The Warner & Swasey Company

Stephen N Brown

Frederick K Bell

Gary E Brazier

Michael T Gale

Axis correction or machine charateristic data is stored (108) in memory (110) within a control or measurement processor (36) of a CMM (10) (FIG. 8). The axis correction data includes error data representing 21 different geometry errors (FIG. 4A through 4C) of the CMM. As position information is required, the measurement processor captures the actual position signal from each machine axis sensor and uses this position signal to locate (112) a set of the axis correction data which describes the machine characteristics at that position. The measurement processor then mathematically combines (114) (FIG. 9) the position signal with the subset of axis correction data to obtain a corrected position signal having a corrected set of cooridinate values which describe the probe position in a true Cartesian coordinate system.

Method for determining position within the measuring volume of a

Method (FIGS. 4A through 4C) and system (FIG. 3) are disclosed for automatically calibrating a coordinate measuring machine (CMM) (10). The system guides an operator through instrument set-up and data collection procedures. The system automatically converts the collected data into error compensation or axis correction data which represents 21 different geometry errors (i.e. pitch, yaw, roll etc.) of the CMM (10). The error compensation data is then transferred to a CMM measurement processor (36) for subsequent use by the CMM (10) during operation thereof to thereby compensate the CMM (10) for its entire measuring volume (102).

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Dayton, OH, United States of America

Stephen N Brown