Abstract: The present invention discloses a flexible method and apparatus for thickness measurement. The apparatus includes seven parts: a measurement host, an etalon, a tested piece, a test piece positioning support, a driver, and a digital controller. The measurement host includes a rack, a coding lead screw, and a dual-acting cantilever sensor. The coding lead screw includes a micro-metering lead screw and a tri-state encoder. The tri-state encoder includes a fluted disc and four pairs of cantilever sensors. The dual-acting cantilever sensor includes left and right mobile cantilever sensors with a pair of clipping pin. The digital controller contains system measurement software.

Abstract: A device for measuring the height of an individual subject, which includes an elongated body member having a front surface which visually displays units of measure, i.e., inches, each measuring unit being divided into fractions of the measuring unit which are depicted on the front surface. The body member is attachable to a vertical wall surface above a generally horizontal floor surface by any known means, such as by attaching a pair of steel bars to the wall surface, and attaching, or preferably embedding, a plurality of rare earth magnets to the body member, i.e., about two magnets for each steel bar. A height indicating guide member is releasably and slidably attached to the body member by a metal strip being embedded and hidden from view into a side of the body member, and several rare earth magnets, preferably four, being attached, or preferably embedded into a side surface of the guide member. The slidable guide member has an outwardly extending height indicating member attached thereto.

Abstract: A method efficiently measures an object having a feature. The feature has a plurality of cross-sections that each have a surface. The method provides a coordinate measuring machine having a discretely indexable wrist coupled with a measuring probe. The wrist has a given wrist orientation, relative to an arm of the coordinate measuring machine, that is adjustable between a plurality of different orientations. The probe is able to measure different surfaces as a function of the different wrist orientations. The method segments an object to be measured into a plurality of segments that are each measurable with a given wrist orientation.

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.

Abstract: A tape measure includes a housing having a wall defining an internal cavity and a tape port, a coilable measuring tape disposed within the internal housing and having a first end extendable out of the housing, and an end hook member including an attachment portion and a hook portion. The attachment portion is arranged to engage the first end of the tape to attach the end hook member to the tape. The hook portion extends in a direction normal to the attachment portion and includes a first face and a second face arranged to engage the workpiece. A finger guard extends from the housing, and is configured to engage the hook member, and a finger space is defined between the tape port and the finger guard and is arranged to receive a user's finger during operation of the tape measure such that the user's finger engages the measuring tape.

Abstract: An optical sight configured to be mounted to a weapon includes a lens assembly, a display, and a controller. The display is configured to display a target animal through the lens assembly. The controller is configured to determine a range from the optical sight to the target animal and display the range on the display. The controller is configured to determine an animal type, a known animal dimension, and a display area for the target animal, where the display area for the target animal is a percentage of the display occupied by the target image. The controller is configured to determine the range from the known animal dimension and the display area for the animal.

Abstract: A positioner positions a guide ruler relative to a workpiece that is adjacent to the guide ruler while more stably retaining the guide ruler at the locked position without causing interference with a cutting operation. A positioner that positions a ruler body relative to a workpiece includes a contact member to be in contact with an edge of the workpiece and extendable along the edge of the workpiece, a support supporting the contact member in a manner rotatable on a lower surface of the ruler body, and a position retainer that retains the contact member at a rotational position.

Abstract: Systems, methods, and apparatuses for a self-locating compass for use in navigation are disclosed. The self-locating compass is operable to provide position and/or velocity without information from a global positioning system (GPS) device. The self-locating compass includes a direction finder and a Lorentz force detector. The method includes determining orientation with respect to Earth's magnetic field, measuring a Lorentz force proportional to rate of change of location with respect to the field, determining a change in location, and updating location.

Abstract: An acoustic wave diagnostic apparatus 1 includes a display unit 7, an operation unit 16, a user identification information acceptance unit 15 that accepts user identification information, a measurement item designation acceptance unit 13 that accepts a measurement item, a detection and measurement algorithm setting unit 9 that sets a detection and measurement algorithm from the measurement item, a position designation acceptance unit 14 that accepts designation of a measurement position from the operation unit 16, a measurement unit 8 that performs detection and measurement of a measurement target using a scan range on the basis of the measurement position and the detection and measurement algorithm and causes the display unit 7 to display a measurement result, a scan range modification unit 10 that modifies the scan range, and a scan range memory 11 that stores the modified scan range for each piece of user identification information, and the measurement unit 8 detects the measurement target using the modifi

Abstract: A coordinate positioning arm includes: a base end and a head end; a drive frame for moving the head end relative to the base end; and a metrology frame for measuring a position and orientation of the head end relative to the base end. The drive frame includes a plurality of drive axes arranged in series between the base end and the head end. The metrology frame includes a plurality of metrology axes arranged in series between the base end and the head end. The metrology frame is adapted and arranged to be substantially separate and/or independent from the drive frame, for example by supporting the metrology frame substantially only at the base end and head end and by providing the metrology frame with sufficient degrees of freedom (via the metrology axes) to avoid creating an additional constraint between the metrology frame and the drive frame.

Abstract: A tape measure including a reinforced or coated tape measure blade is provided. The coating is thicker than the metal inner layer of the tape blade. The coating provides a reinforced tape blade such that elongate tape blade may have a pinch load threshold of greater than 50 lbs. and/or a pinch height at break of less than 1.5 mm. A hook assembly may also provide for reduced stress at the end of the tape blade.

Abstract: There is provided a probe unit correction method for correcting linear expansion of a probe unit to obtain an accurate measurement value. First, a probe offset value is calculated as a model. Then, a probe unit correction method includes a temperature data acquisition step of acquiring a temperature difference between a temperature at a time of calibration and a temperature of a current measurement environment, a reference tip coordinate correction step of calculating, as a reference tip correction coordinate value, a correction value of a reference tip coordinate value to which linear expansion is added, and a probe offset correction step of calculating, as a probe offset correction value, a correction value of a probe offset value to which the linear expansion is added.

Abstract: A hands free level has a body having a first end, a second hook shaped end, and a level device. The level device has a tube partially filled with a liquid that has a bubble, a first left end marking, a first right end marking, a second left end marking, and a second right end marking, the first left end marking and the first right end marking defining a center portion in which the bubble is positioned to indicate level, the first left end marking and the second end marking defining an incline portion in which the bubble is positioned to indicate an incline grade, and the first right end marking and the second right end marking defining a decline portion in which the bubble is positioned to indicate a decline grade.

Abstract: A method efficiently measures an object having a feature. The feature has a plurality of profiles each having a surface. The method provides a coordinate measuring machine having a wrist coupled with a measuring probe. The probe has a tolerance angle with respect to a surface normal of a surface to be measured. The wrist has a first given orientation that is adjustable to a second given orientation. The method segments an object to be measured into a plurality of segments as a function of an ideal vector that can be used to measure a given segment within the tolerance. A first group of segments that can be measured within the probe tolerance for a first ideal vector is determined. A second group of segments that can be measured within the probe tolerance for a second ideal vector is determined.

Abstract: A probe calibration method and calibration artifact (30, 70) whereby calibration can be performed without the use of machine axes capable of three dimensional positioning of a probe relative to a calibration sphere (40). The method includes a plurality of calibration spheres fixed in relation to one another via a rigid structure comprising a calibration artifact body (30, 70). The spheres are mounted such that each will be sensed by the probe at some position of a machine axis (W, N). In other words, the spheres lie in the region swept out by the sensor field of view (8, 78) over the movement of the machine axis. The calibration spheres are located at known positions (A, B, C) and the calibration artifact body is designed such that it may be mounted in a known location in place of a work piece.

Abstract: A coordinate measurement machine (CMM) may include a manually-positionable articulated arm including arm segments and rotary joints. A swivel joint may include two or more bearings, a shaft coupled to an inner race of the first bearing and an inner race of the second bearing, a first housing coupled to an outer race of the first bearing, and a second housing coupled to an outer race of the second bearing. The second housing is not directly connected to the first housing. The swivel joint may also include an inner spacer coupled to the inner race of the first bearing and the inner race of the second bearing and an outer spacer coupled to the outer race of the first bearing and the outer race of the second bearing. Most of an outer surface of the outer spacer may be exposed to form a portion of the housing of the CMM.

Abstract: A level includes a frame supporting a plurality of vials and having an aperture disposed on an end of the level. The level also includes an end cap assembly detachably coupled to the end of the frame. The end cap assembly includes an end cap and a retainer. A portion of the end cap is received in the aperture and is maintained in engagement with the frame by the retainer.

Abstract: A foot imprinting device includes a plurality of foot imprinting units each of which includes a base seat, a colored pad disposed on the base seat, and a light transmitting sheet flippably disposed on and covering the colored pad. The light transmitting sheet is movable between a first state, in which the light transmitting sheet is configured to be stepped on by a person, and a second state, in which the light transmitting sheet is configured to show a footprint of a foot of the person.

Abstract: An instrument for determining level or plumb orientations includes an elongated body having a plurality of orientation measurement devices. Each of the orientation measurement devices can indicate either a level or plumb orientation depending on a position of the instrument. The orientation measurement devices each include a chamber having front and rear convex sides, a fluid contained in the chamber, and an air bubble floating in the fluid. The elongated body includes a set of first openings and a set of second openings. The orientation measurement devices are embedded into the elongated body through the first set of openings and the orientation measurement devices each include bubble therein viewable from the front and back of the elongated body. The bubble is also viewable from the top and bottom of the elongated body through the second set of openings.

Abstract: An assembly comprises a support including a plurality of individual sections. A scale is disposed on the support. The scale extends in a longitudinal direction and has a measuring graduation for position measurement at least in the longitudinal direction. A plurality of fastening devices are configured to fasten the scale to the support. The fastening devices are disposed on the individual sections of the support.