axial displacement of said spindle into a rotary motion, including a gear supported coaxially with a cam member driven by said spindle and a pinion engaged with said gear and provided at one end thereof with a needle;

a control means for restricting a range of turning of said needle to less than one turn, including a slot provided in said gear over a predetermined range in the circumferential direction of said gear and a pawl, the forward end of which is loosely inserted into said slot and the proximal end of which is solidly secured to a portion of said inner frame;

a mechanism for preventing rotation of said spindle, including a pin projected from said spindle in said inner frame and a guide member for guiding said pin only in the axial direction of said spindle; and

a spring for biasing said spindle in a direction causing said spindle to project progressively farther from said inner frame.

2. A dial gauge as set forth in claim 1, wherein said biasing means comprises a sheet spring.

3. A dial gauge as set forth in claim 1, wherein said inner frame comprises a substantially cylindrical spindle support portion and an outer frame mounting portion solidly secured to said spindle support portion in a manner to close one end face of said spindle support portion, and wherein said outer frame is rotatably supported on the outer peripheral surface of said outer frame mounting portion.

4. A dial guage as set forth in claim 3, wherein said pinion is engaged with a further gear rotatably supported on said outer frame mounting portion, said further gear being provided with a hair spring for biasing said further gear to engage said pinion.

5. A dial gauge as set forth in claim 1, wherein said spring for biasing said spindle is solidly secured at one end thereof in said inner frame and engaged at the other end with said pin.