Measuring instrument, probe for the same, and measuring method

• US 6,065,220 A
• Filed: 05/06/1998
• Issued: 05/23/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 05/07/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Mitutoyo Corporation
• Original Assignee: Mitutoyo Corporation
• Inventors: Saruki, Yoshio, Moriya, Yoshio, Ohtsuka, Yukiharu
• Primary Examiner(s): Bennett, G. Bradley
• Application Number:
  US09/073,676
• Time in Patent Office: 748 Days
• Field of Search: 33/1 M, 33/503, 33/542, 33/544, 33/544.2, 33/549, 33/550, 33/551, 33/552, 33/553, 33/555.1, 33/556, 33/557, 33/559, 33/560
• US Class Current: 33/549
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 5/016 Constructional details of contacts
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 5/08 for measuring diameters G01B5/0035 takes precedence; measuring radius of curvature G01B5/213
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 5/12 internal diameters
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 5/14 for measuring distance or clearance between spaced objects or spaced apertures G01B5/24 takes precedence

Abstract

A body 1 placed thereon with a table 35 put thereon with an object to be measured W, and a portal frame 41 supporting both ends of rail 43 to the body through pillars 42A and 42B, the rail being placed above the table 35 and extending along a moving direction of a pair of probes 91A and 91B, are provided. A pair of sliders 51A and 51B are movably supported by the rail 43. The pair of the probes are extended downward from the sliders 51A and 51B to be abutted to the object W put on the table 35. The flexural deformation of the probes 91A and 91B is decreased due to the shorter length of the probes 91A and 91B, so that the high accurate measurement is achieved and a relative measurement is omitted.

Claims

1. A measuring instrument for measuring an inner and outer dimension of an object to be measured by a distance between a pair of probes, said pair of probes being abutted to the side of the object while relatively moving with each other, the measuring instrument comprising;

a body provided with a table for the object to be put on, and

a portal frame for supporting ends of a rail to the body through pillars,

said rail provided above the table and extending along the moving direction of said pair of probes, and being provided with a pair of sliders at least one of which movably supported by said rail, and

said pair of probes being provided on each of said pair of sliders, and extended downward to be abutted to the side of the object on the table.

2. The measuring instrument according to claim 1, wherein both of said pair of sliders are movably supported on said rail, and wherein said pair of probes move relatively in opposite direction with each other.

3. The measuring instrument according to claim 2, wherein the table is provided with an elevating mechanism for separating the object and said pair of the probes by moving the table downward.

4. The measuring instrument according to claim 3, wherein said elevating mechanism has an elevating base provided on the body movably up and down for supporting the bottom face of the table, and a driving means for lifting up and down the elevating base.

5. The measuring instrument according to claim 1, wherein said rail is formed by a single rail provided with a first guiding face for guiding one of said sliders, and a second guiding face for guiding the other slider, both of said sliders being formed dividingly along the whole length of said rail.

6. The measuring instrument according to claim 5,

wherein said rail is shaped to be a pillar of a quadrangular cross-section, said first guiding face and said second guiding face being dividingly formed to divide said rail symmetrically with respect to an axis in the vertical direction of the quadrangular cross-section of the pillar shape;

wherein each of said first guiding face and said second guiding face has a top portion, a side portion and a bottom portion; and

wherein each of said pair of sliders has a vertical portion confronting each side portion of said first guiding face and said second guiding face, and a pair of horizontal portions approximately perpendicularly extending from both ends of the vertical portion and confronting the top portion and the bottom portion.

7. The measuring instrument according to claim 6, wherein each horizontal portion and each vertical portion of said pair of sliders are provided with an air bearing to decrease movement resistance between said slider and said rail, and each vertical portion of said pair of sliders is provided with an attracting means for producing an attractive force balancing with repulsion caused by the air bearing.

8. The measuring instrument according to claim 7, wherein the air bearing is placed to be positionally adjustable in an out-of-plane direction of the horizontal portion and the vertical portion.

9. A measuring instrument for measuring an inner and outer dimension of an object to be measured by a distance between a pair of probes, said pair of probes being abutted to the inner or the outer side of the object at a predetermined pressure while moving said pair of probes along a measurement axis, the measuring instrument comprising;

a body provided with a table for the object to be put on,

a first relative moving means for relatively moving said pair of probes and the table in a first relative moving direction perpendicular to the measurement axis and approximately parallel to the diametral direction of the object,

a second relative moving means for relatively moving said pair of probes and the table in a second relative moving direction perpendicular to the measurement axis and perpendicular to the first relative moving direction,

a tilt adjusting means for adjusting a tilt of the table against a plane perpendicular to the second relative moving direction, and

a probe drive control means for moving said pair of probes along the measurement axis and being capable of moving only one of said pair of probes along the measurement axis.

10. The measuring instrument according to claim 9, further comprising a rotating means for rotating the table about an axis parallel to the second relative moving direction.

11. The measuring instrument according to claim 9, further comprising;

a portal frame for supporting ends of a rail to the body, said rail being provided above the table, extending along the moving direction of said pair of probes and provided with a pair of sliders to be movable along said rail of the frame, and

said pair of probes being supported on said pair of sliders respectively and extending downward.

12. The measuring instrument according to claim 10, further comprising;

a portal frame for supporting ends of a rail to the body, said rail being provided above the table, extending along the moving direction of said pair of probes and provided with a pair of sliders to be movable along said rail of the frame, and

said pair of probes being supported on said pair of sliders respectively and extending downward.

13. The measuring instrument according to claim 12, wherein said second relative moving means has an elevating base provided in said body to be lifted up and down through a guide post and supporting the bottom face of the table, and an elevating mechanism including a drive means for lifting up and down said elevating base.

14. The measuring instrument according to claim 13, wherein a sliding face is formed on the top face of said elevating base to connect the bottom face of the table to receive the table and a load on the table and supporting the table to move.

15. The measuring instrument according to claim 14,

wherein said sliding face is formed on a circumference of a circle of which the center is a first axis line of the first relative moving direction;

and

wherein said rotating means and said first relative moving means are accommodated in a recess portion formed inside said sliding face formed on the circumference and under the table.

16. The measuring instrument according to claim 15, wherein a lower frictional member is provided on said sliding face.

17. A measuring method for measuring an inner or outer diameter of an object to be measured by a distance between a pair of probes, said pair of probes being movable along a measurement axis and being relatively moved to be abutted to the inner or outer diameter of the object, comprising the steps of;

first adjusting the measuring position, wherein said pair of probes are abutted to the inner or the outer diameter of the object and urged at certain pressure, wherein the distance between said pair of probes is measured while said pair of probes and the object are relatively moved in a first relative moving direction perpendicular to the measurement axis and approximately parallel to the diametral direction of the object, and wherein said pair of probes and the object are positioned so that the distance between said pair of probes is maximized,

first adjusting the tilt of the inner or the outer diameter of the axis of the object, wherein the change in the distance between said pair of probes is measured at the position where the distance between said pair of probes is maximized while only one of said pair of probes is abutted to the inner or the outer diameter of the object, wherein the one of said pair of probes and the object is relatively moved in a second relative moving direction perpendicular to the measurement axis and perpendicular to the first relative moving direction, and wherein the tilt of the inner or the outer diameter of the axis of the object is adjusted so that the change in the distance between said pair of probes is minimized, and

after the tilt is adjusted, measuring the inner or the outer diameter of the object by the distance between said pair of probes being abutted to the inner or the outer diameter of the object after the relative movement of said pair of probes along the direction of the measurement axis.

18. The measuring method according to claim 17, further comprising the steps of rotating the object in 90 degrees around an axis parallel to the second relative moving direction, second adjusting the measuring position and second adjusting the tilt, so that the steps of first measuring position adjusting, first tilt adjusting, rotating, second measuring position adjusting, second tilt adjusting and measuring are carried out in due order.