Mitutoyo Corporation

Bundesrepublik Deutschland, Endvertreten Durch Den Präsidenten Der Physikalisch-Technischen Bundesanstalt

Bundesrepublik Deutschland, Endvertreten Durch Den Prasidenten Der Physikalisch-technischen Bundesan

Akinori Saito

Satoshi Koga

Kazuhiko Hidaka

Hiroyuki Kanamori

Nobuhiro Ishikawa

Yutaka Kuriyama

Hartmut Illers

Scott Allen Harsila

Yoshimasa Suzuki

Kiyokazu Okamoto

Bjorn Erik Bertil Jansson

Richard Alan Wissner

Hans-Ulrich Danzebrink

Hans Ullrich Danzebrink

DrHans-Ulrich Danzebrink

Kazuhiko c/o Mitutoyo Research Center Europe Bv Hidaka

Hans Ullrich Danzenbrink

Provided is a defect judging unit for a measuring probe including: a stylus; four detection elements; and a signal processing part. The defect judging unit includes a defect judging part configured to compare four judged signals corresponding to the generated signals with predetermined thresholds when the object to be measured and the contact part are out of contact with each other and judge that a defect exists if any of the judged signals is greater than the predetermined threshold, and a judged result output part configured to output a judged result of the defect judging part. According to this configuration, the defect judging unit of the measuring probe and the defect judging method thereof capable of ensuring measurement reliability with a simple configuration are provided.

Defect judging unit of measuring probe and defect judging method thereof

In a probe unit having a measuring probe, a signal processing circuit includes: a signal synthesizing portion configured to process an output of a detection element to output a composite signal obtained by synthesizing displacement components of a contact part in three directions perpendicular to one another; and a signal outputting portion configured to output a digital touch signal to the outside of the probe unit when the composite signal satisfies a predetermined threshold condition. The signal outputting portion includes three comparing portions each configured to compare a threshold condition with the composite signal. When the measuring probe measures the object to be measured, the signal outputting portion outputs the digital touch signal corresponding to outputs of the first and second comparing portions. Thus, there can be provided a probe unit and a measuring system that can stably make measurements with high accuracy while keeping high noise resistance.

Probe unit and measuring system

A coordinate measuring probe body includes a rigid probe body structure including an upper mounting portion, a compliant element mounting frame, and an axial extension portion between them. A stylus suspension portion includes compliant elements that suspend a moving element from the compliant element mounting frame. A displacement sensing arrangement that senses displacement of the moving element includes displacement sensors that output a respective displacement signals. A circuit board assembly that receives the displacement signals has three component mounting portions which are interconnected with a flexible circuit component, and located around the axial extension portion. In various embodiments, all of the compliant elements are located on a distal side of the circuit board assembly.

Coordinate measurement probe body

A measuring probe includes two supporting members, each having a rotationally symmetric shape and allowing for an attitude change of a stylus, in an axial direction of a probe housing. Four detection elements are disposed at fourfold symmetric positions in one of the two supporting members that includes four deformable arm parts. A signal processing circuit includes a first processing part that processes outputs of the detection elements to output three displacement signals representing displacement components of a contact part in mutually perpendicular three directions, respectively. The measuring probe capable of reducing measurement directional dependency of sensitivity with a simple configuration while maintaining high sensitivity is thus provided.

Measuring probe

A measuring probe includes: a stylus having a contact part to be brought into contact with an object to be measured; a probe housing capable of supporting the stylus on an axial center; and a detection element capable of detecting a movement of the contact part. The measuring probe further includes: two supporting members disposed in an axial direction of the probe housing, the supporting member allowing for an attitude change of the stylus; and a coupling shaft for coupling the two supporting members together. The detection element is disposed in one of the two supporting members that is farthest away from a rotational center position of rotation generated in the stylus when a measuring force is applied to the contact part from a direction perpendicular to the axial direction, to detect a strain amount of the one of the two supporting members.

A profile measuring instrument includes: a fixed member of which position relative to a workpiece having a surface to be profile-measured is fixed; a scanning member supported by the fixed member and movable in a scan direction along the surface of the workpiece relative to the fixed member; a laser interferometer that detects a displacement of the surface of the workpiece along the scan direction. The laser interferometer includes: a polarizing beamsplitter provided to the scanning member; a reference mirror fixed to the fixed member; a measurement optical path extending from the polarizing beamsplitter to the workpiece; and a reference optical path extending from the polarizing beamsplitter to the reference mirror. A difference between an optical path length of the measurement optical path and an optical path length of the reference optical path is a predetermined tolerable error or less.

Profile measuring instrument

A method of actuating a system comprising a movable component and an actuator configured to move the movable component comprises providing a control signal representative of a desired motion of the movable component. The control signal is supplied to one or more resonators. Each of the one or more resonators has a mode of oscillation representative of at least one elastic mode of oscillation of the system. The control signal is modified by subtracting from the control signal a signal representative of a response of the one or more resonators to the control signal. The actuator is operated in accordance with the modified control signal. Thus, undesirable elastic oscillations of the system which might occur if the system were operated with the original control system can be reduced.

Method of actuating a system, apparatus for modifying a control signal for actuation of a system and method of tuning such an apparatus

A method of detecting a movement of a measuring probe provided between an objective lens adapted to image an object plane on a predetermined image plane and the object plane is disclosed. Additionally, a measuring instrument comprising an objective lens and a measuring probe is disclosed. An input beam of light is split into a measurement beam and a reference beam. The measurement beam is focused on a reverse focal plane of the objective lens such that the measurement beam is collimated by the objective lens. The collimated measurement beam is reflected at the measuring probe. The reflected measurement beam is directed towards the objective lens such that the objective lens focuses the reflected measurement beam on the reverse focal plane. The reflected measurement beam is collimated. The collimated reference beam and the reference beam are superimposed to form a superimposed beam and an interference between the reflected measurement beam and the reference beam is detected.

Method of detecting a movement of a measuring probe and measuring instrument

N pieces of gains Gare sequentially and temporarily set in a control circuit (), and a stylus () is brought in contact with a workpiece (W) for conducting a temporary measurement. At this time, a sensor detection signal output from a sensor detection circuit () is filtered by a filter () to take out only a frequency component corresponding to a frequency of hunting generated in a closed loop (L) including the control circuit (). Gains Gthat do not generate hunting in the closed loop (L) are extracted, and the largest gain Gis set in the control circuit () in view of enhancement in responsivity etc. of the measurement. Alternatively, by pressing the stylus () into the workpiece (W), a displacement signal indicating a pressing amount and a sensor signal output from a sensor () are measured in accordance with a measurement load applied to the stylus () to calculate a gain G' of the sensor () based on the two signals. By compensating the gain of the control circuit in accordance with the gain G&#x2032;, frequency characteristics of the measurement control system can be kept to the largest even when the stylus () or the workpiece (W) is replaced with another one having different properties.

Method to determine a control parameter in a measurement control system

A touch sensorhaving a styluswith a tipA making contact with a test piece W has an operational control structure including an oscillatorwhich oscillates the stylusin the axial direction; a detecting circuitwhich detects changes of oscillation of the stylus; an adjustor unitwhich removes noise added to an output signal from the detecting circuit; a fine motion mechanism controllerwhich controls the operation of a fine motion mechanismin such a manner that the change of the quantity of state of the detection signal is maintained constant; and a PZT driverwhich operates the fine motion mechanism. The measuring force during surface configuration measurement can be adjusted by adjusting an alternating signal to be applied to the touch sensor or by reducing the noise added to the detection signal without making modifications to a shape or structure of the touch sensor.

Method for measuring a configuration of an object

A touch sensor having a stylus with a tip A making contact with a test piece W has an operational control structure including an oscillator which oscillates the stylus in the axial direction; a detecting circuit 4 which detects changes of oscillation of the stylus ; an adjustor unit which removes noise added to an output signal from the detecting circuit ; a fine motion mechanism controller which controls the operation of a fine motion mechanism in such a manner that the change of the quantity of state of the detection signal is maintained constant; and a PZT driver which operates the fine motion mechanism The measuring force during surface configuration measurement can be adjusted by adjusting an alternating signal to be applied to the touch sensor or by reducing the noise added to the detection signal without making modifications to a shape or structure of the touch sensor.

Touch sensor

A surface configuration measuring method is provided, the surface configuration measuring method being characterized in having the steps of: moving a touch signal probe by a command velocity vector to touch a surface of the workpiece to be measured; scanning the surface of the workpiece to be measured, the touch signal probe being moved along the surface to be measured while controlling the distance relative to the surface to be measured so that detected amplitude value of a detection signal outputted by the detecting circuit becomes a predetermined reference value, thus outputting the detected amplitude value and corresponding measuring position; and calculating an estimated surface position based on the detected amplitude value and the measuring position estimated to be obtained when surface is scanned to keep the detected amplitude value constant.

Growing community of inventors

Ibaraki, Japan

Akinori Saito