Multi-coordinate sensing gauge

Details Multi-coordinate sensing gauge Multi-coordinate sensing gauge

1993-10-21

1994-11-22

Cuchlinski, Jr., William A.

Geometrical instruments

Gauge

Movable contact probe, per se

33503, G01B 503

Patent

active

053656733

DESCRIPTION:

BRIEF SUMMARY
The invention concerns a multi-coordinate sensing gauge, comprising a housing, a sensor arm elastically prestressed into a rest position and displaceable in the direction of a main coordinate axis relative to the housing by means of a first universal joint being guided on the housing omnidirectionally pivotable about a first pivot point located on the main coordinate axis, a sensing tip of said arm being located in its rest position on the main coordinate axis, further comprising a coupling displaceably guided in the housing in the direction of the main coordinate axis, a linkage arm which in relation to the first pivot point extends opposite and away from said sensing arm, the end of the linkage arm which is far from the first pivot point being hinged in such manner on the coupling so that the linkage arm shall drive the coupling in the direction of the main coordinate axis both when the sensing arm is moving in the direction of the main coordinate axis and when the sensing arm is displaced out of its rest position about the first pivot point, and a measurement device detecting the coupling's position relative to the housing.
A multi-coordinate sensing gauge of this kind is known from the German patent document A 37 01 730. This sensing gauge allows measuring distances both in the direction of a main coordinate axis and also omnidirectionally radially to the main coordinate axis, with respect to a rest position of the sensing arm of this gauge. For that purpose the sensing arm is mounted by a ball-and-socket joint in the housing to be omnnidirectionally pivotable, the ball of the ball-and-socket joint is additionally displaceable in its socket in the direction of the main coordinate axis. A linkage arm projects from the ball and is opposite the sensing arm and provides support for a coupling displaceably guided inside the housing along the main coordinate axis. The coupling comprises an approximately conical recess entered by the linkage arm and is connected to a dial indicator gauge the displacement in the direction of the main coordinate axis of the coupling relative to the housing. The shape of the recess in the coupling is selected in such a way that the calibration graduation of the dial indicator gauge represents both the displacement of the sensing tip in the direction of the main coordinate axis and the displacement transverse thereto. A spring prestressing the coupling toward the ball-and-socket joint ensures that the sensing arm shall automatically return to a rest position wherein its sensing tip shall lie on the main coordinate axis.
In the known test equipment, the recess in the coupling receiving the end of the linkage arm must have the shape of a paraboloid of revolution. However such a shape can be achieved with accuracy only at comparatively high cost. Moreover, on account of the paraboloid shape, the restoring forces acting on the sensing arm decrease in the direction of the rest position, as a result of which this rest position is only poorly reproducible.
The object of the invention is to create a multi-coordinate sensing gauge consisting of easily manufactured parts and evincing a stable rest position for its sensing arm.
Based on the initially discussed multi-coordinate gauge, this problem is solved by the invention in that the end of the linkage arm which is far from the first pivot point is connected by a second universal joint to a drive element in order to be omnidirectionally pivotable about a second pivot point, said drive element in turn being guided on the housing by a third universal joint to be omnidirectionally pivotable about a third pivot point displaceable along the main coordinate axis, and in that the drive element comprises an annular shoulder enclosing the main coordinate axis and pointing away from the first pivot point and resting against an oppositely pointing annular shoulder of the coupling also enclosing the main coordinate axis. In such a design the annular shoulders when in the rest position support each other at a relatively large distance from the main coo

REFERENCES:
patent: 3079693 (1963-03-01), Miner, Jr.
patent: 3520063 (1970-07-01), Rethwish et al.
patent: 3660906 (1972-05-01), Zimmerman
patent: 4516327 (1985-05-01), Kanda et al.
patent: 4530160 (1985-07-01), Feichtinger

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