Embodiments provide measurement systems having a coordinate measuring machine, a workpiece storage apparatus, and a robot for delivering workpieces from the workpiece storage apparatus to the coordinate measuring machine, and methods for orienting and operating such systems. Illustrative embodiments employ a reference geometry tool on the robotic arm, and kinematic locators on the coordinate measuring machine and/or on the workpiece storage apparatus to define a coordinate system common to the coordinate measuring machine, the workpiece storage apparatus, and the robot.

A method for positioning a body that has a surface extending along a circular arc, includes: attaching the body to a machine part that is capable of swiveling; attaching a stationary, first distance gauge; attaching a stationary, second distance gauge; determining three first distance values and three second distance values at three defined angular positions of the machine part different from each other; calculating a first offset value, based on the three first distance values and the corresponding angular positions, and a second offset value, based on the three second distance values and the corresponding angular positions; shifting the body relative to the machine part, until the first offset value is determined by the first distance gauge and the second offset value is determined by the second distance gauge within permissible tolerances.

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.

A system is provided for programming workpiece feature inspection operations for a coordinate measuring machine (CMM), including a user interface that comprises a workpiece inspection program simulation portion configurable to display a 3-D view of a workpiece; an editing user interface portion comprising an editable plan representation of a current workpiece feature inspection plan for the workpiece; and an editable alignment program plan representation for the workpiece. The system is configured with the editable alignment program plan representation being automatically responsive to editing operations, regardless of whether the editing operations are performed in the 3-D view or the editable plan representation. The editing operations include deleting or adding at least one workpiece feature to or from the editable alignment program plan representation.

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.

In an embodiment, a method for automatically generating object inspections includes generating a preliminary list of inspection directions for an object to be inspected. The method also includes checking a compatibility of the preliminary list of inspection directions with each of a plurality of surfaces of the object. The method also includes creating a master set of direction-surface pairs responsive to the checking. The method also includes selecting candidate inspection points for each direction-surface pair in the master set of direction-surface pairs. The method also includes, responsive to a determination that the plurality of surfaces each have at least one compatible inspection direction indicated in the master set of direction-surface pairs, generating an optimized set of direction-surface pairs using a minimization algorithm. The method also includes returning the optimized set of direction-surface pairs and corresponding inspection points.

Disclosed is a non-contact optical measurement device for detecting or measuring different geometric workpiece features based on configurable light-propagation paths of light emitted from a light source and reflected by a workpiece surface for incidence upon a spectral sensor. The light-propagation paths are configurable based on which optical probe is attached to a rotation stage that rotates the probe about an optical axis and in a collimated region.

The invention relates to a measuring system for a construction machine having a carrier including several portions, a measuring system for a construction machine including a calculation unit determining a regression line as well as a controller having two control loops.

There is provided an operating method of an optical positioning system including: capturing an image frame of a detected surface, which has interleaved bright regions and dark regions, using a field of view and a shutter time of an optical sensor; counting a number of edge pairs between the bright regions and the dark regions that the field of view passes; calculating an average value of the image frame; calculating a ratio between the calculated average value and the shutter time; determining that the field of view is aligned with one of the dark regions when the ratio is smaller than a ratio threshold; and determining that the field of view is aligned with one of the bright regions when the ratio is larger than the ratio threshold.

A coupling element for receiving a probe tip in a probe measuring apparatus has a journal at one end with a first connecting/coupling region. A screw insert has a first connecting/coupling region at one end with a recess, in particular for connecting to the coupling element 16. The journal of the coupling element forms, on an outer surface, or the recess of the screw insert forms, on an inner surface, multiple thread segments or respectively which do not adjoin one another in a radial circumferential direction. A probe measuring apparatus includes the coupling element, the screw insert, a coupling arm/measuring shaft, and a probe insert connected to the coupling arm by way of the coupling element and the screw insert.