Measurement machine utilizing a barcode to identify an inspection plan for an object

• US 9,638,507 B2
• Filed: 01/22/2013
• Issued: 05/02/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 01/27/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Faro Technologies Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Faro Technologies Incorporated
• Inventors: Grau, Markus, Parker, David H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Charioui, Mohamed
• Assistant Examiner(s): Delozier, Jeremy
• Application Number:
  US13/746,741
• Publication Number:
  US 20130197852A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,561 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 11/005 coordinate measuring machines
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 11/03 by measuring coordinates of points
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 5/008 using coordinate measuring machines
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/124 using tapes, cards or discs with optically sensed marks or codes G05B19/128, G05B19/14 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/36018 Language for dimensional measuring, inspection
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/36369 Measuring object, spectacle glass, to derive position data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 17/00 Digital computing or data processing equipment or methods, specially adapted for specific functions information retrieval, database structures or file system structures therefor G06F16/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/06037 multi-dimensional coding
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/1092 sensing by means of TV-scanning
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/1417 2D bar codes
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/02 Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS]

Abstract

Embodiments of the present invention relate to a measurement machine for measuring an object, and more particularly to a measurement machine such as a portable articulated arm coordinate measuring machine or a laser tracker that measures an object according to a measurement or inspection plan that is identified by a machine readable information symbol located on the object to be measured or on a drawing (e.g., a CAD drawing) of the object.

Claims

1. A method for inspecting an object, the method comprising:

providing an articulated arm coordinate measuring machine (AACMM) having a base;

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

a measurement device coupled to the first end of the arm portion; and

an electronic circuit which receives the position signal from the at least one position transducer and provides data corresponding to a position of the measurement device;

providing a display;

providing a bar-code reader;

generating an inspection plan, the inspection plan being a series of steps to be performed by an operator using the articulated arm coordinate measuring machine, the series of steps including a first plurality of measurements by the articulated arm coordinate measuring machine to determine a diameter of a hole in the object;

generating a bar code, the bar code including a collection of machine readable symbols that describe each of the series of steps of the inspection plan;

reading the generated bar code with the bar-code reader to obtain inspection plan data;

sending the inspection plan data from the bar-code reader to a processor;

sending a signal from the processor to the display, the signal based at least in part on the inspection plan data;

receiving the signal by the display and providing on a display screen of the display a visual indication of each step from among the series of steps to be performed by the operator with at least one step being performed with the AACMM as a part of the inspection plan;

performing each step from among the series of steps by the operator;

wherein the at least one step includes measuring the diameter of the hole in the object with the measurement device of the articulated arm coordinate measuring machine in response to the first plurality of measurements performed by the operator;

determining whether the diameter of the hole is within a design tolerance; and

storing the diameter.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the bar code is compliant with the ISO/IEC 24778.2008 standard.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising affixing the bar code to the object.

4. The method of claim 1 affixing the bar code to a drawing of the object.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein, in the step of providing a display, the display is integrated into the articulated arm coordinate measuring machine.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

generating a second machine readable information symbol in response to measuring the at least one part characteristic, the second machine readable information symbol including information on the measurement of the at least one part characteristic; and

affixing the second machine readable information symbol to the part.

7. The method of claim 6 further comprising matching the part with another part using the information on the second machine readable information symbol.

8. The method of claim 6 further comprising:

capturing an image of the second machine readable information symbol; and

displaying the information on the second machine readable information symbol.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the displayed information includes the measurement of the at least one part characteristic.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the step of capturing the image includes capturing the image with a cellular phone.

11. The method of claim 1 further comprising providing a bar code coupled to the arm portion adjacent the first end.

12. The method of claim of claim 1 wherein the first machine readable information symbol includes information on a location of a data file that contains the generated inspection plan.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein the first machine readable symbol includes information about the part.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the information about the part includes at least one of physical characteristics of the part, identifying features of the part and a model number of the part.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein the first machine readable information symbol is a 3D machine readable symbol.

16. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

providing a laser line probe operably coupled to the AACMM, the laser line probe having a camera; and

reading the first machine readable information symbol with the camera.

17. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of generating the inspection plan includes integrating the generated inspection plan into a part design file.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein the part design file is a computer aided design file.

19. The method of claim 3 wherein the step of affixing the bar code to the part includes printing the bar code onto the part.

20. The method of claim 3 wherein the step of affixing the bar code to the part includes laser etching the bar code onto the part.