Abstract: An articulated head for facilitating reorientation of a mounted tool, including: a first member for mounting the head on a positioning apparatus; a second member coupled to the first so its orientation relative thereto about a first axis can be changed between, and locked at predefined orientations, the members can be unlocked by separating the members along the first axis for reorientation of the second member about the first axis; a third member coupled to the second so its orientation relative thereto about a second axis can be changed between, and locked at predefined orientations, the second and third members can be unlocked by separating the members along the second axis for reorientation of the third member about the second axis, the first and second axes are not parallel; and a powered mechanism independently controlling separation of the first and second and the second and third members.

Abstract: A metrology apparatus including an articulated joint having: first and second bodies which can be locked together in a plurality of different angular orientations about a first axis; the first body including a prop which is actuatable by a motor between a retracted configuration at which the first and second bodies are in their locked state, and an extended configuration at which the first and second bodies are held apart by the prop along the first axis such that the first and second bodies are unlocked thereby permitting relative rotation of the first and second bodies, the prop and the second body being magnetically biased toward each other so as to magnetically retain the first and second bodies; and further including at least one supplemental bias member configured to bias the prop towards its retracted configuration.

Abstract: A metrology apparatus includes an indexed articulated joint including: first and second relatively reorientable bodies, respectively having mutually engageable engagement elements, which can be locked together in different angular orientations about a first axis to provide a plurality of angularly indexed positions of the bodies; at least one verification sensor configured to provide a measure of the relative spatial configuration of bodies when in their locked state; and wherein the apparatus is configured such that when the bodies lock together at an indexed position, the sensor measures the relative spatial configuration of the bodies, and wherein information obtained from the measure is compared to calibration information obtained from at least one other measure of the relative spatial configuration of the bodies when the bodies were locked at said indexed position at an earlier point in time, in order to establish information about the state of engagement of the bodies.

Abstract: A metrology apparatus including an articulated joint having: first and second bodies which can be locked together in a plurality of different angular orientations about a first axis; the first body including a prop which is actuatable by a motor between a retracted configuration at which the first and second bodies are in their locked state, and an extended configuration at which the first and second bodies are held apart by the prop along the first axis such that the first and second bodies are unlocked thereby permitting relative rotation of the first and second bodies, the prop and the second body being magnetically biased toward each other so as to magnetically retain the first and second bodies; and further including at least one supplemental bias member configured to bias the prop towards its retracted configuration.

Abstract: A method of inspecting at least one feature of a part having a predetermined nominal shape, including: i) loading a contact probe onto a probe mount of a coordinate positioning apparatus which facilitates exchanging of probes thereon and relative movement of the mount and a part in three orthogonal degrees of freedom, the contact probe includes a reference member for engaging the part, and a stylus relative to the reference member and having a tip for contacting the surface to be measured; ii) bringing the reference member and stylus into contact with the part on one side of the feature, and then causing the stylus to traverse collecting measurement data concerning the relative position of tip and the reference member; and iii) extracting feature dimension information from the measurement data, and comparing the extracted dimension information to nominal dimension information for the nominal shape of the feature of the part.

Abstract: A surface sensing device is mounted on an articulating probe head of a coordinate measuring machine. The device includes an elongate probe holder which is rotatable about an axis. An elongate sensing module includes a surface finish or surface roughness probe with a stylus tip. This is connected to the probe holder via an adjustable knuckle joint. To determine the geometry of the surface sensing device, including the tip normal and drag vector of the stylus tip, the orientations of the probe holder and the sensing module are determined by probing points which are spaced along their lengths, using a separate probe.

Abstract: A surface sensing device is mounted on an articulating probe head of a coordinate measuring machine. The device includes an elongate probe holder which is rotatable about an axis. An elongate sensing module includes a surface finish or surface roughness probe with a stylus tip. This is connected to the probe holder via an adjustable knuckle joint. To determine the geometry of the surface sensing device, including the tip normal and drag vector of the stylus tip, the orientations of the probe holder and the sensing module are determined by probing points which are spaced along their lengths, using a separate probe.

Abstract: A surface sensing device is mounted on an articulating probe head of a coordinate measuring machine. The device includes an elongate probe holder which is rotatable about an axis. An elongate sensing module includes a surface finish or surface roughness probe with a stylus tip. This is connected to the probe holder via an adjustable knuckle joint. To determine the geometry of the surface sensing device, including the tip normal and drag vector of the stylus tip, the orientations of the probe holder and the sensing module are determined by probing points which are spaced along their lengths, using a separate probe.

Abstract: A storage apparatus for a measurement probe for use with a coordinate positioning machine. The storage apparatus including a storage unit having at least one receptacle for a measurement probe; and at least one temperature source for controlling the temperature of a measurement probe located in the at least one receptacle.

Abstract: The disclosure relates to a storage apparatus for a measurement probe for use with a coordinate positioning machine. The storage apparatus has at least one receptacle for a measurement probe. At least one receptacle connector is provided for electrical connection with at least one probe connector on a measurement probe located in the receptacle. The one receptacle connector is configured such that it can be displaced so as to disconnect it from the probe connector of a measurement probe located in the receptacle.

Abstract: The invention relates to a storage apparatus for a measurement probe for use with a coordinate positioning machine. The storage apparatus has at least one receptacle for a measurement probe. At least one receptacle connector is provided for electrical connection with at least one probe connector on a measurement probe located in the receptacle. The at least one receptacle connector is configured such that it can be displaced so as to disconnect it from the probe connector of a measurement probe located in the receptacle.

Abstract: The invention relates to a storage apparatus for a measurement probe for use with a coordinate positioning machine. The storage apparatus comprises: a storage unit having at least one receptacle for a measurement probe; and at least one temperature source for controlling the temperature of a measurement probe located in the at least one receptacle.