Digital measuring head

• US 7,098,668 B2
• Filed: 07/25/2005
• Issued: 08/29/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/07/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Tokyo Seimitsu Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Tokyo Seimitsu Company Limited
• Inventors: Oguri, Masaaki
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Vincent Q.
• Application Number:
  US11/187,925
• Publication Number:
  US 20050253592A1
• Time in Patent Office: 400 Days
• Field of Search: 356/2, 250/231.11
• US Class Current: 324/534
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 5/28 for measuring roughness or irregularity of surfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 5/38 by diffraction gratings

Abstract

A digital measuring head in a measuring apparatus measures a work by making a contact element abut to the work. The digital measuring head includes an arm supported rotatably around a support point arranged on a base; a finger having the contact element at a tip end and mounted to a tip end portion of the arm; and a scale and a read head, one of which is provided at a rear end portion of the arm and the other of which is arranged on the base. Displacement of the contact element which contacts with the work is measured with the scale and the read head. Thereby, the measuring head can perform measurement in a wide range and becomes excellent in the actuation property and the temperature property, and masters for calibration of an indicated dimension are only used at an initial adjustment time.

Claims

1. A digital measuring head comprising:

a base;

at least one support point member arranged on the base;

at least one arm rotatably supported around the support point arranged on a base;

at least one finger mounted to an end portion of the at least one arm, and having a contact element mounted to an end portion thereof; and

at least one scale and at least one read head, one of the at least one scale and the at least one read head being arranged at a rear end portion of the at least one arm and one of the at least one scale and the at least one read head being arranged on the base;

wherein

displacement of the at least one contact element is measurable by the at least one scale and the at least one read head, the at least one scale having an arc shape with a pattern pitch that differs according to positions on the at least one scale, the positions being provided along the arc shape pattern of the at least one scale.

2. The digital measuring head of claim 1, wherein

the at least one arm further comprises a first arm and a second arm rotatably supported on a first support point and a second support point, respectively, and

the at least one finger further comprises a first finger, including a first contact element, arranged at the end portion of the first arm and a second finger, including a second contact element, arranged at the end portion of the second arm.

3. The digital measuring head of claim 1, wherein the at least one scale and the at least one read head further comprises,

a first scale and a first read head adapted to measure a first displacement, and

a second scale and a second read head adapted to measure a second displacement.

4. The digital measuring head of claim 1, wherein the at least one read head further includes,

at least one emitter adapted to emit light, and

at least one receiver adapted to receive at least one of reflected and refracted light.

5. The digital measuring head of claim 1, wherein the at least one scale reflects or refracts light emitted by the readhead.

6. The digital measuring head of claim 1, further including, at least one pressurizing member and at least one damper.

7. The digital measuring device of claim 1, wherein the signals are light signals.

8. A digital measuring device comprising:

a read head adapted to generate signals and receive reflected signals; and

a scale adapted to reflect generated signals;

wherein

one of the scale and the read head is stationary and the other is movable, and wherein

the device is configured to measure displacement of a contact element using the scale and the read head, the scale having an arc shape with a pattern pitch that differs according to positions on the scale, the positions being provided along the arc shape pattern of the scale.

9. A digital measuring device comprising:

at least one read head adapted to generate signals and receive reflected signals; and

at least one scale adapted to reflect generated signals;

wherein

one of the at least one scale and the at least one read head is stationary and the other is movable, and wherein

the device is configured to measure a displacement of at least one contact element contacting at least one surface based on the generated signals reflected by the at least one scale displacement of the at least one contact element, the at least one scale having an arc shape with a pattern pitch that differs according to positions on the at least one scale, the positions being provided along the arc shape pattern of the at least one scale.

10. The digital measuring device of claim 9, wherein the signals are light signals.

11. The digital measuring device of claim 10, wherein the at least read head is further adapted to emit the light signals, and the displacement of the at least one contact element is determined based on light signals reflected by the at least one scale and received by the at least one read head.

12. The digital measuring device of claim 11, further including, at least one pressurizing member and at least one damper.

13. The digital measuring device of claim 9, further comprising:

at least one arm rotatably supported around at least one support point arranged on a base; and

at least one finger including the at least one contacting element.

14. The digital measuring device of claim 13, wherein the at least one support point is a cross spring support point.

15. The digital measuring device of claim 13, wherein

the at least one arm further comprises a first arm and a second arm rotatably supported on a first support point and a second support point, respectively,

the at least one finger further comprises a first finger, including a first contact element, arranged at the end portion of the first arm and a second finger, including a second contact element, arranged at the end portion of the second arm, and wherein

the digital measuring device has a symmetrical structure.

16. The digital measuring head of claim 13, wherein the at least one scale is positioned at one of zero, forty-five or ninety degrees relative to the at least one finger.

17. The digital measuring device of claim 9, wherein the at least one scale and the at least one read head further comprises,

a first scale and a first read head adapted to measure a first displacement, and

a second scale and a second read head adapted to measure a second displacement.

18. The digital measuring device of claim 9, wherein the at least one readhead further includes,

at least one emitter adapted to emit light, and

at least one receiver adapted to receive the reflected light.