A measuring system (15) includes a measuring arm receiving unit (18) mounted on the housing (49) or on an axial pin (30) connected to the housing (49) for conjoint rotation so as to be rotatable or pivotable about the axis of rotation (D). A measuring arm (16) can be arranged on the measuring arm receiving unit (18). A motor unit (24) generates a motor torque about the axis of rotation (D) on the measuring arm receiving unit (18). The measuring arm unit (18) is mounted by a ball bearing guide unit (39) to be rotatable about the axis of rotation (D) in the peripheral direction and displaceably along the axis of rotation (D) in the axial direction A. An axial position of the measuring arm unit (18) in the axial direction is defined with the aid of a magnetic axial bearing device (46) and is maintained during operation.

Disclosed are a portable surface characteristics measurement device and a control method thereof. The portable surface characteristics measurement device includes: a roughness sensor configured to convert a signal sensed from a surface of an object during movement of the portable surface characteristics measurement device on the surface of the object into an electric vibration signal; a movement measurement sensor configured to measure a movement physical quantity of the portable surface characteristics measurement device; and a processor configured to change a sampling interval depending on the measured movement physical quantity, and sample the vibration signal in real time, wherein the processor is configured to perform Fourier transform on the sampled vibration signal, and identify a peak frequency band shown in the Fourier-transformed vibration signal as surface roughness information of the object.

Disclosed are a portable surface characteristics measurement device and a control method thereof. The portable surface characteristics measurement device includes: a roughness sensor configured to convert a signal sensed from a surface of an object during movement of the portable surface characteristics measurement device on the surface of the object into an electric vibration signal; a movement measurement sensor configured to measure a movement physical quantity of the portable surface characteristics measurement device; and a processor configured to change a sampling interval depending on the measured movement physical quantity, and sample the vibration signal in real time, wherein the processor is configured to perform Fourier transform on the sampled vibration signal, and identify a peak frequency band shown in the Fourier-transformed vibration signal as surface roughness information of the object.

A surface finish stylus and associated methods for a multi-directional scanning probe the stylus having an elongate stylus shaft having a longitudinal axis and one or more contact elements protruding from the elongate shaft for contacting a surface to be measured. The one or more contact elements are configured to enable measurement of surface finish during motion of the stylus shaft relative to a surface along a measurement direction that is non-parallel to the longitudinal axis. The multi-directional scanning probe may be carried by a coordinate measuring machine or machine tool.

A surface finish stylus and associated methods for a multi-directional scanning probe the stylus having an elongate stylus shaft having a longitudinal axis and one or more contact elements protruding from the elongate shaft for contacting a surface to be measured. The one or more contact elements are configured to enable measurement of surface finish during motion of the stylus shaft relative to a surface along a measurement direction that is non-parallel to the longitudinal axis. The multi-directional scanning probe may be carried by a coordinate measuring machine or machine tool.

A surface finish stylus is described that includes an elongate stylus shaft and a contact element protruding from the elongate shaft for contacting a surface to be measured. The contact element is deformable and the stylus shaft includes a clamp for retaining the contact element, the contact element being deformed by the clamp. The contact element may comprise a metal, such as chromium steel or nitinol. The contact element includes one or more regions of weakness to cause a required deformation when retained by the clamp. The surface finish stylus may be used with a surface finish measurement probe or the like.

A form measuring apparatus includes a base; an arm capable of swinging relative to the base; a coupler coupling the base and the arm, and having a deformation region that is capable of elastic deformation between the base and the arm; and a distortion detector installed in the deformation region. In the form measuring apparatus, a stylus is mounted to the arm and can slide along a surface of a work piece.

A form measuring apparatus includes a base; an arm capable of swinging relative to the base; a coupler coupling the base and the arm, and having a deformation region that is capable of elastic deformation between the base and the arm; and a distortion detector installed in the deformation region. In the form measuring apparatus, a stylus is mounted to the arm and can slide along a surface of a work piece.

A support system of a slender article in a geometry-detecting machine includes a plurality of vertical constraint points with which the slender article is in contact, wherein the vertical constraint points are coupled in pairs by interconnection arms in turn including a constraint joint provided with a universal joint mechanism which leaves, to the arms, two rotational degrees of freedom along two orthogonal axes passing in the proximity of the longitudinal axis of the article, the constraint joints possibly being themselves similarly coupled in pairs until converging, in a multiple-layer sequence, towards a single constraint point.

A method of constructing a three-dimensional model of an internal surface of a tubular structure comprises obtaining image data from an area of the internal surface of the structure, obtaining measured height profile data from the internal surface in a plurality of sub-regions of the area, for example using a multi-finger caliper tool, determining image properties from the image data, correlating the measured height profile data with the image properties in the sub-regions, and constructing expected height profile data for at least part of the area outside the sub-regions using the correlated measured height profile data and image properties.