Abstract: A main scale is firmly bonded to a metal tape having a desired coefficient of linear expansion by a powerful adhesive. At the same time, the metal tape is fixed to a frame by a two-sided adhesive tape so as to be capable of expansion and contraction.

Abstract: A slider or a slide shoe for maintaining an interval between a scale and the slider is provided with inclined faces for excluding a foreign matter on a scale face or a sliding guide face at both ends of the slider in a moving direction thereof or at both ends of the slide shoe.

Abstract: When data detected by an encoder is transmitted/received in predetermined cycles in a measuring device using a sampling control system for controlling a position or a speed at predetermined time intervals, positional data is divided so as to be output with deviation data output each time. The divided positional data is reconstituted so as to transmit the positional data within a control cycle.

Abstract: A guide rail (21) having a guide surface for guiding sliding movement of a movable body (5) is monolithically formed on a base (2) of a measuring machine (1). A coating film for rust prevention is formed on the guide surface. With this feature, it is not necessary to attach the guide rail (21) as a discrete member to the base (2), so that a number of steps in the manufacture process and the production cost can be reduced. Further as the base (2) and the guide rail (21) are made of the same material, the bimetal effect does not occur, which insures the stability of the base (2) against changes due to aging.

Abstract: Since a dial face (3) and an area indicator (4) are formed separately to be independently turnable, the area indicator (4) is not rotated even when the dial face (3) is rotated. With this arrangement, the area indicator (4) can indicate a correct area regardless of the rotated position of the dial face (3), thereby preventing measurement errors. Further, since the area indicator (4) is not included in the dial face (3), the dial face (3) can be shared as a standard dial face.

Abstract: A reference fixture (20) for a roundness measuring instrument performs acquisition of origin information of a roundness measuring instrument (1) including a workpiece rotary mechanism (3) on which a workpiece is set and a probe (14) provided with a stylus (14a) and also performs calibration of the probe (14). The reference fixture (20) includes a mount (21), a calibration master (22) provided on a top face of the mount (21) for calibrating the sensitivity of the probe (14), an origin ball (23) disposed above the calibration master (22) for providing the origin information of the roundness measuring instrument (1) by the stylus (14a) of the probe (14), and a holder (25) that holds the origin ball (23).

Abstract: An electric discharge machining electrode adapted to improve the quality of a finished surface of an article by increasing a machining speed by improving the electric discharge generation rate &eegr; even in a fine machining process; and by rendering it possible to maintain constant the electric discharge generation rate &eegr; even when a time width and a voltage of the electric discharge pulses are reduced. In an electrode used in the electric discharge machining process carried out by generating electric discharge pulses between the electrode and an article, a radioactive metal is contained in the portion of the electrode in which the electric discharge pulses occur, or in the portion thereof which is in the vicinity of the portion in which the electric discharge pulses occur.

Abstract: A displacement measuring instrument (1) has a spindle (25) penetrating a gauge body (11) to be slidably supported relative to the gauge body (11) to be displaced and a lifting lever (20) manipulated from the outside for forcibly shifting the spindle. A lever support (30) supporting an end opposite to a drive end (20A) of the lifting lever (20) that is in contact with the spindle (25) is supported by engaging a dovetail groove thereon with a projection of an engaging member (35) formed on the outer circumference of the gauge body (11).

Abstract: A flat illuminant emits a beam of light toward a reflective scale having predetermined reference gratings formed thereon. A photoreceptive module is placed at a location between the flat illuminant and the reflective scale and closer to the flat illuminant. The photoreceptive module includes an array of photoreceptive devices, which also serves as illuminant-side gratings for partially shielding the beam from the flat illuminant.

Abstract: An inside micrometer including an inside micrometer body (1) with a first spindle (11) screwed in an advanceable and retractable manner in an axial direction, to which anvil (30) having different length in increments of a predetermined dimension and an extending collar (40) interposed between the anvil (30) and the inside micrometer body (1) are selectively attached to adjust the measurement range, has an extending rod (50) selectively attached to the inside micrometer body (1) in an attachable and detachable manner and having a second spindle 58 which is advanced and retracted together with the first spindle (11), so that the length of the second spindle (58) is added to the measurement range extended from one of the anvils (30) as well as the length of the extending collar (40), thereby reducing the number of the anvils (30).

Abstract: A photoelectric encoder includes a main scale with a grating, and a light receiving portion with an index grating and a light receiving element. A bright/dark pattern obtained at least by the grating on the main scale is detected by the light receiving portion moved relative to the main scale. A lens and/or an aperture are inserted between the main scale and the light receiving portion, and a magnification of an image is set by adjusting distances among the lens or the aperture, the main scale and the light receiving portion.

Abstract: An optical displacement-measuring apparatus has a scale on which optical gratings are formed along a first axis and a second axis. It also has a sensor head arranged opposite to the scale and relatively movable along the first and second axes. The sensor head includes a photosensitive unit (3) for optically detecting a relative movement to provide a displacement signal. The photosensitive unit (3) includes a transparent substrate (30). A photosensitive device array (PDAy) is formed with a semiconductor film deposited on the substrate (30) and arrayed along the first axis at a certain pitch for providing a displacement signal corresponding to a displacement along the first axis. A photosensitive device array (PDAx) is formed with a semiconductor film deposited on the photosensitive device array (PDAy) sandwiching an insulator layer therebetween and arrayed along the second axis at a certain pitch for providing a displacement signal corresponding to a displacement along the second axis.

Abstract: This invention is intended to provide a damping device capable of conducting highly precise damping control. To attain this object, this invention is a damping device used in a machine which includes a rotating object and a motor rotating the rotating object, wherein the damping device includes: a vibration damper filled with an electroviscous fluid having a viscosity changing according to a value of a voltage applied to the electroviscous fluid, and rotatably supporting at least a part of the rotating object in the electroviscous fluid; a voltage applicator applying the voltage to the electroviscous fluid in the vibration damper; and a controller controlling an operation of the voltage applicator so that an optimum voltage, at which the viscosity of the electroviscous fluid absorbing a vibration of the rotating object most effectively is obtained, can be applied to the electroviscous fluid in the vibration damper in accordance with a rotating speed of the rotating object.

Abstract: A displacement measuring device including a scale, and an optical readhead including an index pattern and a light receiving element is provided. A bright/dark pattern arising from a scale grating is detected by the readhead to measure displacement. In various embodiments, a magnification of the pattern is adjusted by the spacing between at least a lens element, aperture element, and detection plane of the readhead. An aperture can be designed to provide a diffraction-limited telecentric imaging configuration that filters an image of the scale grating to provide a sinusoidal intensity pattern that supports highly interpolated measurements. An aperture dimension, selected in relation to the grating pitch and other parameters, can provide a desirable combination of readhead operating characteristics including one or more of a desired depth of field; degree of spatial filtering; and optical signal power.

Abstract: Centroid moments of components of an arm (220) are calculated based on three-dimensional model data and mass of the components, the centroid moments being combined to calculate a centroid position (G) of the entirety of the arm (220). The arm (220) is adjusted and swingably supported so that a stylus (222D) provided on an end of the arm (220) being swingably supported by a support (210) that moves relative to a workpiece (1) touches the workpiece (1) with a predetermined measuring force and the centroid position (G) is located on a horizontal plane including the fulcrum when the support (210) is inclined by an angle in the middle of an angle range within which the support (210) is rotated by a moving section (130). The measuring force is hardly fluctuated when the support (210) is inclined.

Abstract: An electric discharge machining electrode adapted to improve the quality of a finished surface of an article by increasing a machining speed by improving the electric discharge generation rate &eegr; even in a fine machining process; and by rendering it possible to maintain constant the electric discharge generation rate &eegr; even when a time width and a voltage of the electric discharge pulses are reduced. In an electrode used in the electric discharge machining process carried out by generating electric discharge pulses between the electrode and an article, a radioactive metal is contained in the portion of the electrode in which the electric discharge pulses occur, or in the portion thereof which is in the vicinity of the portion in which the electric discharge pulses occur.

Abstract: An absolute 2D position-sensing device is usable to measure the relative position of two elements. A 2D absolute scale includes an integrated 2D absolute scale pattern extending over the 2D scale area along each measuring axis of the scale. The integrated 2D absolute scale pattern includes a plurality of periodic portions interleaved with a plurality of non-periodic portions along each axis. Each periodic portion includes a plurality of periodically-placed scale elements. Each non-periodic portion includes a plurality of code elements indicative of an absolute measurement value. The code elements may have a length that is narrower along each measuring axis is than the length of the periodic scale elements along each measuring axis. The offset of the periodically-placed elements relative to a readhead of the device is combined with the absolute measurement value to determine an absolute position.

Abstract: A compact and simple linear actuator includes a spindle to a main body so as to be capable of moving in an axial direction, displacement detection device, a motor, and a transmission mechanism. The displacement detection device detects a movement displacement amount of the spindle. The motor is disposed adjacent a proximal end one of the spindle and on the same axis as the spindle. The transmission mechanism transmits turning force of the motor to the spindle. The transmission mechanism includes a first rotary member fitted to the proximal end of the spindle and integrally rotating with the spindle, a second rotary member fitted to a rotor of the motor, and connection rods for transmitting rotation of the second rotary member to the first rotary member. The connection rods have axes that are parallel to an axis of the spindle while being displaced from the spindle axis.

Abstract: A signal-processing method is disclosed, where, after inputting a measurement data, weighted spline formula is selected to calculate an initial value of a spline filter, weight is adjusted, a spline filter output is calculated, convergence is judged thereafter. When the weight is judged not converged, the weight is updated and the weight-adjustment and spline filter output calculation are repeated to conduct robust spline filtering on the measurement data.

Abstract: The absolute position measuring device comprises a main body, a spindle provided movably in the main body, two sets of rotary encoders, an arithmetical operation section, and a display section. The rotary encoders originate two phase signals of different periods in accordance with the amount of movement of the spindle. The arithmetical operation section makes arithmetical operation on the phase signal to obtain the absolute position of the spindle. The display section displays the absolute position in digital format. The two phase signals have a different phase difference at a different position of the spindle. The arithmetical operation section comprises phase signal processing section for comparing the two phase signals to obtain a phase difference between the phase signals, and absolute position calculating section for calculating the absolute position of the spindle from the phase difference obtained by the phase signal processing section.