Patent application number | Description | Published |
20090025244 | Articulating Probe Head Apparatus and Method - Apparatus for a co-ordinate positioning machine is described that comprises an articulating probe head for supporting a measurement probe. The articulating probe head comprises at least one electric motor. Heating means are provided for generating heat in the articulating probe head. The heating means may be the motors or discrete heating elements. Temperature sensing means, such as one or more temperature sensors, is also provided for determining the temperature at the articulating probe head. The apparatus allows the temperature of the articulating probe head to be controlled. | 01-29-2009 |
20090025463 | Method for Scanning the Surface of a Workpiece - A measurement system has a surface sensing device mounted on an articulating probe head, which in turn is mounted on a coordinate positioning apparatus. The surface sensing device is moved relative to a surface by driving at least one of the coordinate positioning apparatus and probe head in at least one axis to scan the surface. The surface sensing device measures its distance from the surface and the probe head is driven to rotate the surface sensing device about at least one axis in order to control the relative position of the surface sensing device from the surface to within a predetermined range in real time. | 01-29-2009 |
20090030648 | Apparatus and Method of Measuring Workpieces - A method and apparatus for measuring a surface using a surface sensing device mounted on a scanning head on a member of a coordinate positioning apparatus. The coordinate positioning apparatus may be operated to produce relative movement between the scanning head and the surface profile and the scanning head includes a drive for producing rotational movement of the surface sensing probe about one or more axis. A desired measurement profile on the surface which the surface sensing device will track and the desired motion of the orientation of the surface sensing device as the surface' sensing device follows the measurement profile are defined. This data is used to derive the required path of the relative motion between the member of the coordinate positioning apparatus and the surface, such that the surface sensing device prescribes a trajectory along the measurement profile. | 01-29-2009 |
20090032506 | Method of Scale Manufacture - The present invention relates to an apparatus for the manufacture of a metrological scale comprises a scale substrate ( | 02-05-2009 |
20090040534 | Surface sensing device with optical sensor - A surface sensing device for use in position determining apparatus has an elongate stylus ( | 02-12-2009 |
20090055118 | Method of path planning - A method for planning the trajectory of an apparatus, such as an articulating probe head, mounted on a coordinate positioning apparatus, such as a CMM. It is determined whether for a given trajectory, the angular velocity or acceleration of the apparatus about a rotational axis of the apparatus will exceed a predetermined threshold. If so, parameters are adjusted so that the angular velocity or acceleration do not exceed the threshold. | 02-26-2009 |
20090080990 | Power and/or Signal Paths for a Machine Tool Accessory - A tool shank ( | 03-26-2009 |
20090100693 | Contact Sensing Probe - A contact sensing probe having a stylus which is vibrated longitudinally by a piezoelectric transducer. Contact with a workpiece is detected from damping of the vibration. The stylus is mounted to a probe body via parallel diaphragm springs. These cooperate with a counter mass to form a mechanical low pass filter, which isolates the stylus vibrations from influences caused by the mounting or handling of the probe body. | 04-23-2009 |
20090248345 | Probe Calibration - A method of calibrating a probe is disclosed said probe being mounted on a machine and having a stylus with a workpiece contacting tip, comprising calculating calibration information for the probe for a first orientation of the probe, and rotating the calibration information by an angle to obtain a probe calibration information for when the probe is oriented by that angle with respect to the first orientation. Also disclosed is a method of calibrating a probe during a measurement process. The calibration information may include a vector which relates probe head axes to machine axes; a calibration matrix; datum data; an inertial matrix. The stylus tip may be datumed at the orientation of the probe or inferred from datum information obtained at different orientations. The rotation step may be carried out by a software/computer program which may be stored on a controller for the machine. | 10-01-2009 |
20090255139 | SURFACE SENSING DEVICE - An apparatus for measuring a surface of a workpiece is described. The apparatus comprises a support, attachable to the moveable arm of a machine, such as a coordinate positioning machine, and rotatable about first and second axes of rotation, the axes driven by first and second motors respectively. The apparatus additionally comprises a surface sensing device for sensing the surface of a workpiece, rotatable about a third axis of rotation. This third axis of rotation is alignable with the first axis of rotation, and when aligned, rotation of the support relative to the surface sensing device is actuatable by the first motor. A method for using an apparatus for measuring a surface of a workpiece is also described. | 10-15-2009 |
20090279815 | GAS BEARINGS - A rotary gas bearing is described that comprises a first part rotatable relative to a second part. The first part comprises a support member and a first portion and a second portion attached to the support member. The first portion comprises a first bearing surface and the second portion comprising a second bearing surface. Both the first portion and the second portion are attached to the support member by screw thread connections. The second part may comprise complimentary bearing surfaces. Epoxy may be used to fix the first and/or second portions to the support member. A method of determining the bearing working gap by measuring gas flow through the bearing is also described. | 11-12-2009 |
20100011600 | Apparatus and Method of Measuring Workpieces - A method and apparatus for measuring a surface using a surface sensing device mounted on a scanning head on a member of a coordinate positioning apparatus. The coordinate positioning apparatus may be operated to produce relative movement between the scanning head and the surface profile and the scanning head includes a drive for producing rotational movement of the surface sensing probe about one or more axis. The coordinate positioning apparatus is driven to provide relative movement between the member and the surface profile in a circular path and the probe head is driven to move the surface sensing device about said one or more axes, such that the surface sensing device maintains a nominally constant lead angle. The motion of the coordinate positioning apparatus and probe head is synchronous. | 01-21-2010 |
20100072456 | OPTO-ELECTRONIC READ HEAD - A read head for a scale reading apparatus, the head including a light source and an array of photodetector elements, wherein said light source and array of photodetector elements are fabricated in a lattice matched semiconductor compound. | 03-25-2010 |
20100327014 | APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR FLUID DISPENSING - An apparatus and method are described for selectively dispensing a fluid on to a substrate. The apparatus including a holder for holding a substrate, such as a non-planar substrate or circuit board. A fluid dispenser for dispensing fluid, such as an adhesive, and a positioning device for moving the fluid dispenser are also provided. The positioning device and fluid dispenser are arranged to allow fluid to be dispensed on to a substrate, held by the holder. The holder including a tilting mechanism that enables a substrate, held by the holder to be tilted about at least one axis. In use, a substrate may be tilted such that the region of the substrate onto which fluid is to be dispensed by the fluid dispenser is at least approximately horizontal thereby preventing unwanted fluid flow under gravity. | 12-30-2010 |
20110016995 | MODULE OR TOOL CHANGING FOR METROLOGICAL PROBE - Apparatus is disclosed for changing task modules or styli of a metrological probe. In one embodiment, a stylus module ( | 01-27-2011 |
20110043827 | Surface sensing device with optical sensor - A surface sensing device for use in position determining apparatus has an elongate stylus with a tip for scanning the surface of a workpiece to be measured. Lateral displacements of the stylus tip are detected by a light beam which passes along the stylus from a light source to a retroreflector. This reflects the beam back via a beamsplitter to a position sensitive detector. The stylus is mounted for longitudinal displacement on a carriage. The longitudinal displacement is measured by another light beam projected by the beamsplitter onto a second position sensitive detector. | 02-24-2011 |
20110056074 | APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR ELECTRONIC CIRCUIT MANUFACTURE - An apparatus and method are described for use in the manufacture of non-planar circuit modules. The apparatus includes a holder for holding a non-planar circuit module, an activation source for activating one or more localised regions of a non-planar circuit module held by the holder, and positioning apparatus for providing relative movement between the activation source and a non-planar circuit module held by the holder. The relative movement between the activation source and a non-planar circuit module held by the holder includes translational movement along at least one axis and rotational movement about at least one axis. A parallel positioning machine may provide such relative movement. | 03-10-2011 |
20110061253 | Articulating probe head apparatus and method - Apparatus for a co-ordinate positioning machine is described that comprises an articulating probe head for supporting a measurement probe. The articulating probe head comprises at least one electric motor. Heating means are provided for generating heat in the articulating probe head. The heating means may be the motors or discrete heating elements. Temperature sensing means, such as one or more temperature sensors, is also provided for determining the temperature at the articulating probe head. The apparatus allows the temperature of the articulating probe head to be controlled. | 03-17-2011 |
20110283553 | Method for scanning the surface of a workpiece - A measurement system has a surface sensing device mounted on an articulating probe head, which in turn is mounted on a coordinate positioning apparatus. The surface sensing device is moved relative to a surface by driving at least one of the coordinate positioning apparatus and probe head in at least one axis to scan the surface. The surface sensing device measures its distance from the surface and the probe head is driven to rotate the surface sensing device about at least one axis in order to control the relative position of the surface sensing device from the surface to within a predetermined range in real time. | 11-24-2011 |
20120060385 | Apparatus and method of measuring workpieces - A method and apparatus for measuring a surface using a surface sensing device mounted on a scanning head on a member of a coordinate positioning apparatus. The coordinate positioning apparatus may be operated to produce relative movement between the scanning head and the surface profile and the scanning head includes a drive for producing rotational movement of the surface sensing probe about one or more axis. The coordinate positioning apparatus is driven to provide relative movement between the member and the surface profile in a circular path and the scanning head is driven to move the surface sensing device about said one or more axes, such that the surface sensing device maintains a nominally constant lead angle. The motion of the coordinate positioning apparatus and scanning head is synchronous. | 03-15-2012 |
20120323345 | MEASUREMENT METHOD AND APPARATUS - An error correction method for coordinate positioning apparatus is described. The method comprises (i) taking a first data set comprising one or more first data values, each first data value describing a position on the surface of a first object, (ii) taking a second data set comprising one or more second data values, each second data value describing a position on the surface of the first object, and (iii) calculating an error map comprising one or more error values, each error value describing a positional difference between the surface as described by the first data set and the surface as described by the second data set. The surface normal of the first object is known at each position described by each first data value and step (iii) comprises calculating each error value by determining the positional difference substantially in the direction of the known surface normal. | 12-20-2012 |