Abstract: A test fixture for rapidly checking the measurements of identical parts at various points on the parts comprises a mounting mechanism for mounting the part securely in a predetermined position; a rail or track defining a guide path that extends past selected points on the part; a car that is positioned on the guide path for movement past the selected points on the part; and an indicator mounted on the car for detecting the position of selected points on the part relative to selected locations on the guide path.

Abstract: A device for creating at least one aligned marking on opposite sides of a semiconductor wafer including a front side and a back side. A wafer receiving support unit including at least a first wafer receiving slot in a first side wall thereof receives a wafer inserted therein. A template positions at least one aligned marking on each of the front side of the semiconductor wafer and on the backside of the semiconductor wafer.

Abstract: A portable surface inspector comprises a straight guide rail, a table engaging the guide rail to be movable along the guide rail, a stage engaging the table to be movable in the direction of a transverse axis crossing at right angles with the longitudinal axis of the guide rail, a non-contact displacement sensor fixed to the stage, a first driving means for driving the table, a first coordinate detecting means for detecting the longitudinal axis coordinate of the non-contact displacement sensor, a second driving means for driving the stage, a second coordinate detecting means for detecting the transverse axis coordinate of the non-contact displacement sensor, and a coordinate correcting means for correcting the transverse axis coordinate of the non-contact displacement sensor with the deflection in the direction of the transverse axis of the guide rail.

Abstract: A portable surface inspector comprises a straight guide rail, a table engaging the guide rail to be movable along the guide rail, a stage engaging the table to be movable in the direction of a transverse axis crossing at right angles with the longitudinal axis of the guide rail, a non-contact displacement sensor fixed to the stage, a first driving means for driving the table, a first coordinate detecting means for detecting the longitudinal axis coordinate of the non-contact displacement sensor, a second driving means for driving the stage, a second coordinate detecting means for detecting the transverse axis coordinate of the non-contact displacement sensor, and a coordinate correcting means for correcting the transverse axis coordinate of the non-contact displacement sensor with the deflection in the direction of the transverse axis of the guide rail.

Abstract: A stylus is carried at one end of a support arm mounted so as to be pivotable about a pivot axis to allow the stylus to follow a surface during relative movement between the stylus and the surface. A drive arrangement is responsive to pivotal movement of the support arm to drive the support arm to maintain the support arm at a substantially constant attitude. A measuring arrangement is provided for measuring the displacement of the stylus. The measuring arrangement uses a measuring element mounted to one end of the support arm adjacent the stylus. The measuring arrangement may be an interferometer and the measuring element a corner cube mounted so as to be aligned with the tip of the stylus.

Abstract: A measurement tool used with an indicator for simplfying the task of measuring a hard-to-reach surface of an object. The measurement tool used with an indicator includes a cylindrical member having a first and a second end and a bore extending therethrough and a first longitudinal slot and a second longitudinal slot; and also includes a shaft moveably disposed in the bore and having a collar securely attached thereabout to limit the movement of the shaft in the bore; and further includes a linkage member pivotally attached to the shaft and moveably disposed in the first longitudinal slot and being pivotally attached to an arm member; and further includes a fastening member securely mounted to the cylindrical member for tightly securing the indicator in the cylindrical member with the shaft being in contactable relationship with the indicator.

Abstract: A form measuring sensor (33) includes a stylus (40), a body (60) for holding the stylus (40) through an adaptor (50), the adaptor (50) including a stylus attachment (51) for the stylus (40) to be attached, a body attachment (52) to be attached to the body (60), and an elastically deformable connector (53) for connecting the stylus attachment (51) and the body attachment (52), where the sensor (33) and a threaded hole (100) are relatively moved to cause an elastic deformation of the connector (53) allowing a displacement of the stylus (40) in accordance with surface configuration of the threaded hole (100), so that the elastic deformation of the connector (53) is detected by a strain gauge (71) to detect the displacement of a contact portion (42A) to collect continuous configuration data of the threaded hole (100) within a short period of time.

Abstract: The invention is of a kit or system useful for guiding and facilitating the taking, tabulation and processing of measurements as pertain to scoring game animal according to established scoring rules. The kit or system includes a flexible cable which is used to record absolute lengths or distances needed for a proper scoring. The cable lacks cumulative length indicia or unit indications, but rather includes equally spaced incremental indicia which are used (by multiplying the number of indicia as rest between measurement endpoints) as part of the ultimate determination of length according to standard measurement units. A reusable score card is also provided which includes spaces for recording measurements and indicia for indicating the proper measurements to be taken as well as the sequence thereof and prescribed calculations to be made therefrom.

Abstract: A method for determining a torsional structure in the surface roughness of a finished shaft journal includes making a plurality of axial scores on a circumferential strip of the shaft journal, with a high axial measurement point density at different but exactly known circumferential positions as well as with exactly known axial positions. The individual local roughness profiles are printed out in a close sequence with respect to one another corresponding to their positions. The measurement charts are raised or elongated in the radial and axial directions and upset in the circumferential direction. Thus, a topography with multidimensional affinity showing the microstructure of the surface in three dimensions in a diagonal view is obtained. An autocorrelation function is formed from this topography, stochastic elements are eliminated, and a surface topography is obtained that essentially contains only the periodic elements.

Abstract: Method and device for accurately measuring a longitudinal contour of a measuring object, wherein use is made of clamping members for retaining a measuring object to be measured; a scanning arm which is pivotable about an axis transverse to a longitudinal center line of the clamped measuring object and whose free end comprises one scanning needle, the scanning arm being mounted on a driving device which, in operation, can move the scanning arm in one linear direction of movement parallel to the longitudinal center line of the measuring object, and means being provided for detecting the angular displacement of the scanning arm and the position of the scanning arm in said one linear direction of movement; and a processor for processing information regarding the angular displacement and the position of the scanning arm, wherein a contour measurement is made in such a manner that the scanning needle moves along a contour flank in downward direction only, i.e. in the direction of the bottom of a profile groove.

Abstract: A pad profiler has a three-point mount support the profiler above a polishing pad. A slider assembly is supported on a guide, and a sensor is connected to the slider assembly and positioned over a diametric segment of the polishing pad. The profiler uses a lead screw to drive the slider assembly across the polishing pad. The advantages of the invention include the measurement of the thickness of polishing pad to optimize polishing process parameters or to select a conditioning process. Additional advantages include stable support of the profiler over the pad, and smooth motion of the sensor along a radius of the pad.

Abstract: A pad profiler has a three-point mount support the profiler above a polishing pad. A slider assembly is supported on a guide, and a sensor is connected to the slider assembly and positioned over a diametric segment of the polishing pad. The profiler uses a lead screw to drive the slider assembly across the polishing pad. The advantages of the invention include the measurement of the thickness of polishing pad to optimize polishing process parameters or to select a conditioning process. Additional advantages include stable support of the profiler over the pad, and smooth motion of the sensor along a radius of the pad.

Abstract: A three-dimensional part measurement system includes a base; at least two guides in the base extending along a first dimension of the part to be measured; a carriage; at least three followers supporting the carriage and movable along the guides to follow the part in the first dimension; and a first gauge mounted on the carriage for measuring deviations of the part in a second dimension and a second gauge mounted on the carriage for measuring deviation of the part in a third dimension.

Abstract: Apparatus for determining the flatness of a generally circular polishing pad through direct measurement of the pad for use in maintaining the flatness of the pad and the flatness of surfaces of articles polished on the polishing pad of a polisher. The apparatus includes a measuring device, a frame mounting the measuring device being capable of measuring a distance between an upper surface of the polishing pad and a reference plane at plural locations along the polishing pad. The apparatus further includes a controller for controlling the measuring device. The controller is configured to indicate whether the flatness of the pad falls outside a predetermined specification.

Abstract: A roller measurement fixture is comprised of a series of small in-line rollers mounted in one or more rows, forming a receiving cradle device. An extruded part to be measured is cradled in a semi-circular arrangement of the rollers and straightens as it settles under its own weight. The cradle device will accommodate many different cross-sections of extruded seal. The rollers are free to rotate as the part is placed into the fixture and properly located. Friction front these rollers is negligible, therefore the part remains in, or attains, its free state, without internal stresses, throughout the loading and measurement process. Thus, the extruded part is limp within the cradle, being loaded so as to contact a head or alignment stop at one end of the cradle. A floating stop riding on the rollers engages the other end of the part and cooperates with a scale on the cradle as a means of acquiring the measurements.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for measuring position and orientation of features of a part or item and tube fitting using a portable coordinate measuring machine (CMM) is presented. The coordinate measuring machine comprising a multijointed manually, positionable measuring arm for accurately and easily measuring the position of a point in space by using a special probe, which may be a disk, to perform the tube fitting is interconnected with a host computer. The tube fitting is performed using a coordinate measuring machine in conjunction with appropriate CAD (computer and design) based inspection software which includes tube fitting capabilities.

Abstract: The proposal is for a process and device making it possible to determine the condition of one or more machines (3) at several measuring points by means of a measuring head (MK) with measurement transducers (MW) which can be releasably fitted there and to supply to a computer the relevant measurement signal together with the characteristic data therefore obtained at the measuring point concerned. The invention lies in the special nature of the obtaining of the characteristic data.

Abstract: A rolling digital surface measurement apparatus which measures and records the second elevation differences between a plurality of sequentially oriented, regularly spaced, co-linear points which lie on the surface, and which then computes the elevations of those points relative to a datum line established relative to any two points in the sequence by assuming that the mean curvatures of the tested surface are equal to zero in order to remove the inevitable effects of error compounding.

Abstract: A system for generating a solid model of the sidewall of the container. A mandrel selectively holds the container in first and second locations. In the first location, a non-contact measurement apparatus utilizing a digital camera produces digital information for generating a three dimensional sidewall surface profile of the container based upon shadow edge detection. In the second position, a contact measurement apparatus produces information for generating a three dimensional sidewall thickness map of the container. A computer collects the information from the contact and non-contact measurement apparatuses and produces an overall solid model of the sidewall of the container based upon sidewall surface profile and sidewall thickness. The computer generates can tilt, diameter, can ovality, and can squarity information.

Abstract: A self propelled device which travels along a reformer tube or other tube to detect variations in the tube diameter that may indicate impending failure of the tube. A two piece frame opens and closes about a hinge axis to allow application of the device to a tube and removal from the tube. When closed, wheels on the frame are held against the tube by a spring latch which allows the wheels to move in and out radially when diameter changes are encountered. One set of wheels is driven by an electric motor to propel the device along the tube. The diameter changes are sensed and measured by a linear variable differential transformer which monitors the gap between the ends of the frame sections. A chart recorder records the tube diameter measured at different positions along the tube length.

Abstract: The roughness of an area of the surface of a workpiece (W) is measured by bringing a height measuring device (10) to points on the surface and using the device to measure the height of each point relative to a datum level defined by a skid (17) while the device (10) is stationary relative to the surface. The points are arranged in a repetitive pattern in two dimensions across the area. The movement between the points is brought about by orthogonally arranged stepping motors (20,22).

Abstract: A warp sensing apparatus for measuring the displacement or warp in disk-shaped objects such as drum lids and the like. A drum lid or other disk-shaped object is centered on the apparatus and clamped at the axis of rotation of the disk-shaped object. After the disk-shaped object is clamped, a contact probe of a transducer is positioned on the surface of the disk-shaped object to measure bidirectional displacement of the contact probe perpendicular to the surface of the disk-shaped object caused by undulations in the surface of the disk-shaped object. A manual rotating wheel permits the disk-shaped object to be rotated. A meter readout on the transducer displays the magnitude and direction of the contact probe displacement caused by undulations in the disk-shaped object as the disk-shaped object is rotated.

Abstract: A method of scanning a workpiece surface is disclosed in which a machine carrying a scanning head is moved along a path, preferably at constant velocity, while a surface contacting device is moved by the scanning head to oscillate transversely to the instantaneous path direction to scan an area of the surface. Transducers on the machine, the head, and where necessary the surface contacting device provide data relating to the positions of the surface contacting device to data gathering device under the control of a computer. Apparatus for carrying out the method is also disclosed and includes a scanning head for moving the surface detecting device which may be a stylus or a probe relative to one axis, and preferably orthogonal axes. The head can include a set-up for inertia balancing the head and mass balancing the surface detection device. Also the head may include air bearings on which the stylus or probe are supported for oscillation.

Abstract: An eyeglasses frame tracing device used in an eyeglasses lens grinding machine. The eyeglasses frame tracing device of the invention comprises a horizontally movable base portion, a rotary base rotatably supported on the base portion, a shaft including a measuring element at its upper end, the shaft being retained on the rotary base so as to relatively move in the vertical and lateral direction with respect to the rotary base, a light-shielding plate which moves in association with the vertical movement and lateral movement of the measuring element shaft and which has openings to allow a part of light to pass therethrough, and a pair of a light emitting section and a light receiving section which are provided opposite to each other with the light-shielding plate interposed therebetween and which moves integrally with the rotary base.

Abstract: A contour follower device suitable for reading off the contour of eyeglass frame rims or surrounds includes a support table with holding means for supporting the article whose contour is to be read off. A feeler has a rotatable contact head adapted to be applied to the article and is carried by a carriage which is movable relative to the support table. The contact head is rotated by rotational drive means such as a motor-gearbox unit.

Abstract: An inspection apparatus for measuring a surface contour on a workpiece, such as a groove in a pilgering roller die, includes a supporting mechanism for rotatably clamping the die so as to orient the groove thereon in a measurement position, an elongated contact member having a pair of arms with end elements extending in opposite directions, a pair of measurement devices each including a displaceable contact probe and electrical circuitry for measuring the displacement of the contact probe, and a spindle mounting the contact member in a generally vertical orientation and for movement about a vertical axis. End elements on the contact member arms are movable along orthogonally-disposed axes lying in horizontal planes and are respectively placed in contact with a contour of the die groove to be measured and the displaceable contact probes such that displacement of the probes permits measurement of the radius of the groove contour.

Abstract: An apparatus for gaging the contour of a machined part includes a rotary slide assembly, a kinematic mount to move the apparatus into and out of position for measuring the part while the part is still on the machining apparatus, a linear probe assembly with a suspension arm and a probe assembly including as probe tip for providing a measure of linear displacement of the tip on the surface of the part, a means for changing relative positions between the part and the probe tip, and a means for recording data points representing linear positions of the probe tip at prescribed rotation intervals in the position changes between the part and the probe tip.

Abstract: The disclosed method and apparatus measures radial deviations along the axial length of a work roll with a number of axially spaced displacement detectors and at least three axially spaced motion detectors mounted ona detector mount that moves axially along the roll. A calculator responds to the motion detectors to determine errors in the motion of the mount to correct the output of the detectors and sums the deviators to generate overall deviations.

Abstract: A metrological instrument includes an inductive transducer having a stylus, all being disposed within a protective housing. Upon initiation of the measuring operation, the transducer is moved so that the stylus moves round an endless path such that the stylus is first projected at a high speed from the housing, is thereafter moved to engage the workpiece surface, is then moved at relatively slow speed across the workpiece surface for performing the measurements, and, following completion of the latter movement, is retracted at a high speed into the housing. These movements are effected by a series of cams driven by a single motor. Such an instrument may be located next to a production line without risk of damage and may used for the checking of each of a multiplicity of identical components produced in a mass production process.

Abstract: The spherical shaped probe for a coordinate measuring machine is modified by incorporating a pair of rods mounted in recesses formed in the center of the sphere at a side and bottom to define a straight edge whose measurement is equal to the sphere's radius measured at the tangent to the vertical and horizontal diameters. Both rods being mounted at right angles relative to each other.

Abstract: A measuring process for evaluation of the machining capability or quality of multi-spindle rotary machining or turning unit utilized for the production of preferably rotationally-symmetrical workpieces which are to be finished on both sides, and for the intermediate and/or final evaluation of workpieces which are finished in that manner. Furthermore, the invention also relates to a measuring installation for the implementation of this measuring process.

Abstract: A tube checking system is made up of a template placed on a flat metallic surface, and a series of adjustable holding fixtures places at selected positions along the template. The template has a computer aided layout of a plan view of a formed tube inscribed on a film with selected check points along the layout showing the height and angle of the tubing above the check point. Each holding fixture is adjustable as to height and angle, is indexed to align to the check point, and has a switchable on off magnet in the base to secure the fixture in position.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a sensing apparatus for sensing the displacement of a movable object relative to its ideal vertical path of travel. The apparatus includes two elongate reference wires extending parallel to the ideal vertical path of travel of the object. The apparatus further includes two sensing devices mounted for movement with the object. Each of the sensing devices is normally positioned a predetermined distance from a respective one of the reference wires such that engagement of the reference wire by the sensing device indicates that the object has been displaced about or from its expected predetermined path of travel.

Abstract: The telescoping parts of a rotary measuring arm mounted on an axis between wo centering devices enable the outer part of the measuring arm, which is equipped with a scanning roller, to be let out or pushed in by the contour of the bore as the arm is swung around by a remote control drive. During such a scan of the bore wall, an inductive or capacitive transducer provides signals representative of the radius measured to a remote location. The three legs of each centering device can be retracted or extended together by the same amount when the measuring device is removed from or set into place in the bore. A drive is also provided for retracting the measuring arm when the apparatus is being moved in the bore.

Abstract: A gauge in the nature of a hand tool determines the radius of a rounded corner disposed between two flat side surfaces on a workpiece. As the gauge is placed in a position to straddle the workpiece, a pair of spaced, perpendicular stops on the gauge engage the flat surfaces of the workpiece to align the latter relative to the gauge. The device also includes a bar which is shiftable along a line bisecting the angle between the flat stops, and an axially shiftable arm is pivotally mounted on one end of the bar. A dial indicator having a work contactor is secured to one end of the arm, and as the work contactor is moved to slidingly traverse the convex surface of the workpiece, the indicator reveals whether the pivotal axis of the work contactor coincides with the center of curvature of the convex surface. Both the arm and the bar are shifted until the pivotal axis coincides with the center of curvature, whereupon the radius of the convex surface may be readily measured by means of a depth micrometer.