Patents Assigned to Mitutoyo Corporation
  • Patent number: 11636614
    Abstract: A three-dimensional geometry measurement apparatus including: a relationship identification part that identifies a combination of a first imaging pixel and a projection pixel of a projection image; a determination part that determines, for the combination of the first imaging pixel and the projection pixel, whether or not the combination includes a defective pixel on the basis of a distance between (i) a second imaging pixel corresponding to the same projection coordinate as a projection coordinate corresponding to the first imaging pixel and (ii) a second imaging pixel corresponding to the projection coordinate of the projection pixel and located on an epipolar line of a second captured image corresponding to the projection coordinate; and a geometry measurement part that measures a geometry of an object to be measured using at least one of the first imaging pixel excluding the defective pixel or the second imaging pixel excluding the defective pixel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 10, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 25, 2023
    Assignee: MITUTOYO CORPORATION
    Inventor: Kaoru Miyata
  • Patent number: 11635518
    Abstract: A measurement apparatus, including: a laser apparatus that outputs a frequency-modulated laser beam with a plurality of modes; a branching part that branches the frequency-modulated laser beam into a reference light and a measurement light; a beat signal generation part that generates a plurality of beat signals by mixing the reference light and a reflected light that is reflected by radiating the measurement light onto an object to be measured; a conversion part that converts the plurality of beat signals into digital signals by sampling the beat signals at a frequency greater than or equal to four times a resonator frequency of the laser resonator; and a calculation part that calculates a distance from the measurement apparatus to the object to be measured on the basis of the digital signals is provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 29, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 25, 2023
    Assignee: Mitutoyo Corporation
    Inventors: Hiroki Ujihara, Yoshimasa Suzuki, Shinichi Hara
  • Patent number: 11638072
    Abstract: An image detection device includes: a liquid resonant lens system whose focal point is cyclically changed; an image detector configured to detect an image of an object through the lens system; a pulsed illuminator configured to provide pulsed illumination to the object in synchronization with the focal point; and an illumination controller configured to control the pulsed illuminator, in which the pulsed illuminator includes a main illumination section and a supplementary illumination section, and the illumination controller is configured to provide pulsed illumination to the object with the main illumination section and supplement illuminance on the object with the supplementary illumination section when the illuminance on the object by the main illumination section is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 4, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 25, 2023
    Assignee: MITUTOYO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Raiitsu Suzuki, Yuki Kurahashi
  • Patent number: 11635291
    Abstract: A workpiece holder is configured to hold a workpiece and is utilized in a metrology system which includes a sensing configuration for obtaining 3-dimensional surface data for the workpiece. The workpiece holder includes at least three reference features (e.g., spherical reference features extending from sides) that are configured to be sensed by the sensing configuration when the workpiece holder is in different orientations (e.g., as rotated 180 degrees between first and second orientations for presenting front and back sides of the workpiece towards the sensing configuration). A determination of 3-dimensional positions of the reference features for each orientation enables a combining (e.g., in a common coordinate system) of 3-dimensional surface data that is acquired for the workpiece in each orientation. Interchangeable workpiece holding portions may be provided that fit within the workpiece holder for holding workpieces with different characteristics (e.g., having different sizes and/or shapes).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 30, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 25, 2023
    Assignee: Mitutoyo Corporation
    Inventors: Scott Allen Harsila, Maxwell James Perkins
  • Patent number: 11630436
    Abstract: The present invention provides a measurement program selection assisting apparatus capable of visually confirming whether a selected measurement program is suitable for an object to be measured. One aspect of the present invention is a measurement program selection assisting apparatus comprising: a measurement program database storing a measurement program related to measurement of an object and superimposed display information corresponding to a three-dimensional shape of the object in association with each other; a display unit capable of displaying information defined in a virtual space superimposed on the real space; and a display control unit for acquiring the superimposed display information corresponding to a selected measurement program from the measurement program database and displaying the acquired superimposed display information in a mixed reality on the display unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 17, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 18, 2023
    Assignee: MITUTOYO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Shinsaku Abe, Kuniyuki Nuka
  • Patent number: 11619769
    Abstract: An adapter optical system, which is an optical system configured to guide reflection light reflected by an object and passing through an imaging lens to a liquid resonant lens, includes: a first lens unit removably disposed at a position where the reflection light passing through the imaging lens enters and constituting an image-side telecentric optical system; and a second lens unit disposed at a position where the reflection light passing through the first lens unit enters and constituting a finite correction optical system in combination with the liquid resonant lens.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 2, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 4, 2023
    Assignee: MITUTOYO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Tatsuya Nagahama, Yuko Shishido
  • Patent number: 11598629
    Abstract: An optical displacement sensor includes: a splitting unit that splits the light radiated from the light source into a first light ray and a second light ray; a reflection unit including a first reflection part and a second reflection part provided at a predetermined angle with respect to the first reflection part; and a fold-back reflection unit that folds-back and reflects the light that has gone through the reflection unit to the reflection unit. The optical displacement sensor is characterized in that the reflection unit reflects the first light ray and the second light ray that are split by the splitting unit and have gone through the diffraction unit from the first reflection part to the second reflection part, and reflects the first light ray and the second light ray that are reflected by the fold-back reflection unit from the second reflection part to the first reflection part.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 7, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 7, 2023
    Assignee: MITUTOYO CORPORATION
    Inventor: Akihide Kimura
  • Publication number: 20230062780
    Abstract: A measurement system includes a multi-axis robot, a measurement unit coupled to the multi-axis robot, and a data processing apparatus, wherein the measurement unit includes one or more imaging devices movable with respect to a reference position of the multi-axis robot, and a position specification device for specifying a position of one or more of the imaging devices with respect to the reference position, wherein the data processing apparatus includes an acquisition part for acquiring a plurality of pieces of captured image data generated by having one or more of the imaging devices capture images at two or more positions, and a measurement part for measuring a distance between the plurality of feature points in a workpiece on the basis of a position of the feature point of the workpiece included in the plurality of pieces of captured image data.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 23, 2022
    Publication date: March 2, 2023
    Applicant: MITUTOYO CORPORATION
    Inventor: Naoki MITSUTANI
  • Patent number: 11587246
    Abstract: A metrology system is provided including a projected pattern for points-from-focus type processes. The metrology system includes an objective lens portion, a light source, a pattern projection portion and a camera. Different lenses (e.g., objective lenses) having different magnifications and cutoff frequencies may be utilized in the system. The pattern projection portion includes a pattern component with a pattern. At least a majority of the area of the pattern includes pattern portions that are not recurring at regular intervals across the pattern (e.g., as corresponding to a diverse spectrum of spatial frequencies that result in a relatively flat power spectrum over a desired range and with which different lenses with different cutoff frequencies may be utilized). The pattern is projected on a workpiece surface (e.g., for producing contrast) and an image stack is acquired, from which focus curve data is determined that indicates 3 dimensional positions of workpiece surface points.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2023
    Assignee: Mitutoyo Corporation
    Inventors: Shannon Roy Campbell, Lukasz Redlarski
  • Patent number: 11573190
    Abstract: A calibration method for an X-ray measuring device includes mounting a calibration tool on a rotating table, identifying centroid positions from an output of an X-ray image detector, calculating projection transformation matrixes from the centroid positions and known relative positional intervals, repeating to identify the centroid positions from the output of the X-ray image detector and to calculate the projection transformation matrixes from the centroid positions and known relative positional intervals while the rotating table is rotated twice or more by a predetermined angle, and calculating a rotation center position of the rotating table on the basis of the projection transformation matrixes. The calibration method thereby allows easy calculation of the rotation center position of the rotating table on which an object to be measured is mounted in a rotatable manner, with the simple process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 7, 2023
    Assignee: MITUTOYO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Masato Kon, Hiromu Maie, Seiji Sasaki, Jyota Miyakura
  • Patent number: 11573498
    Abstract: A high-power fast-pulse driver and illumination system for high speed metrology imaging is provided, which includes an illumination source and a driver circuit configured to overdrive the illumination source using high currents and/or high current densities. The high currents are currents higher than manufacturer-recommended currents used to drive the illumination source and the high current densities are current densities higher than manufacturer-recommended current densities used to drive the illumination source. The illumination source is operated using a lifetime preserving technique selected from a first technique of operating the illumination source at low duty cycles of 2% or less or a second technique of operating the illumination source in a burst mode at higher duty cycles for short intervals. The driver and illumination system may be incorporated in a variable focus lens (VFL) system, to define multiple exposure increments for acquiring one or more images focused at one or more focus planes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 7, 2023
    Assignee: Mitutoyo Corporation
    Inventors: Paul Gerard Gladnick, Bjorn Erik Bertil Jansson
  • Publication number: 20230032119
    Abstract: A roundness measuring machine includes: a turntable on which a workpiece is to be placed; a displacement detector detecting a displacement of a stylus; a column provided on a base shared with the turntable; a Z-axis slider supported by the column and movable in a Z-axis direction extending vertically; an X-axis slider supported by the Z-axis slider and movable in an X-axis direction intersecting the Z-axis direction; and an attitude adjusting mechanism provided to the X-axis slider and supporting the displacement detector such that an attitude of the displacement detector is adjustable. The attitude adjusting mechanism includes: a Y-axis slider supported by the X-axis slider and movable in a Y-axis direction intersecting the Z-axis and the X-axis directions; and a detector holder supported by the Y-axis slider and supporting the displacement detector such that the displacement detector is turnable around the X-axis direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 25, 2022
    Publication date: February 2, 2023
    Applicant: MITUTOYO CORPORATION
    Inventor: Junsuke YASUNO
  • Publication number: 20230024920
    Abstract: The inspection gauge is an inspection gauge for a coordinate measuring apparatus having a triangular pyramid shape, and includes a plurality of support members in which first ends are provided at positions corresponding to vertexes of the triangular pyramid and second ends are connected to each other in a region inside the triangular pyramid, and a plurality of spheres provided at positions corresponding to the vertexes of the triangular pyramid on the plurality of support members, and at least three support members of the plurality of support members have mutually different shapes.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 13, 2022
    Publication date: January 26, 2023
    Applicant: MITUTOYO CORPORATION
    Inventor: Shingo KIYOTANI
  • Patent number: 11561091
    Abstract: In measuring a dimension of an object to be measured W made of a single material, a plurality of transmission images of the object to be measured W are obtained by using an X-ray CT apparatus, and then respective projection images are generated. The projection images are registered with CAD data used in designing the object to be measured W. The dimension of the object to be measured W is calculated by using a relationship between the registered CAD data and projection images. In such a manner, high-precision dimension measurement is achieved by using several tens of projection images and design information without performing CT reconstruction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 24, 2023
    Assignees: THE UNIVERSITY OF TOKYO, MITUTOYO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yutaka Ohtake, Tasuku Ito, Tomonori Goto, Masato Kon
  • Patent number: 11555683
    Abstract: A form measuring instrument includes: a contact tip configured to contact with a workpiece; a movement mechanism configured to cause relative movement of the contact tip with respect to the workpiece; a movement controlling unit configured to control the movement mechanism; a contact sensor configured to detect a contact amount of the contact tip with the workpiece and output a detection signal corresponding to the contact amount; and an abnormality determining unit configured to determine an abnormality of sensitivity of the contact sensor based on a change in the detection signal outputted from the contact sensor during an operation of the movement mechanism in which the contact tip is pressed against the workpiece.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 22, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 17, 2023
    Assignee: MITUTOYO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Satoshi Yoshitani, Tomoyuki Miyazaki
  • Patent number: 11549794
    Abstract: A main reference point PM is provided to a base portion of a shape measuring apparatus including a rotary table. An origin-point relative-value registration includes measuring a main reference point with a probe to acquire a coordinate value of the main reference point and registering as a calibration-reference-point coordinate value Pp, registering a rotation center point of the rotary table as a calibration-rotation-center coordinate value Rp, and calculating a relative coordinate value of the calibration-rotation-center coordinate value Rp with respect to the calibration-reference-point coordinate value Pp and registering as a rotary-table origin-point relative coordinate value ?D1.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 2, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2023
    Assignee: MITUTOYO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hiroshi Kamitani, Shota Sakakibara, Yo Terashita
  • Patent number: 11543642
    Abstract: A variable focal length lens device includes: a variable focal length lens whose focal length cyclically changes in accordance with an inputted drive signal; an image detector configured to detect an image of a measurement target through the variable focal length lens; a pulsed light illuminator configured to emit a pulsed light to illuminate the measurement target; and an illumination controller configured to control the pulsed light illuminator so that the pulsed light is emitted twice in one cycle of the drive signal based on two detection phases corresponding to a designated focal distance of the variable focal length lens.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 7, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2023
    Assignee: MITUTOYO CORPORATION
    Inventor: Yuki Kurahashi
  • Patent number: 11543899
    Abstract: An inductive position detector for stylus position measurement in a scanning probe comprises a coil board configuration located along a central axis in the probe. The coil board configuration includes a field generating coil configuration and top and bottom axial and rotary sensing coil configurations. The field generating coil configuration generates a changing magnetic flux, and coil signals indicate conductive disruptor element and/or stylus positions. At least one misalignment compensation element is configured to reduce a signal offset that results from a misalignment of at least one coil of the coil board configuration (e.g., the coil board configuration may comprise a printed circuit board with a plurality of layers in which the coils are located and the misalignment of the at least one coil may result from a registration error, such as within manufacturing tolerances, in a layer to layer registration as part of a fabrication process).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2023
    Assignee: Mitutoyo Corporation
    Inventor: Christopher Richard Hamner
  • Patent number: D981879
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 7, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2023
    Assignee: MITUTOYO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kenji Iwamoto, Ryohei Kanno, Atsushi Hattori, Junsuke Yasuno, Takaharu Imura
  • Patent number: D984288
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 14, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 25, 2023
    Assignee: MITUTOYO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Tetsuro Hidaka, Kengo Hirata, Shingo Kiyotani, Kanae Kobayashi, Mitsuru Fukuda