Apparatus for measure and/or check the position and orientation of characteristic spots or areas in structures, particularly in motor-vehicle bodies
First Claim
1. An apparatus for measuring or checking a spatial position and an angular orientation of characteristic spots or areas in structures, comprising an articulated arm with a number of pivot areas and having one end secured to a supporting member and a second free end from which extends a tracer element to be individually positioned adjacent each of said characteristic spots or areas in said structure to be measured or checked, a displacement transducer located adjacent at least one of said pivot areas, said transducer generating an electrical signal in dependence upon a variation in configuration of said pivot areas of the arm as compared to a reference configuration, supply means responsive to said electrical signal for supplying spatial coordinates of said spatial position and angular orientation of each of said characteristic spots or areas which are contacted by the tracer element, said articulated arm including a first element rotatably pivoted to said supporting member at a first fixed end thereof and being rotatable about a first axis, a second element having an end pivotably connected to an end of said first element that is opposite the first fixed end, said second element capable of rotating about a second axis substantially parallel to said first axis, said second element being in the form of a linkage parallelogram and comprising a pair of parallel rods capable of carrying out oscillations in a plane substantially parallel to said second axis, a supporting element adapted to retain said tracer element at an end of said second element opposite that connecting the second element to the first element, and a swinging head carrying the tracer element on said support element and being capable of performing rotations about a third axis substantially parallel to the first and second axes and about a fourth axis substantially perpendicular to the first axis.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
An apparatus 1 to measure and/or check the spatial position and angular orientation of characteristic spots or areas 3 in mechanical structures or members, particularly in motor-vehicle structural components such as bodies or wheels. The apparatus substantially comprises an articulated arm 4 provided with a number of pivot points 5 and carrying, at a free end thereof, a tracer point 10 adapted to be positioned close to the characteristic spots or areas 3 of the structure to be measured or checked. Located at the pivot points 5 of the articulated arm 4 are displacement transducers 16 which send electrical signals to a computer depending upon a variation in the configuration taken by the pivot points 5 as compared with corresponding reference configurations. The computer instantaneously give the spatial coordinates of each characteristic spot or area 3 of structure 2 that are individually contacted by the tracer point 10 and, when necessary, compares them with corresponding reference coordinates to ascertain possible differences due to construciton faults or damages in structure 2.
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Citations
9 Claims
- 1. An apparatus for measuring or checking a spatial position and an angular orientation of characteristic spots or areas in structures, comprising an articulated arm with a number of pivot areas and having one end secured to a supporting member and a second free end from which extends a tracer element to be individually positioned adjacent each of said characteristic spots or areas in said structure to be measured or checked, a displacement transducer located adjacent at least one of said pivot areas, said transducer generating an electrical signal in dependence upon a variation in configuration of said pivot areas of the arm as compared to a reference configuration, supply means responsive to said electrical signal for supplying spatial coordinates of said spatial position and angular orientation of each of said characteristic spots or areas which are contacted by the tracer element, said articulated arm including a first element rotatably pivoted to said supporting member at a first fixed end thereof and being rotatable about a first axis, a second element having an end pivotably connected to an end of said first element that is opposite the first fixed end, said second element capable of rotating about a second axis substantially parallel to said first axis, said second element being in the form of a linkage parallelogram and comprising a pair of parallel rods capable of carrying out oscillations in a plane substantially parallel to said second axis, a supporting element adapted to retain said tracer element at an end of said second element opposite that connecting the second element to the first element, and a swinging head carrying the tracer element on said support element and being capable of performing rotations about a third axis substantially parallel to the first and second axes and about a fourth axis substantially perpendicular to the first axis.
- 7. An apparatus for measuring or checking a spatial position and an angular orientation of characteristic spots or areas in structures, comprising an articulated arm with a number of pivot areas and having a first end secured to a supporting member and a second free end from which extends a tracer element to be individually positioned adjacent each of said characteristic spots or areas in said structure to be measured or checked, a displacement transducer located adjacent at least one of said pivot areas, said transducer generating an electrical signal independence upon a variation in configuration of said pivot areas of the arm as compared to a reference configuration, supply means responsive to said electrical signal for supplying spatial coordinates of said spatial position and said angular orientation of each of said characteristic spots or areas which are contacted by the tracer element, said articulated arm including a first element rotatably pivoted to said supporting member at a first fixed end thereof and being rotatable about a first axis, a second element having an end pivotably connected to an end of said first element that is opposite the first fixed end, said second element being rotatable about a second axis substantially parallel to said first axis, said second element being in the form of a linkage parallelogram and comprising a pair of parallel rods capable of carrying out oscillations in a plane substantially parallel to said second axis, a supporting element adapted to retain said tracer element at an end of said second element opposite that connecting the second element to the first element, and a connecting adaptor being interposed between the tracer element and said characteristic spot or area, said connecting adaptor being comprised of a movable member having means connectable to the tracer element and housed within a fixed member having means for engaging with said structures to be checked at said characteristic spots or areas.
Specification