Abstract: An apparatus for checking the integrity of tools includes an optoelectronic system (7) with a laser beam (21), a base (6) movable along a longitudinal direction (X) for enabling displacements between tool and optoelectronic system and a device for checking the mutual position including, for example, a transducer (9,10). A sensor (22) of the optoelectronic system detects the interruption of the beam and, on the basis of the transducer signal at said interruption and on the comparison with a known value, the integrity of the tool is determined. A coupling mechanism (24) of the optoelectronic system coupled at the base enables oscillations of the former along a transversal reference surface, that define a sensitive delimited area (33). The oscillations are controlled by means of a motor (26) and interruptions of the beam are detected and signalled by the sensor the moment that the end of the tool interferes with the sensitive delimited area.

Abstract: A touch probe with an arm (13) coupled to a movable arm-set (3) supported in a casing (1) includes an electric switch (31) with a housing (33) fixed to the casing and a mechanical transmission device (61) for mechanically transmitting displacements of the arm, and causing the disengagement of a conductive small ball (51) from two stationary conductive bars (44,45), thereby opening an electric detecting circuit. At the interior of the probe casing, a sealingly closed chamber houses the switch and is filled with inert gas, for example nitrogen, for protecting the electric contacts.

Abstract: A touch probe is provided with an arm coupled to a movable arm-set and supported in a casing. The touch probe includes an electric switch with a housing fixed to the casing, and a mechanical transmission device for mechanically transmitting displacements of the arm, and causing the disengagement of a conductive small ball from two stationary conductive bars, thereby opening an electric detecting circuit. An elongate mechanical body of the mechanical transmission device includes a spherical-shaped element that is transversally urged against a guide surface, having at least a binary surface, for guiding with accuracy and free of clearances the displacements of the elongate mechanical body. A bent flat spring contacts a plane portion of the spherical transmission element for achieving both transversal thrust against the guide surface and the antirotation of the elongate mechanical body.

Abstract: A head for the linear dimension checking of mechanical pieces including a casing, an arm carrying a feeler for touching the mechanical piece to be checked, a fulcrum for enabling displacements of the arm with respect to the casing and a transducer for providing signals depending on the position of the arm with respect to the casing. Various components of the head can be adjusted and/or replaced from the exterior of the casing. The transducer is of the inductive, half-bridge type, with multiple windings. An integral element for the electric connection to a processing unit includes the windings of the transducer, a cable and a connector. A checking apparatus, including at least a gauging or measuring head, includes a stationary structure and at least a support structure for the head, coupled to the stationary structure in an adjustable and removable way.

Abstract: An acoustic sensor for monitoring machining processes in machining tools, e.g. grinding machines, includes a stationary unit, or stator (21) and a rotating unit, or rotor (23), the latter being coupled, for instance, to the grinding wheel and rotating with it. The rotor includes a support (45;45?) and a piezoelectric transducer (33). The position of the transducer is defined and locked without using glues by means of mechanical elements (48, 53, 54; 63, 64; 74, 78) that may include elastic elements such as springs. The rotor also includes a printed circuit board (55), connected to the piezoelectric transducer, with a charge amplifier (37) for amplifying the output signal of the piezoelectric transducer. The rotor is electrically coupled to the stator by means of transformer type couplings (30, 31).

Abstract: An apparatus and a relevant method for checking a crankpin (18) of a crankshaft (34) positioned on a numerical control grinding machine where it is worked includes a gauging head (39) with a Vee-shaped reference device (20) and a feeler (17), axially movable along a translation direction, that touches the crankpin surface, and an articulated support device (5,9,12) connected to the grinding-wheel slide (1), carrying the guaging head and allowing the reference device (20) to keep contact with the crankpin during its orbital motion around the main rotation axis (0) of the crankshaft. Rough values corresponding to a transducer (41) signals provided at predetermined angular positions of the crankshaft are stored and are processed also to compensate alterations caused both by contact between the sides of the Vee-shaped reference device and the surface of the crankpin to be checked, and by variations of the angular arrangement of the Vee-shaped reference device in the course of orbital rotations of the pin.

Abstract: An apparatus for checking the diameter of crankpins of a crankshaft in the course of the machining in a grinding machine includes a Vee-shaped reference device, a measuring device associated with the reference device and including a feeler axially movable along the bisecting line of the Vee-shaped reference device, and a support device with a first arm rotating with respect to a support arranged on the grinding-wheel slide and a second arm rotating with respect to the first and carrying the Vee-shaped reference device. A guiding mechanism includes a limiting device, with mutually abutting surfaces and coupled to the support device, that guides the displacement of the reference device along a trajectory substantially parallel to the profile of the grinding wheel, allows the engagement of the reference device on a crankpin to be checked while the latter is orbitally moving, and does not interfere with the displacements of the support device caused by the orbital motion of the crankpin in the checking condition.

Abstract: An apparatus for checking diameter and roundness of crankpins (42) in the course of the machining in a grinding machine, includes a Vee-shaped reference device (70), a gauging device with a movable feeler (67) associated with the Vee-shaped device (70) and a movable support (5, 40, 41, 60) device for the Vee-shaped reference device. The movable support device is coupled (5) to the grinding-wheel slide (1) and includes, in working condition, two parallelogram structures (40, 41) in series enabling substantially translation displacements of the Vee-shaped device (70).

Abstract: An apparatus and a method are provided for checking a machining process of a machine tool, for example a grinding machine, to obtain information about the quantity of a material removed and the wear condition of a grinding-wheel. The apparatus comprises an acoustic sensor adapted to detect acoustic signals generated by contact between the grinding-wheel and the piece being machined, and a force-detecting sensor adapted to detect the force applied between the grinding-wheel and the piece during the machining. The method comprises processing signals provided by both sensors, defining time intervals on the basis of the signals of the acoustic sensor, and monitoring the signals of the force-detecting sensor in the time intervals.

Abstract: An apparatus for sensing a position of a cutting tool in a computer numerical controlled machine tool is provided including an arm supporting and moving a sensor that cooperates with the cutting tool. Also provided is a housing including a gear assembly and a driving motor for moving the arm, and a stopper for defining an operating position of the arm. The driving motor supplies rotation force to the gear assembly so as to pivot the arm against the stopper and then apply force to an elastic member. When the driving motor is stopped, the elastic member applies a force, through the gear assembly, urging the arm against the stopper in the operating position.

Abstract: A touch probe with an arm (13) coupled to a movable arm-set (3) supported in a casing (1) includes an electric switch (31) with a housing (33) fixed to the casing and a mechanical transmission device (61) for mechanically transmitting displacements of the arm, and causing the disengagement of a conductive small ball (51) from two stationary conductive bars (44, 45), thereby opening an electric detecting circuit. An elongate mechanical body (63) of the mechanical transmission device includes a spherical-shaped element (67) that is transversally urged against a binary (71) for guiding with accuracy and free of clearances the displacements of the elongate mechanical body. A bent flat spring (73) contacts a plane portion of the spherical transmission element for achieving both the transversal thrust against the binary and the antirotation of the elongate mechanical body.

Abstract: An apparatus (10) for checking the diameter of an eccentric pin (8?) of a small-size shaft (8), for example a shaft for compressors, includes a support (16), a first arm (19) rotating with respect to the support (16), a second arm (22) rotating with respect to the first, a Vee-shaped reference device (28) carried by the second arm, a measuring device (25,26,24,37,38) associated with the reference device, limiting devices (29,29?,30,30?) for limiting the rotations of the arms and thrust means (33) for keeping the reference device in contact with the pin in the course of the checking. A hydraulic actuator (13) displaces the apparatus (10) from a rest condition to a checking condition, in which the reference device (28) is in contact with the pin (8?) to be checked, and vice versa.

Abstract: An apparatus for checking the diameter and the roundness of pins, for example crankpins and main journals of a crankshaft rotating about its main axis of rotation (8), includes a measuring device, coupled to a Vee-shaped reference device (20) and including a feeler (17) axially movable along the bisecting line of the Vee, or a direction slightly sloping with respect to it, and a movable support device for the reference Vee. The support device includes a support element (5) and a coupling mechanism that carries the reference Vee (20). The coupling mechanism includes, for example, two support sections (e.g. parallelogram structures) in series and enables plain translation displacements of the reference Vee. While checking an orbitally rotating crankpin, the Vee-shaped device maintains proper contact with the surface of the pin by virtue of the force of gravity, and the angular arrangement of the direction along which the feeler (17) moves remains substantially unchanged.

Abstract: An apparatus for checking diametral dimensions of crankpins and main journals in the course of grinding is provided. The apparatus includes a head with a Vee-shaped reference device and an axially movable feeler that contacts the surface of the pin to be checked, and an articulated support device, coupled to the grinding wheel slide that carries the head and enables it to keep contact with the surface of the pin during possible orbital rotations. A transducer in the head cooperates with the feeler for detecting its displacements and transmits signals to a processing and display device in turn connected with the computer numerical control of the grinding machine. The processing and display device processes the transducer signals with compensation values or coefficients stored in a memory unit for obtaining measuring signals output by the head that vary in a linear way in a wide range and for compensating errors due to temperature variations.

Abstract: An apparatus and a method for measuring the force (GL) applied by an elastically flexible element (5;71,71?) undergoing a pre-set elastic deformation, more specifically an element that carries a slider (3) and includes a thrust device that applies a force to the flexible element. The thrust device includes, for instance, a pneumatic nozzle (27;57,57?;28) for applying a force (R) to an intermediate portion (4) of the thin plate, at a thrust section (K). A position sensor (30;80) detects the height (z) of the slider—indicative of the deformation of the flexible element. The value (MF) of the moment of the applied torque when the height (ZF) of the slider indicates the pre-set elastic deformation of the flexible element, is utilized for calculating the force to be measured according to the formula GL=MF/L where L is the distance separating the slider from the section of weakness.

Abstract: An apparatus for checking the diameter of crankpins of a crankshaft in the course of the machining in a grinding machine includes a Vee-shaped reference device, a measuring device associated with the reference device and including a feeler axially movable along the bisecting line of the Vee-shaped reference device, and a support device with a first arm rotating with respect to a support arranged on the grinding-wheel slide and a second arm rotating with respect to the first and carrying the Vee-shaped reference device. A guiding mechanism includes a limiting device, with mutually abutting surfaces and coupled to the support device, that guides the displacement of the reference device along a trajectory substantially parallel to the profile of the grinding wheel, allows the engagement of the reference device on a crankpin to be checked while the latter is orbitally moving, and does not interfere with the displacements of the support device caused by the orbital motion of the crankpin in the checking condition.

Abstract: A linear gauging head, for example a “cartridge” head, includes a casing (1), a spindle (11), movable with respect to the casing along a longitudinal axis, a feeler (13′) coupled to a first end of the spindle, and a differential position transducer with windings (15, 16, 17), stationary with respect to the casing, and a core (18) coupled to a second end of the spindle. The spindle includes longitudinal grooves (12) and is guided by means of an axial bearing (22) with rolling elements (23) that cooperate with the grooves for allowing the spindle to translate with respect to the casing along the longitudinal axis, and concurrently prevent it from rotating about said axis.

Abstract: An apparatus for checking the diameter of crankpins of a crankshaft in the course of the machining in a grinding machine includes a Vee-shaped reference device, a measuring device associated with the reference device and including a feeler axially movable along the bisecting line of the Vee-shaped reference device, and a support device with a first arm rotating with respect to a support arranged on the grinding-wheel slide and a second arm rotating with respect to the first and carrying the Vee-shaped reference device.

Abstract: A head for the linear dimension checking of mechanical pieces including a casing, an arm carrying a feeler for touching a surface of the mechanical piece to be checked, a fulcrum, coupled to the casing and the arm, for enabling displacements of the arm with respect to the casing and a transducer for providing signals depending on the position of the arm with respect to the casing. The head has specific flexibility and modularity features, thanks to the possibility of operating from the exterior for adjusting and replacing various components. The transducer is of the inductive, half-bridge type, with multiple windings. An integral element for the electric connection to a processing unit includes the windings of the transducer, a cable and a connector, and the latter comprises a rapid locking/unlocking device. The ends of the cable are connected between the windings of the transducer and the connector by means of an over-molding process of a plastic material.

Abstract: A head for the linear dimension checking of mechanical pieces, including a casing that defines a longitudinal geometric axis, an arm—set movable with respect to the casing, a feeler coupled to the movable arm—set for touching the piece to be checked, a biased device arranged between the casing and the movable arm—set for urging the movable arm—set into contact with the casing, a detecting device coupled to the casing, including a movable element and a transmission device between the movable arm—set and the movable element of the detecting device. In order to reduce the frictions and improve the repeatability of the head, the transmission device includes a wire substantially rigid in a longitudinal direction but flexible in the direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction. The wire has a first end coupled to the movable arm—set and a second end for cooperating with the movable element of the detecting device.