Replaceable illumination module for a coordinate measuring machine

• US 9,664,887 B2
• Filed: 10/31/2014
• Issued: 05/30/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/07/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Carl Zeiss Industrielle Messtechnik GmbH (Carl-Zeiss-Stiftung)
• Original Assignee: Carl Zeiss Industrielle Messtechnik GmbH (Carl-Zeiss-Stiftung)
• Inventors: Engel, Thomas
• Primary Examiner(s): Ayub, Hina F
• Application Number:
  US14/529,964
• Publication Number:
  US 20150055143A1
• Time in Patent Office: 942 Days
• Field of Search: 356614, 3562371, 3562411
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 11/005 coordinate measuring machines
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 11/007 feeler heads therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 21/047 Accessories, e.g. for positioning, for tool-setting, for measuring probes
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 21/082 for incident illumination only
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0001 specially adapted for lighting devices or systems lighting or signalling on vehicles using light guides B60Q1/00; lighting devices for vehicle dashboards B60Q3/10; lighting devices for vehicle interior using light guides B60Q3/62; lighting devices mounted on the vehicle rear part using light guides F21S43/235; measuring arrangements having light conducting pointers G01D13/265; illumination of liquid crystal displays G02F1/1336; illuminated signs G09F13/00

Abstract

An illumination module for a coordinate measuring machine for measuring a workpiece by means of an optical sensor, wherein the illumination module comprises a main body having a sensor side and a workpiece side, wherein the sensor side has a first interface device at least for the sensor-side coupling of the illumination module in a defined position, and wherein the illumination module comprises at least one illumination arrangement for illuminating the workpiece. Furthermore, the main body has the form of a ring having a free central region and an edge region, wherein the at least one illumination arrangement and the first interface device are arranged in the edge region.

Claims

1. An illumination module for a coordinate measuring machine for measuring a workpiece by means of an optical sensor, wherein the illumination module comprises a main body having a sensor side and a workpiece side, wherein the sensor side has a first interface device at least for the sensor-side coupling of the illumination module in a defined position, and wherein the illumination module comprises at least one illumination arrangement for illuminating the workpiece, wherein the main body has the form of a ring having a free central region and an edge region, wherein the at least one illumination arrangement and the first interface device are arranged in the edge region, and further wherein the illumination module comprises a second interface device for coupling the illumination module to a magazine site of the coordinate measuring machine.

2. The illumination module as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one illumination arrangement has at least one of a group consisting of a light guide, a refractive optical element, a diffractive optical element, a holographic optical element and a reflective optical element.

3. The illumination module as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one illumination arrangement has a ring-shaped light guide.

4. The illumination module as claimed in claim 1, wherein the illumination module comprises a plurality of illumination arrangements each having at least one light guide.

5. The illumination module as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one illumination arrangement has a light source.

6. The illumination module as claimed in claim 5, wherein the light source is an LED or an OLED or a laser.

7. The illumination module as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first interface device of the illumination module has an energy receiving device for receiving energy.

8. The illumination module as claimed in claim 1, wherein the main body has the form of a circular ring.

9. The illumination module as claimed in claim 1, wherein the illumination module comprises a third interface device for the workpiece-side coupling of the illumination module to a further illumination module or a tactile sensor.

10. The illumination module as claimed in claim 1, wherein the illumination module comprises an identification device for identifying at least a type of the illumination module.

11. The illumination module as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first interface device has a mechanical coupling device for the sensor-side coupling of the illumination module.

12. The illumination module as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first interface device has at least one permanent magnet for the sensor-side coupling of the illumination module.

13. A coordinate measuring machine for measuring a workpiece by means of an optical sensor, wherein the coordinate measuring machine comprises at least one illumination module for a coordinate measuring machine for measuring a workpiece by means of an optical sensor, wherein the illumination module comprises a main body having a sensor side and a workpiece side, wherein the sensor side has a first interface device at least for the sensor-side coupling of the illumination module in a defined position, and wherein the illumination module comprises at least one illumination arrangement for illuminating the workpiece, wherein the main body has the form of a ring having a free central region and an edge region, wherein the at least one illumination arrangement and the first interface device are arranged in the edge region, and wherein the coordinate measuring machine further comprises a holding device having at least one magazine site for the illumination module, and further wherein the illumination module comprises a second change interface device for coupling the illumination module to a magazine site of the coordinate measuring machine.

14. The coordinate measuring machine as claimed in claim 13, wherein the coordinate measuring machine furthermore comprises a regulating device designed to regulate at least one of a process of taking up and a process of placing an illumination module in the at least one magazine site.

15. The coordinate measuring machine as claimed in claim 13, wherein the optical sensor is movable by means of a quill in a first direction relative to a crossbar, wherein the quill is movable in a second direction along the crossbar, wherein the first direction and the second direction are perpendicular to one another, wherein the holding device is fixed parallel to the crossbar relative to the crossbar, and the at least one magazine site is movable relative to the optical sensor by means of a slide.

16. The coordinate measuring machine as claimed in claim 13, wherein the holding device is aligned along a third direction, wherein the third direction is perpendicular to a first direction and perpendicular to a second direction, and wherein the optical sensor and the holding device are movable relative to one another parallel to the third direction.

17. The coordinate measuring machine as claimed in claim 13, wherein the illumination module comprises a first interface device at least for the sensor-side coupling of the illumination module in the defined position by means of a permanent magnet, wherein the coordinate measuring machine furthermore comprises a switchable electromagnet for at least partly neutralizing a magnetic field of the permanent magnet.

18. A method for taking up an illumination module of a coordinate measuring machine for measuring a workpiece by means of an optical sensor, wherein the coordinate measuring machine comprises a first illumination module having a coupling interface, and a holding device having at least one first magazine site for the first illumination module, comprising the following steps:

moving an optical sensor of the coordinate measuring machine into a first position relative to a first magazine site having the first illumination module,

performing at least one of a translational and a rotational relative movement between the optical sensor and the first illumination module for the purpose of at least indirectly coupling the optical sensor to the first illumination module via said coupling interface, and

moving the optical sensor with the first illumination module coupled at least indirectly thereto so that the first illumination module is moved out of the first magazine site.

19. The method as claimed in claim 18, wherein the holding device has at least the first magazine site and a second magazine site, wherein at the beginning of the method the optical sensor is coupled to a second illumination module at least indirectly, and wherein firstly the following steps are performed:

moving the optical sensor to a second position so that the second illumination module is positioned relative to the second magazine site, and

performing at least one of a translational and a rotational relative movement between the optical sensor and the second illumination module for the purpose of decoupling the optical sensor from the second illumination module.

20. The method as claimed in claim 18, wherein at the beginning of the method the optical sensor is coupled to a second illumination module at least indirectly, and wherein the first moving step of the method is performed so that the second illumination module is positioned relative to said first magazine site and the performing step of the method is performed in order to couple the first illumination module to the second illumination module.

21. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium containing a computer program product comprising program code designed to perform a method for taking up an illumination module of a coordinate measuring machine for measuring a workpiece by means of an optical sensor, wherein the coordinate measuring machine comprises at least one first illumination module having a coupling interface, and a holding device having at least one first magazine site for the first illumination module, comprising the steps of:

moving the optical sensor of the coordinate measuring machine into a first position relative to said first magazine site, performing at least one of a translational and a rotational relative movement between the optical sensor and the first illumination module for the purpose of at least indirectly coupling via said coupling interface the optical sensor to the first illumination module, and moving the optical sensor with the first illumination module coupled at least indirectly thereto so that the first illumination module is moved out of the first magazine site.