Carl-zeiss-stiftung

Carl Zeiss Industrielle Messtechnik Gmbh

Carl-zeiss-stiftung, Heidenheim/brenz

Dieter Kaufmann

Eckhard Enderle

Tobias Held

Kurt Brenner

Tobias Woletz

Walter Jenisch

Philipp Mayinger

Hans-Peter Aehnelt

Christian Bayer

Thomas Andrzejewski

Muller

Otto Steinecker

A positioning apparatus for positioning a tactile or optical roughness sensor, a probe or some other measuring instrument with respect to a workpiece can be secured to a movement device of a coordinate measuring machine. The positioning apparatus has a drive that produces a relative movement between two parts of the positioning apparatus, and an inhibiting device, which inhibits the relative movement between the two parts. For this purpose, the inhibiting device has a first friction element and a second friction element each having unlubricated friction surfaces. The friction surfaces are pressed against one another with a normal force that is not variable during the operation of the positioning apparatus. A coefficient of sliding friction that is less than 0.15 acts between the friction surfaces in the case of dryness and without lubrication. Typically, the inhibiting device is arranged in a flexspline of a strain wave gearing.

Apparatus movable by a coordinate measuring machine for positioning a measuring instrument with respect to a workpiece

A rotor arrangement for a slip ring assembly, comprising a shaft element and at least one contact ring. The shaft element is at least partially in the form of a hollow shaft with a hollow interior and a casing wall. The shaft element has a middle section and each contact ring is arranged on the shaft element in the middle section and is electrically insulated from the shaft element by means of an insulation. The middle section has at least one cutout through the insulation and the casing wall into the interior. Each contact ring is connected to a cable element which is guided through one of the at least one cutout into the interior. The shaft element has a first end section with an outer circumferential cross section for the rotationally fixed coupling. Furthermore, a rotary coupling arrangement comprising a rotor arrangement of this kind is proposed.

Rotor arrangement for a slip ring assembly and rotary coupling arrangement comprising a rotor arrangement of this kind

A measuring device for an optical measuring system, comprising a rigid body which comprises a probe body or a tool and on which a first optical marker is arranged. The measuring device further comprises a holding part for holding the measuring device by hand or for clamping the measuring device in a machine. At least a second optical marker is arranged on the holding part. Still further, the measuring device comprises a spring element which connects the rigid body to the holding part.

Measuring device for an optical measuring system

A measuring head for a coordinate measuring machine for determining spatial coordinates on a measurement object has a coupling part for detachably receiving a measurement tool. The coupling part has a number of first bearing elements, a magnet and a retaining pin. The measurement tool has a disk with a number of second bearing elements, an anchoring plate and at least one adjustable locking element. The magnet is configured to attract the anchoring plate so as to bring the first and second bearing elements into engagement with one another. The first and second bearing elements, in the engaged state, define a defined position of the measurement tool on the coupling part. The at least one locking element secures the measurement tool to the retaining pin. The anchoring plate is detachably secured to the disk and the at least one locking element retains the anchoring plate on the retaining pin.

Measuring head for a coordinate measuring machine for determining spatial coordinates on a measurement object

A bearing arrangement has fluid pressure bearings which permit an especially stiff support and is therefore especially well suited for high precision machines such as coordinate measuring apparatus. The bearing arrangement includes at least two fluid pressure bearings ( ) having a membrane formed as a support end. The membrane is concavely deformed by the bearing pressure. The bearing arrangement also includes a rigidly configured bearing base body which is supported on the two fluid pressure bearings. The rigid support is achieved in that at least one of the fluid pressure bearings includes a bearing housing ( ) which is configured as one piece and in that the bearing base body ( ) is operatively connected directly to the bearing housing ( ). The bearing housing includes at least the membrane.

Fluid pressure bearing

The invention is directed to a magazine for an apparatus such as a coordinate measuring apparatus. Measuring probes are held in their magazine locations by magnetic forces. Each magazine location is provided with one or more permanent magnets. The holding force of the permanent magnets is neutralized by an individual electromagnet on that magazine location which is involved in an exchange operation. In this way, the measuring probe being held can be easily removed. The magazine can also be for an apparatus such as a machine tool in which case work tools are held at the magazine locations.

Magazine for coordinate measuring apparatus

Truncated pyramid mounting configurations and relationships are disclosed as inherently and reproducibly determining an accurate zero-position as between a probe head and a probe pin that is deflectably carried by the probe head. And the same principle of accurately determining zero position is also described in application to the automated releasable chucking of interchangeable probe pins and/or of an auxiliary probe head, as to the installed probe head of a coordinate-measuring machine. In one described case of truncated triangular pyramid mountings, the zero position is determined by concurrent engagement of six seating points which are distributed radially and axially with respect to the common central longitudinal axis of the involved geometric pyramids. The mounting configurations have high torsional rigidity and a relatively large region within which self-centering to the zero position is achieved. Furthermore, thise mounting configurations are characterized by an azimuth-angle distribution of relatively uniform force in opposition to a probe-pin or the like deflection, and associated lift-off, from the fully seated zero position.

Probe head mount for a deflectable probe or the like

The invention contemplates an articulating head having bearings of reproducible travel behavior, for precision angular displacment of a mounted probe-pin, about each of two orthogonal component axes of rotation. The precision of angular displacement relies upon high-resolution angle encoders for reading the instantaneous angle for each of these component axes of rotation and for reporting the same to the computer of a coordinate-measuring machine. Active position-control circuits use the angle encoders for controlling drive about the respective component axes of rotation, all in conjunction with a given program of measurements by the coordinate-measuring machine. A probe holder mounted to the articulating head can be oriented to any desired angular aspect with respect to the workpiece feature to be measured or scanned, and measurements can be made solely by controleld actuation via one or both drives on the respective axes of the articulating head, i.e., while rectilineal drives of the coordinate-measuring machine are arrested. Alignment and travel behavior of the articulation axes are determined by a calibration program and are used for correction of measurement values read from the angle-encoders of the articulating head.

Articulating head for a coordinate-measuring instrument

A load-compensated gas bearing comprises a base body (1) and a deformable bearing membrane (3) having a central opening for gas flow into a bearing interspace (17). The membrane is suspended from the base body via a ring-shaped web (4) which provides compliant tilt action at a tilt-bearing region (22) of connection to the base body (1). The base body (1) and the membrane (3) form an inner bearing chamber which is separated by the tilt bearing (22) into an outer chamber (9) surrounding the inner chamber (10). Under the action of an external force F on the bearing in the direction to reduce the bearing interspace (17), the membrane (3) is bent in concave shape as a result of the gas-pressure distribution within the bearing interspace (17). In reaction to central concave deformation of the membrane (3), and by reason of tilt-bearing support radially short of the outer edge (23) of the membrane (3), the outer edge (23) is displaced, lever-like, in the direction to constrict the exhaust flow of gas from the interspace (17), thereby causing load pressure of gas in the interspace to act in opposition to closure of the interspace.

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Heidenheim, Germany

Dieter Kaufmann