Method for determining the axis of the rotary table in a coordinate measuring machine

• US 9,683,827 B2
• Filed: 04/30/2013
• Issued: 06/20/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/03/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Carl Zeiss Industrielle Messtechnik GmbH (Carl-Zeiss-Stiftung)
• Original Assignee: Carl Zeiss Industrielle Messtechnik GmbH (Carl-Zeiss-Stiftung)
• Inventors: Wimmer, Martin
• Primary Examiner(s): GUADALUPE, YARITZA
• Application Number:
  US14/398,524
• Publication Number:
  US 20150052768A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,512 Days
• Field of Search: 33503
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 21/042 Calibration or calibration artifacts G01B3/30, G01B9/02072 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 21/22 for measuring angles or tapers; for testing the alignment of axes
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 5/008 using coordinate measuring machines

Abstract

A position of a turntable axis is repeatedly determined in the device coordinate system of a coordinate measuring device. A test body on the turntable is probed in a plurality of turntable positions in order to determine the X and Y coordinates of the turntable axis in the device coordinate system from the contact points. In addition, a first contact body reference point that is stationary relative to the X-axis and disposed next to the turntable is probed to determine its X coordinate. Similarly, a second contact body reference point that is stationary relative to the Y-axis is probed to determine its Y coordinate. These steps are repeated at one or more later points in time to repeatedly determine the X coordinate and the Y coordinate of the turntable axis from the X coordinate of the first contact-body reference point and the Y coordinate of the second contact-body reference point.

Claims

1. A method for determining a position of a rotary table axis in a machine coordinate system of a coordinate measuring machine, the method comprising:

a) sensing a test body, situated on the rotary table, in a plurality of rotary table positions using a measuring system of the coordinate measuring machine at a plurality of sensing points on the test body, and determining an X-coordinate and a Y-coordinate of the rotary table axis in the machine coordinate system from the sensing points;

b) sensing a first sensing body, which is disposed next to the rotary table and which includes a first sensing body reference point stationarily positioned relative to the X-coordinate of the rotary table axis, using the measuring system of the coordinate measuring machine and determining the X-coordinate of the first sensing body reference point;

c) sensing a second sensing body, which is disposed next to the rotary table and which includes a second sensing body reference point stationarily positioned relative to the Y-coordinate of the rotary table axis, using the measuring system of the coordinate measuring machine and determining the Y-coordinate of the second sensing body reference point;

d) repeating step b) and step c) at one or more later times and determining the X-coordinate and the Y-coordinate of the rotary table axis at the one or more later times, from the X-coordinate of the first sensing body reference point and the Y-coordinate of the second sensing body reference point.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first sensing body reference point is positioned on the X-coordinate, or in a vicinity of the X-coordinate, of the rotary table axis.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the second sensing body reference point is positioned on the Y-coordinate, or in a vicinity of the Y-coordinate, of the rotary table axis.

4. The method according to claim 1, which comprises:

storing a difference Δ

X between the X-coordinate of the first sensing body reference point and the X-coordinate of the rotary table axis established in step a) in the coordinate measuring machine;

storing a difference Δ

Y between the Y-coordinate of the second sensing body reference point and the Y-coordinate of the rotary table axis established in step a) in the coordinate measuring machine; and

using the differences Δ

X and Δ

Y for determining the X-coordinate and the Y-coordinate of the rotary table axis in step d).

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first and second sensing bodies are selected from the group consisting of a ring, a disk, a cylinder, a hollow cylinder, a sphere, a gauge block, a female taper, a triple sphere, and combinations thereof.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the steps of sensing the first sensing body and the second sensing body comprise scanning the respective sensing body.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein steps a)-c) comprise sensing the test body and the first and second sensing bodies with a reference probe.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein step d) comprises sensing the first and second sensing bodies with the reference probe.

9. A coordinate measuring machine, comprising:

a rotary table having a rotary table axis;

a first sensing body, attached next to said rotary table and having a first sensing body reference point positioned in a stationary relationship relative to an X-coordinate of the rotary table axis;

a second sensing body, attached next to said rotary table and having a second sensing body reference point positioned in a stationary relationship relative to a Y-coordinate of the rotary table axis.

10. The coordinate measuring machine according to claim 9, wherein said first sensing body reference point is positioned on the X-coordinate of said rotary table axis.

11. The coordinate measuring machine according to claim 9, wherein said first sensing body reference point is positioned in a vicinity of the X-coordinate of said rotary table axis.

12. The coordinate measuring machine according to claim 9, wherein said second sensing body reference point is positioned on the Y-coordinate of said rotary table axis.

13. The coordinate measuring machine according to claim 9, wherein said second sensing body reference point is positioned in a vicinity of the Y-coordinate of said rotary table axis.

14. The coordinate measuring machine according to claim 9, wherein said first sensing body is variably positionable in a Y-direction and said second sensing body is variably positionable in the X-direction.

15. The coordinate measuring machine according to claim 9, configured for performing the following method steps:

a) sensing a test body, situated on said rotary table, in a plurality of rotary table positions using a measuring system of the coordinate measuring machine at a plurality of sensing points on the test body, and determining an X-coordinate and a Y-coordinate of the rotary table axis in the machine coordinate system from the sensing points;

b) sensing said first sensing body at said first sensing body reference point with the measuring system of the coordinate measuring machine and determining the X-coordinate of the first sensing body reference point;

c) sensing said second sensing body at said second sensing body reference point with the measuring system of the coordinate measuring machine and determining the Y-coordinate of the second sensing body reference point; and

d) repeating step b) and step c) at one or more later times and determining the X-coordinate and the Y-coordinate of the rotary table axis at the one or more later times, from the X-coordinate of said first sensing body reference point and the Y-coordinate of said second sensing body reference point.