JPS60303A - Touch signal probe - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To change a posture easily and to omit the check of an original point by forming a contact so that the end of the contact is always positioned on the turning axial line of the 2nd member fitted freely turnably to the 1st member and its direction is changed. CONSTITUTION:At the time of measurement, the member 33 is depressed down- wards against a spring 41 and rotated, so that the contact end 46 of the contact 32 is rectangularly opposed to the measuring surface of the substance W to be measured. If an operator removes his hand from the member 33, the member 33 is restored upwards by the spring 41 and fixed so as to be engaged with a taper axis 38. Consequently, the contact end 46 of the contact 32 is located again on a fixed position on the turning axial line L1 of the member 33. Even if the member 33 is turned and the direction of the contact 32 to the substance W to be measured is changed, the contact end 46 of the contact 32 is always located on the fixed position on the turning axial line L1 of the member 33. Consequently, relative displacement of respective displacement detectors detecting the moving extents of the X, Y and Z directions is not generated and the checking work of the original point can be omitted.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] The present invention relates to touch signal probes.

In general, so-called multidimensional measuring machines and shape measuring machines that measure two-dimensional or three-dimensional dimensions and shapes of objects to be measured use touch signal probes to detect contact with the object to be measured. Widely used.

Touch signal probes used in this type of measuring equipment are generally of the contact type, which electrically captures the mechanical displacement when the contact comes into contact with the measured object, and the contact type, which electrically captures the mechanical displacement when the contact touches the measured object, and the It is classified as a conduction type that detects continuity, but both have a structure in which a sensing body with a contact is held in the probe body so that it can swing and return to a predetermined position via a home return mechanism. .

By the way, according to conventional touch signal probes, in order to change the contact direction of the contact with the object to be measured, it is necessary to completely replace the probe itself or to change the posture such as tilting the probe with respect to the main body of the measuring device. must be made to do so.

However, when changing the contact direction using this method, it is not easy to change the posture, and due to the precision of the fit between the measuring machine body and the probe shank, the position of the contact point of the contact changes relative to the measuring machine body. As a result, each time the contact direction of the contact is changed, a so-called origin check must be performed in order to specify the seat frame system in that contact direction. This is economically disadvantageous because it complicates the work and requires the installation of a conversion device to absolute coordinates. Particularly, in the case of a continuous curved shape such as an eyeglass frame, this occurs frequently, resulting in the inconvenience that the measured data becomes coarse.

However, if the contact is pole-shaped, omnidirectional characteristics can be obtained, but a device to correct the diameter of the pole is required, and in particular, it is practically difficult to mount the measuring instrument body and the probe concentrically. Therefore, it is necessary to check the origin every time the posture is changed, so it cannot be called a fundamental countermeasure.

The purpose of the present invention was made in view of the above points, and
To provide a touch signal probe whose posture can be easily changed and which does not require an origin check even if the posture is changed to an arbitrary one.

Therefore, in the present invention, the sensing body is held in the probe body via an origin return mechanism so as to be able to return to a predetermined posture, and the moment the sensing body contacts the object to be measured, an electrical signal is generated. In a touch signal probe designed to detect m* as The second member is rotatably attached to the first member, and when the second member is rotated, the contact end of the contact that comes into contact with the object to be measured is on the rotation axis of the second member. The above object has been achieved by forming the contact so that it is always located at and changing its direction, and by providing a fixing means for fixing the rotational position of the second member with respect to the first member. .

In short, the orientation of the contact end of the contact can be easily changed by rotating the contact side, that is, the second member relative to the first member, without changing the attitude of the probe body. , and by locating the contact end on the rotation axis of the second member, there is no need to check the origin upon changing the posture.

Hereinafter, one embodiment of the present invention will be described based on the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows the external appearance of a three-dimensional measuring machine using the touch signal probe of this embodiment. In the figure, the object to be measured W
Support girders 3 are provided on both sides of the surface plate L on which the ), a slider 5 is movable in the left-right direction (X-axis direction) along the crossbeam 4, and a probe shaft 7 having a touch signal probe 6 at the lower end of the slider 5 is movable in the vertical direction (X-axis direction). It is being In this three-dimensional measuring machine, when the touch signal probe 6 comes into contact with the object to be measured W by moving in a three-dimensional direction, the amount of movement of the touch signal probe 6, that is, the amount of movement of the slider 5 is determined by the touch signal output at that time. The amount of movement in the X-axis direction, the amount of movement of the crossbeam 4 in the Y-axis direction, and the X of the probe shaft 7
The amount of movement in the axial direction is read from each position detector (not shown), electrically processed, and displayed digitally on the display 8.

FIG. 2 shows the front side of the touch signal probe 6, and FIG. 3 shows the bottom side of the touch signal probe 6. In these figures, a shank 12 that is removably fixed to the probe shaft 7 is integrally formed on the probe body 11, and the shank 12 is brought into contact with the object to be measured W via an origin return mechanism 13. The sensing body 14 is held movably and so as to be able to return to a predetermined posture. As shown in FIG. 4, for example, the origin return mechanism 13 has a peripheral portion fixed inside the probe body 11 via a screw 15, and a center portion that holds the upper end portion of the detection body 14 via a nut 16. The position regulating plate 18 is fixed to the upper end of the detecting body 14 perpendicularly to the axis of the detecting body 14, and the position regulating plate 18 is connected to the detecting body via the hollow plate 16. The spring 23 biases three screws 19 screwed together at equiangular positions on the same circumference of the probe body 11 centered on the axis of the probe body 14.

As shown in FIG. 5, the leaf spring 17 has a plurality of mounting holes 20 on its peripheral edge through which the screws 15 are inserted, and a holding hole in the center that holds the upper end of the sensing body 14 via a nut 16. Holes 21 are formed in each hole, and an arc-shaped cut groove 22 is formed between them. As a result, when the sensing body 14 is not in contact with the object W to be measured, the position regulating plate 18 is held in contact with all the screws 15, but when it is in contact with the object W to be measured, The position regulating plate 18 is moved away from one of the screws 15 and tilted.

On the other hand, the sensing body 14 includes a first member 31 and a contactor 3.
2 and a second member 33 having a diameter of 2. The first member 31 includes a first support shaft 34 whose upper end is held by the origin return mechanism 13, and a second support shaft 35 connected to the lower end of the first support shaft 34. has been done. Second
The support shaft 35 has a male thread 36 screwed onto the first support shaft 34 at its upper end, a female thread 37 at its lower end, and a female thread 37 on the outer periphery of the lower end. A tapered shaft 38 whose diameter is reduced is formed. Further, the second member 33 is rotatably fitted onto the tapered shaft 38 of the second support shaft 35, and is fixedly attached at any rotational position by a fixing means 39. The fixing means 39 is.

A spring bearing shaft 40 screwed into the female thread 37 of the second support shaft 35 and a second member 33 interposed between the head of the spring bearing shaft 40 and the lower surface of the second member 33 and a spring 41 that urges the tapered shaft 38 in the direction of diameter expansion. The second member 33 is formed with a tapered hole 42 that fits into the tapered shaft 38 of the second support shaft 35, and a holding hole 43 is formed at a position a predetermined distance from the center of the tapered hole 42. It is formed. The base end portion 44 of the contactor 32 is loosely fitted into the holding hole 43 and fixed with adhesive 45 . Contact end 4 of contact 32
6, the apex TP is the rotation axis L of the second member 33! It is located above and formed into a conical shape with an axis L2 intersecting the axis L1 at a predetermined angle. As a result, the apex TP of the contact end 46 is such that the second member 33 is located at the first member 31.
43, it is always held on the rotation axis Ll even when it is rotated to an arbitrary rotation position.

Although not shown here, when the contact end 46 of the contact 32 comes into contact with the object W to be measured and the first member 31 is tilted, the contact ends 46 of the contact 32 come into contact with and separate from each other as the first member 31 tilts. The contacts are opened and a touch signal is output. For example, if a contact point is formed between the first position regulating plate 18 and each screw 19, a touch signal is output when the position regulating plate 18 separates from one of the screws 19 due to the inclination of the first member 31.

With such a configuration, when making measurements, hold the second member 33 by hand and push the second support shaft 35 against the spring 41.
After pushing down the contactor 32, the contactor end 46 of the contactor 32 is opposed to the measurement surface of the object W at a substantially right angle by rotating about the second support shaft 35. Here, the second member 3
3, the second member 33 is returned upward by the spring 41, and the tapered shaft 38 of the second support shaft 35
It is fixed in the fitted state. Then, the contact end 46 of the contact 32 is again aligned with the rotation axis L1 of the second member 33:
is placed in a fixed position. Therefore, the second member 33
Even if the contactor 32 is rotated around the support shaft 35 and the posture of the contactor 32, that is, the direction with respect to the object W to be measured, is changed, the contactor end 46 of the contactor 32 is always on the rotational axis Ll of the second member 33. Since there is no relative displacement with respect to each displacement detector that is located at a fixed position and detects the amount of movement in the X, Y, and Z axis directions, there is no need to perform an origin check operation.

Therefore, in a state where the second member 33 is fixed to the second support shaft 35, the touch signal probe 6 is moved in the three-dimensional direction without performing the origin check operation, and the contact terminal of the contact 32 is moved. 46 is brought into contact with the object W to be measured, the amount of movement of the touch signal probe 6, that is, the amount of movement of the slider 5 in the The amount of movement of the digit 4 in the Y-axis direction and the amount of movement of the probe shaft 7 in the Z-axis direction are read from each displacement detector and digitally displayed on the display 8. At this time, even if the contact end 46 of the contact 32 comes into contact with the object W to be measured and there is further overstroke in the same direction, the first
Since the displacement of the member 31 is absorbed by the home return device 4i113, there is no risk of the touch signal probe 6 being damaged.

In this way, the contactor 32
The shape of the object W can be measured by sequentially changing the direction of the contact end 46 and then bringing the contact end 46 into contact with the measurement surface of the object W.

Therefore, according to the wooden embodiment, the first member 31 is held in the probe body 11 movably provided in the two-dimensional measuring machine via the origin return mechanism 13 so as to be tiltable and returnable to a predetermined posture. A second member 33 having a contact 32 is rotatably provided on the if member 31 and fixed via a fixing means 39, and the contact end 46 of the contact % 32 is connected to the vertex T.
P is located on the rotation a-line LI of the second member 33, and the axis L2 is formed in a conical shape intersecting the rotation a-line LI, so that the probe body 11 can be fixed to the two-dimensional measuring machine. , the second member 33 is moved to the first position according to the measurement surface of the object W to be measured.
By rotating the contactor end 46 of the contactor 32 with respect to the member 31, the direction of the contactor end 46 of the contactor 32 can be changed arbitrarily. Therefore,
Unlike conventional methods, there is no need to replace the touch signal probe with respect to the measuring instrument body or change the attitude of the touch signal probe body, so the attitude can be easily changed, and the probe body 11 It is not necessary to process the attachment part between the contactor end 46 and the measuring device with high precision, and the apex TP of the contact end 46 is always located above the rotation axis of the second member 33, so that relative displacement does not occur. Therefore, there is no need to check the origin every time the orientation changes, and measurements can always be made at the same coordinates.

This has the advantage that even if the object W to be measured has a curved surface shape such as a continuous curved surface, it can be efficiently and precisely measured, and the cost can be reduced because coordinate conversion is not required. In addition,
Needless to say, if it is equipped with a coordinate conversion function, the usage patterns can be expected to expand dramatically. On the other hand, even compared to a contact with a spherical pole at the tip, there is an advantage that it is inexpensive because a function for correcting the pole diameter is not required.

Further, the first member 31 has a tapered shaft 38, and the second member 33 has a tapered hole 42 that fits into the tapered shaft “38.
are provided respectively, and the second member 33 is connected to the spring 41.
Since the tapered shaft 38 was urged in the direction of diameter expansion,
Hold the member 33 by hand and push the tapered shaft 3 against the spring 41.
When the second member 33 is rotated in this state and the hand is released from the second member 33, the second member 33 is fitted onto the tapered shaft 38 by the spring 41. Since the contactor 32 is fixed in this state, the orientation of the contactor 32 attached to the second member 33 can be easily changed.

Moreover, since the first member 31 and the second member 33 are fitted through the tapered shaft 38 and the tapered hole 42, the apex TP of the contact end 46 is always kept at the fixed position even if the posture is changed. can be retained.

In addition, a holding hole 43 is formed in the second member 33, and the proximal end portion 44 of the contact 32 is loosely fitted into this holding hole 43 and then fixed with an adhesive 45, so that it makes contact with the holding hole 43. Child 3
With the base end 44 of the second member 32 loosely fitted and the contact end 46 of the contact 32 positioned on the rotation axis of the second member 330, that is, the center axis of the tapered hole 42, the contact If the base end 44 of the contactor 32 is fixed to the holding hole 43, the contact end 46 of the contactor 32 can be fixed to the second can be accurately positioned on the rotational axis of the member 33. In this case, the jig 51 shown in FIGS. 6 and 7
By using , one positioning work can be easily performed.

The jig 51 has a threaded portion 55 for screwing a nut 54 formed on the proximal end side of a shaft 53 having a tapered shaft 52 that is fitted into the tapered hole 42 of the second member 33.
A notched groove 56 that reaches the center of the shaft 53 is formed on the − side of the distal end thereof. Therefore, the taper @52 is connected to the second member 3
At the same time as fitting into the taper hole 42 of No. 3, the
4 into the threaded portion 55 and the jig 5 is set on the second member 33 , the contact end 46 of the contact 32 whose base end 44 is loosely fitted into the holding hole 43 is inserted into the notch groove 56 . When the adhesive 45 is injected in the positioned state, the contact end 46 of the contact member 32 can be aligned with the rotation axis 1 of the second member 33.

In addition, in implementation, the origin return mechanism 13 is not limited to the structure described in the second embodiment, but in short, after absorbing a certain overstroke, when it becomes free again, the contactor is If there is a mechanism to return to the initial state,
Either is fine.

In addition, as a method for detecting contact between a contactor and an object to be measured, the contact is opened or closed by utilizing the displacement of the sensing body 14 caused by contact with the object to be measured as described in the second embodiment. In addition to the so-called contact type, the so-called conduction type that detects electrical continuity with the object to be measured may be used.

Alternatively, a plurality of types of second members 33 having contacts 32 of different shapes may be prepared in advance, and these may be selectively attached to the first member 31 depending on the measurement surface of the object to be measured. In this case, the contact end 46 of the contact 32 is formed to be detachable from the contact main body, and a plurality of types of contact ends 46 having different shapes, for example conical apex angles, are attached to the contact main body.
may be installed selectively.

Further, the shape of the contact end 46 is not limited to the conical shape described in the above embodiment, but may be, for example, pyramidal. However, in this case, as shown in FIG.
If the shape is a conical shape with an apex angle of 80 degrees, or a shape having at least two planes orthogonal to each other,
By bringing these planes or conical surfaces into contact with the maximum protrusion of the object W, the maximum amount of protrusion on the curved surface of the object W can be easily determined.

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a touch signal probe whose posture can be easily changed and which does not require an origin check operation even when the posture is changed to an arbitrary one.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing a three-dimensional measuring machine using the touch signal probe of the present invention, Fig. 2 is a sectional view showing the main parts of the touch signal probe, Fig. 3 is its bottom view, and Fig. 4 is the origin. 5 is a plan view of the leaf spring, FIG. 6 is a sectional view showing the attachment state of the second member and the contact, and FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken along the line ■-■ of figure ff56. , FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a modification of the contactor. 11... Probe body, 13... Origin return mechanism. 14... Detection body, 31... First member, 32...
Contactor, 33...Second member, 38...Tapered shaft, 39...Fixing means, 41...Spring, 46...Contactor end. Agent Patent attorney Jitsu Kinoshita (and 1 other person) Figure 3 Figure 4 Figure 5 0 Figure 6 Figure 7

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] (1) A sensing object is held in the probe body via a home return mechanism so as to be able to return to a predetermined posture at a displacement H, and the moment the sensing object comes into contact with the object to be measured. In the touch signal probe configured to detect as an electrical signal, the sensing body is divided into a first member held in the probe body via an origin return mechanism and a second member having a contact. , the second member is rotatably attached to the first member, and when the second member is rotated, the contact end of the contact that comes into contact with the object to be measured is aligned with the rotation axis of the second member. A touch signal probe characterized in that a contact is formed so as to constantly change the position WL and direction on a line, and is provided with a fixing means for fixing the rotational position of the second member with respect to the first member. (2. The touch signal probe according to claim 1, characterized in that the second member is attached to the first member so as not to be displaceable in the direction of the rotation axis. (3) ) In claim 1 or 2, the tip of the first member is formed into a tapered shaft, and
The second member is provided with a tapered hole that fits with the tapered shaft, and the second member is rotatably attached to the first member by fitting the tapered hole and the tapered shaft. Touch signal probe. (4) The touch signal probe according to claim 3, wherein the fixing means is constituted by a spring that biases the second member in the direction of expanding the diameter of the tapered shaft of the first member. . (5) In any one of claims 12 to 4, the contact end of the contact is formed in a shape having a surface including the rotation axis and an axis orthogonal thereto. Take touch signal block a-bu. (6) The touch signal probe according to claim 5, characterized in that the contact end of the contact element has a conical shape.