A method of operating a measurement device to check an internal thread of a spark plug bore for proper orientation of a spark plug includes positioning a cylinder head relative to the measurement device and measuring a seat surface z-position. The seat surface is configured to seat the spark plug within the spark plug bore. The method includes measuring at least one set of coordinates. Each set of coordinates is at a major diameter of a corresponding threadform of the internal thread. The method includes determining a pitch of the internal thread. The method includes calculating a thread start location where the major diameter of the internal thread intersects the seat surface based on the coordinates of the at least one set of coordinates, the pitch of the internal thread, and the z position of the seat surface. The method includes comparing the thread start location to a reference location.

A measuring assembly for measuring the contour of a workpiece has a measuring probe that is pivotably supported and deflectable about a first axis (measuring axis) in order to contact a surface of the workpiece, and has a second axis that is associated with the workpiece. The first axis and the second axis are parallel or approximately parallel to one another for radially contacting a surface of the workpiece. A device for rotating the measuring probe and the workpiece relative to one another is provided, such that the measuring probe contacts the surface of the workpiece during the rotation, and a device for plotting the angular deflection of the measuring probe as a function of the particular rotational position of the workpiece relative to the measuring probe is provided.

The present disclosure relates to an apparatus and method for visual inspection of a radial surface of a camshaft lobe. Upon visual inspection of the radial surface of the camshaft lobe via the apparatus and method of the present disclosure, surface roughness, or chatter, can be evaluated. Rapid evaluation of camshaft lobe chatter provides for improved manufacturing efficiency and decreased production delays.

A system and method for characterizing surfaces includes using a measuring device to take size measurements of a manufactured product. The raw measurement data is transformed from a time-based domain to a frequency-based domain using a mathematical algorithm. The transformed size measurement data is then compared to predetermined limits within comparable frequency bands to characterize the surface of the manufactured product.

A surface texture measuring apparatus includes an X axis displacement mechanism and a Y axis displacement mechanism displacing a measurable object having an interior wall along an XY plane; a measurement sensor measuring a surface texture of the interior wall without contact; a Z axis displacement mechanism displacing the measurement sensor in a Z axis direction orthogonal to the XY plane and bringing the measurement sensor to face the interior wall; a W axis displacement mechanism displacing the measurement sensor facing the interior wall in a normal direction of the interior wall; and a axis displacement mechanism displacing the measurement sensor facing the interior wall along the interior wall.

Around a crankshaft (S) supported by a support device (10), a first shape measuring device (31) to a fourth shape measuring device (34) are disposed, and the crankshaft (S) and the first shape measuring device (31) to the fourth shape measuring device (34) are relatively movable in an axial direction (X direction) of the crankshaft (S). The first shape measuring device (31) and the third shape measuring device (33) are disposed so as to face to one X direction and acquire partial shape information (including the other side surfaces in the X direction of counterweights (S2)) of the crankshaft S, and further, the second shape measuring device (32) and the fourth shape measuring device (34) are disposed so as to face to the other X direction and acquire partial shape information (including one side surfaces in the X direction of the counterweights (S2)) of the crankshaft S. This makes it possible to accurately inspect a shape of the crankshaft (S) in a short time.

A gauging machine for inspecting bore diameters of a workpiece includes a reference fixture, a first wide range bore gauge arranged on a first three-dimensional positioning apparatus to facilitate inspection of a first set of bores aligned along parallel axes, and a second wide range bore gauge arranged on a second three-dimensional positioning apparatus to facilitate inspection of one bore or a plurality of bores aligned along parallel axes. The gauging machine facilitates inspection of bores on a plurality of different workpieces having different overall dimensions, a different number of bores, different positioning of bores, and/or different size bores, without requiring retooling of the gauging machine.

The present invention includes a preparatory step of providing a calibration work piece having a flat reflecting surface as a work piece, and arranging the reflecting surface to be parallel to a standard optical axis and orthogonal or parallel to pixel array directions of an image capture element; a rotation step of rotating a prism centered on the standard optical axis; a brightness detection step of detecting the brightness of an image captured by the image capture element at each of a plurality of rotation positions of the prism; and a positioning step of aligning the prism at a rotation position where the brightness detected by the brightness detection step is greatest.

A method for determining shape deviations of a real actual surface on the basis of measured vertical information of measurement points of the actual surface section is provided. Measurement points are located in a measurement-point extent section, wherein the method uses evaluation sections, which are arranged at offsets to each other and, altogether, extend over the measurement-point extent section. The method includes (a) for each measurement point of a number of measurement points of each evaluation section of the first evaluation sections, determining a maximum vertical distance that results as the greatest distance in a specified vertical direction between two measurement points, and (b) determining an evaluation-section slope, which represents a straight connecting line between an evaluation-section lowest point and an evaluation-section highest point, wherein, in a further step, the value pairs of a maximum vertical distance and of an evaluation-section slope, which value pairs are determined in a plurality of iterations for the respective evaluation sections thereof, are associated with a limit criterion.

A method for estimating life of a piston ring includes obtaining a reference profile of the piston ring. The reference profile comprises a plurality of reference fiducials. The method further includes receiving a measured profile of the piston ring. The measured profile comprises a plurality of measured fiducials. The method further includes aligning the measured profile with the reference profile based on one or more of the plurality of reference fiducials and one or more of the plurality of measured fiducials. The method also includes determining one or more wear parameters based on the aligned measured profile and the reference profile. The method also includes generating a wear model based on the one or more wear parameters. The method also includes estimating a life of the piston ring based on the wear model.