US-20260126281-A1 - TACTILE MEASUREMENT DEVICE

US20260126281A1US 20260126281 A1US20260126281 A1US 20260126281A1US-20260126281-A1

Abstract

A tactile measurement device has a housing, a touch probe lever mounted in the housing, and a carrier shaft which can be fastened on the housing radially adjustably, supported on the housing. Accordingly, the radial adjustment of the carrier shaft on the housing is made axially in the direction of the touch probe lever after the supporting contact of the carrier shaft on the housing.

Inventors

Franz Haimer

Assignees

FRANZ HAIMER MASCHINENBAU KG

Dates

Publication Date: 20260507
Application Date: 20251104
Priority Date: 20241104

Claims (18)

1 . A tactile measurement device, comprising: a housing; a touch probe lever mounted in said housing; and a carrier shaft fastened on said housing and radially adjustably supported on said housing, the radial adjustment of said carrier shaft on said housing is made axially in a direction of said touch probe lever after a supporting contact of said carrier shaft on said housing.
2 . The tactile measurement device according to claim 1 , wherein said carrier shaft has at one end a connecting flange which has an annular extension forming a centring or adjustment opening.
3 . The tactile measurement device according to claim 2 , wherein said housing has an annular groove formed therein defining a stub.
4 . The tactile measurement device according to claim 3 , wherein: said stub is formed as a single piece with said housing; and/or said housing having other outer surfaces protruding beyond an axial end side of said stub.
5 . The tactile measurement device according to claim 3 , wherein said annular extension/portion engages in said annular groove with radial play.
6 . The tactile measurement device according to claim 2 , wherein said annular extension has a plurality of threaded holes formed therein and disposed uniformly distributed over a circumference, for receiving adjustment screws.
7 . The tactile measurement device according to claim 3 , wherein: a first support or mating surface, defining part of said supporting contact, at said stub or at an end side of said stub; and a corresponding second support or mating surface, further defining said supporting contact, is formed at said connecting flange or at an end side of said connecting flange.
8 . The tactile measurement device according to claim 7 , wherein said corresponding second support or mating surface is formed at said connecting flange radially inside said annular extension of said connecting flange.
9 . The tactile measurement device according to claim 3 , further comprising an axial clamping screw; and wherein said carrier shaft has an axial bore formed therein for receiving said axial clamping screw and by means of said axial clamping screw said carrier shaft is screwed to said housing.
10 . The tactile measurement device according to claim 3 , wherein said housing has an opening formed therein; and further comprising a bush disposed in said opening of said housing, said bush receiving said axial clamping screw.
11 . The tactile measurement device according to claim 1 , wherein said touch probe lever is pivotable about a pivot point and has at a first end of said pivot point a touch probe, a measuring arm having said touch probe or a measuring tip, and at a second end of said pivot point a coupling arm, wherein said coupling arm has a free end with an outer control surface formed at said free end.
12 . The tactile measurement device according to claim 11 , further comprising a sleeve-shaped coupling piece being guided displaceable in said housing axially in a direction of a main coordinate axis or measurement axis which forms an inner control surface, bearing against said outer control surface, in a form of a frustoconical surface.
13 . The tactile measurement device according to claim 1 , wherein the tactile measurement device is a multi-coordinate tactile measurement instrument.
14 . The tactile measurement device according to claim 6 , wherein said annular extension has at least three said threaded holes formed therein.
15 . The tactile measurement device according to claim 10 , wherein: said opening in said housing is formed in said stub of said housing; and said bush has an internal thread for receiving said axial clamping screw.
16 . The tactile measurement device according to claim 11 , wherein said outer control surface is a convex or spherical outer control surface.
17 . The tactile measurement device according to claim 7 , wherein said supporting contact is normal to an axis.
18 . The tactile measurement device according to claim 12 , wherein said frustoconical surface of said sleeve-shaped coupling piece has a linear generatrix.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION This application claims the priority, under 35 U.S.C. § 119, of German Patent Application DE 102024132 053.2, filed November 4, 2024; the prior application is herewith incorporated by reference in its entirety. FIELD AND BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The invention relates to a tactile measurement device. Tactile measurement instruments, here multi-coordinate tactile measurement instruments, are known, for example, from the German patent documents DE 41 00 323 C2 (corresponding to U.S. patent No. 5,365,673), DE 195 02 840 C2 and DE 100 14 630 A1. Such multi-coordinate tactile measurement instruments can be clamped in machine tools (or measurement instruments or the like) or their spindles and allow the spindle axis to be positioned precisely at workpiece or device edges. Workpiece zero points can thus be set and length or distance measurements made quickly and simply. In these known multi-coordinate tactile measurement instruments having inter alia a touch probe lever with a touch probe element at its end, their touch probe lever is displaceable in the direction of a main coordinate axis / measurement axis defined by guides of a housing and deflectable transversely to this main coordinate axis / measurement axis by means of a universal joint. The movements of the touch probe lever are detected by sensors and abovementioned length and distance values are calculated therefrom. The housing is mounted, via corresponding support/guide or mating surfaces which bear against each other and are here normal to the axis, on a carrier shaft (referred to as a supporting/bearing contact for short), the axis of the carrier shaft running coaxially with the main coordinate axis / measurement axis in the use situation. Provided for holding/fixing the carrier shaft on the housing is an axial clamping screw which screws the carrier shaft to the housing under tension via the corresponding support/guide or mating surfaces which bear against each other and are here normal to the axis or via the bearing/supporting contact mentioned. The multi-coordinate measurement instrument is then mounted in the spindle of the machine tool (or the measurement instrument) via a standard coupling (or a different tool holder), for example with a steep taper shaft. In order to be able to center the center point of the touch probe element with the axis of rotation of the spindle of the machine tool or the measurement instrument, the housing engages, facing the carrier shaft, with a stub on the housing, into an opening in the carrier shaft which allows radial play between the carrier shaft and the stub. The housing is thus, i.e. because of the play, radially movable and displaceable coaxially with the carrier shaft and can be centered or adjusted with the aid of multiple set/adjustment screws which are mounted on the carrier shaft and can be tightened against the stub (adjustment). Such centering/adjustment formed by the carrier shaft and the housing (in order to achieve or ensure the centering of the center point of the touch probe element with the axis of rotation of the spindle) has a significant influence on the measurement accuracy of the multi-coordinate tactile measurement instrument. It furthermore largely defines the geometry, in particular the dimensions such as the length and size, of the multi-coordinate tactile measurement instrument. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The object of the invention is to improve the multi-coordinate tactile measurement instrument known in the prior art. This object is achieved by a tactile measurement device with the features of the independent claim. Advantageous developments of the invention are the subject of dependent claims and the following description. Terms which may be used, such as up, down, front, back, left or right, are, unless explicitly defined otherwise, to be understood with their usual meaning. Terms such as radial and axial are, where used and unless explicitly defined otherwise, to be understood with reference to center axes or axes of symmetry of parts/components described here. The term “essentially”, where used, can be understood (in the understanding of the highest court) to mean “to a considerable degree in practice”. Possible deviations, implied by this terminology, from precise values can thus result unintentionally (i.e. for no functional reason) because of manufacturing or assembly tolerances or the like. Subject of the invention The tactile measurement device, such as in particular a multi-coordinate tactile measurement device, provides a housing, a touch probe lever mounted in the housing, and a carrier shaft which is or can be fastened on the housing radially adjustably (“radial adjustment”), supported on the housing (“supporting/bearing contact”). It is furthermore provided that the radial adjustment of the carrier shaft on the housing is made axially in the direction of the touch probe lever after the supporting contact of the carrier shaft on the