Carl-zeiss-stiftung

Rasmus Debitsch

Eckhard Enderle

Helmut Muller

The invention contemplates a technique to correct for measurement error which is attributable to gravitational sag of a probe head (6) mounted to a multiple-axis articulating head (2). To this end, a variable (b) is determined which describes the stiffness of the articulating head (2) and/or of a probe extension (5) mounted thereto, said variable being characteristic for the probe configuration in question and being entered into the memory of the computer of the coordinate-measuring machine. The sag B (.alpha., .beta.) which has differing values that depend on actual angular positions (.alpha., .beta.) is then calculated from these angular positions for each of the angular positions, and the calculated sag value is appropriately taken into account in computer-reporting of coordinate-measurement values made by the machine. Calibration of the articulating head in each of the various different angular positions is therefore unnecessary.

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Oberkochen, Germany

Rasmus Debitsch