Portable articulated arm coordinate measuring machine with multi-bus arm technology

• US 8,683,709 B2
• Filed: 01/14/2011
• Issued: 04/01/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/20/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Faro Technologies Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Faro Technologies Incorporated
• Inventors: York, Frederick
• Primary Examiner(s): GUADALUPE, YARITZA
• Application Number:
  US13/006,468
• Publication Number:
  US 20110178764A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,173 Days
• Field of Search: 335/03, 335/56, 335/59
• US Class Current: 33/503
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 21/047 Accessories, e.g. for positioning, for tool-setting, for measuring probes
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 2210/58 Wireless transmission of information between a sensor or probe and a control or evaluation unit
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 5/008 using coordinate measuring machines
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 5/012 Contact-making feeler heads therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/401 characterised by control arrangements for measuring, e.g. calibration and initialisation, measuring workpiece for machining purposes G05B19/19 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/31048 Project on workpiece, image of finished workpiece, info or a spot
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/33162 Two bus, high speed and low speed bus, linked or not
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/37193 Multicoordinate measuring system, machine, cmm
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/40233 Portable robot
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/45061 Measuring robot
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/02 Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS]

Abstract

A portable articulated arm coordinate measuring machine (AACMM) with multi-bus arm technology that includes a manually positionable articulated arm portion, a measurement device, and an electronic circuit. The electronic circuit is configured to receive a position signal from the arm portion and to provide data corresponding to a position of the measurement device. The AACMM further includes a probe end, an accessory device, an encoder data bus, and a first device data bus. The encoder data bus is coupled to the arm portion and the electronic circuit, and the encoder data bus is configured to send the position signal to the electronic circuit. The first device data bus is coupled to the accessory device and the electronic circuit. The first device data bus is configured to operate simultaneously with and independently of the encoder data bus for sending accessory device data from the accessory device to the electronic circuit.

Claims

1. A portable articulated arm coordinate measurement machine (AACMM), comprising:

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

a measurement device coupled to the first end;

an electronic circuit configured to receive the position signal from the at least one position transducer and to provide data corresponding to a position of the measurement device;

a probe end disposed between the measurement device and the first end;

an accessory device removably coupled to the probe end;

an encoder data bus coupled to the at least one transducer and the electronic circuit, the encoder data bus configured to send the position signal to the electronic circuit; and

a first device data bus coupled to the accessory device and the electronic circuit, the first device data bus configured to operate simultaneously with and independently of the encoder data bus for sending accessory device data from the accessory device to the electronic circuit.

2. The portable AACMM of claim 1, wherein the position signal includes counts.

3. The portable AACMM of claim 1, wherein the accessory device includes at least one of a laser line probe, a camera, a bar code scanner, a thermal scanner, a video camera, a light source, an image projector, a microphone, an audio recording system, and a paint-spray nozzle.

4. The portable AACMM of claim 3, wherein the measurement device is a contact probe.

5. The portable AACMM of claim 3, wherein the measurement device is the accessory device.

6. The portable AACMM of claim 1, wherein the encoder data bus is coupled to the measurement device.

7. The portable AACMM of claim 1, wherein the encoder data bus is further configured to send a button selection from the probe end or the measurement device to the electronic circuit.

8. The portable AACMM of claim 1, wherein the encoder data bus is further configured to send button selection data from the accessory device to the electronic circuit.

9. The portable AACMM of claim 1, wherein the encoder data bus is further configured to send temperature data from the arm segments to the electronic circuit.

10. The portable AACMM of claim 1, wherein the first device data bus is further configured to send data from the accessory device to the electronic circuit to identify characteristics of the accessory device.

11. The portable AACMM of claim 1, wherein the measurement device is a contact probe, the accessory device is a laser line probe (LLP), and the accessory device data includes a plurality of two dimensional data values generated by the LLP.

12. The portable AACMM of claim 1, wherein the measurement device is a contact probe, the accessory device is a camera, and the accessory device data includes image data generated by the camera.

13. The portable AACMM of claim 1, wherein the encoder data bus and the first device data bus are asynchronous buses.

14. The portable AACMM of claim 1, wherein the encoder data bus and the first device data bus operate at different speeds.

15. The portable AACMM of claim 1, wherein the encoder data bus and the first device data bus have different bus widths.

16. The portable AACMM of claim 1, further comprising a second device data bus connected to the accessory device and the electronic circuit, the second device data bus configured to operate independently of the encoder data bus.

17. The portable AACMM of claim 1, wherein the encoder data bus is a wireless bus.

18. The portable AACMM of claim 1, wherein the first device data bus is a wireless bus.

19. A portable articulated arm coordinate measurement machine (AACMM), comprising:

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

a measurement device coupled to the first end;

an electronic circuit configured to receive the position signal from the at least one position transducer and to provide data corresponding to a position of the measurement device;

a probe end disposed between the measurement device and the first end;

an encoder data bus coupled to the at least one transducer and the electronic circuit, the encoder data configured to send the position signal to the electronic circuit; and

a first device data bus coupled to the measurement device and the electronic circuit, the first device data bus configured to operate simultaneously with and independently of the encoder data bus.

20. The portable AACMM of claim 19, wherein the encoder data bus and the first device data bus are asynchronous buses.

21. The portable AACMM of claim 19, wherein the encoder data bus and the first device data bus operate at different speeds.

22. The portable AACMM of claim 19, wherein the encoder data bus and the first device data bus have different bus widths.

23. The portable AACMM of claim 19, further comprising a second device data bus connected to the measurement device and the electronic circuit, the second device data bus configured to operate independently of the encoder data bus.

24. The portable AACMM of claim 19 wherein the position signals include counts.

25. The portable AACMM of claim 19, wherein the encoder data bus is further for sending button selection data from the measurement device to the electronic circuit.

26. The portable AACMM of claim 19, wherein the encoder data bus is further for sending temperature data from the arm segments to the electronic circuit.

27. The portable AACMM of claim 19, wherein the encoder data bus is a wireless bus.

28. The portable AACMM of claim 19, wherein the first device data bus is a wireless bus.

29. A method of operating a portable articulated arm coordinate measuring machine (AACMM), the method comprising:

receiving a position signal via an encoder data bus, the receiving by an electronic circuit on the portable AACMM, the portable AACMM comprised of a manually positionable articulated arm portion having opposed first and second ends, the arm portion including a plurality of connected arm segments, each arm segment including at least one position transducer for producing the position signal, a measurement device coupled to the first end, a probe end disposed between the measurement device and the first end, an accessory device removably coupled to the probe end, the electronic circuit, the encoder data bus in communication with the at least one position transducer and the electronic circuit, and a device data bus in communication with the accessory device and the electronic circuit; and

receiving at the electronic circuit, via the device data bus, accessory device data from the accessory device, wherein the device data bus operates simultaneously with and independently of the encoder data bus.

30. The method of claim 29, further comprising exporting the position signal and the accessory device data to an external computer.

31. The method of claim 29, further comprising combining the position signal and the accessory device data to generate a view of the object.

32. The method of claim 29, further comprising displaying the object on a user interface located on the portable AACMM.

33. The method of claim 29, wherein the measurement device is a contact probe, the accessory device is a laser line probe and the accessory device data is a plurality of two dimensional values generated by the laser line probe.

34. The method of claim 29, wherein the measurement device is a contact probe, the accessory device is a camera and the accessory device data is image data.

35. The method of claim 29, wherein the encoder data bus is a wireless bus.

36. The method of claim 29, wherein the device data bus is a wireless bus.

37. The method of claim 29, wherein the measurement device is the accessory device.