Sphere bar probe
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A retroreflector probe adapter apparatus, comprising:
- a spherically mounted retroreflector (SMR) having a cube-corner retroreflector embedded within a metal sphere, the metal sphere having a spherical surface, the spherical surface having a sphere center, the cube-corner retroreflector including three mutually perpendicular mirrors, the three mirrors intersecting in a common vertex point coincident with the sphere center; and
an adapter including a holder, an endplate, and a member,the holder configured to receive the SMR, the endplate having a rounded outer surface with a radius of curvature R, the member having a first end attached to the holder and a second end attached to the endplate, wherein a distance from the center of the SMR, when received by the holder, to any point on the rounded outer surface of the endplate is equal to the radius of curvature R, the points on the rounded outer surface of the endplate lying on a virtual sphere having as its center the sphere center,wherein the endplate is shaped as a segment of the virtual sphere to contact points to be measured on a surface.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Exemplary embodiments include a sphere bar probe apparatus, including a holder, a retroreflector disposed in the holder, a member having a first end and a second end, wherein the first end is attached to the holder and an end plate attached to the second end of the member.
42 Citations
13 Claims
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1. A retroreflector probe adapter apparatus, comprising:
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a spherically mounted retroreflector (SMR) having a cube-corner retroreflector embedded within a metal sphere, the metal sphere having a spherical surface, the spherical surface having a sphere center, the cube-corner retroreflector including three mutually perpendicular mirrors, the three mirrors intersecting in a common vertex point coincident with the sphere center; and an adapter including a holder, an endplate, and a member, the holder configured to receive the SMR, the endplate having a rounded outer surface with a radius of curvature R, the member having a first end attached to the holder and a second end attached to the endplate, wherein a distance from the center of the SMR, when received by the holder, to any point on the rounded outer surface of the endplate is equal to the radius of curvature R, the points on the rounded outer surface of the endplate lying on a virtual sphere having as its center the sphere center, wherein the endplate is shaped as a segment of the virtual sphere to contact points to be measured on a surface. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. A method for measuring points with a laser tracker, the method comprising:
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providing a retroreflector probe adapter apparatus, the retroreflector probe apparatus including a spherically mounted retroreflector (SMR) and an adapter, the SMR having a cube-corner retroreflector embedded within a metal sphere, the metal sphere having a spherical surface, the spherical surface having a sphere center, the cube-corner retroreflector including three mutually perpendicular mirrors, the three mirrors intersecting in a common vertex point coincident with the sphere center, the adapter including a holder, an endplate, and a member, the holder configured to receive the SMR, the endplate having a rounded outer surface with a radius of curvature R, the member having a first end attached to the holder and a second end attached to the endplate, wherein a distance from the center of the SMR, when received by the holder, to any point on the rounded outer surface of the endplate is equal to the radius of curvature R, the points on the rounded outer surface of the endplate lying on a virtual sphere having as its center the sphere center, wherein the endplate is shaped as a segment of the virtual sphere to contact points of interest to be measured on a surface; identifying a plurality of points of interest hidden from a direct line of sight from the laser tracker; receiving the SMR by the holder; placing the rounded outer surface in contact with each of the plurality of points of interest; measuring with the last tracker, for each of the plurality of points of interest, a distance and two angles from the laser tracker; and determining three-dimensional coordinates of the plurality of points, the three-dimensional coordinates based at least in part on and the distance and the two angles measured for each of the plurality of points and the radius R. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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Specification