Importance

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Abstract

A method for automatic probe offset compensation in a machine for measuring coordinates of a workpiece surface by contacting points on the surface with a probe having a prescribed diameter and sensing and recording the coordinates of the probe. The method can be applied to planar surfaces and circularly curved surfaces. The method includes determining a direction point in space just prior to contact with the workpiece surface, determining a directional vector between the direction point and the first contact point, and determining the angle of the directional vector relative to a normal to the surface. When the angle is within a predetermined range of acceptance, the direction point is considered valid. In the case of a planar surface, the measured surface is shifted by the probe offset in a direction opposite the normal vector so that the measured surface and the workpiece surface coincide. In the case of a curved surface, the distance from the direction point to the centerpoint of the measured surface is compared with the radius of the measured surface, and the probe offset is added to or subtracted from the radius so that the measured surface and the workpiece surface coincide. In a further refinement, the direction point is considered invalid if it is within the distribution of measured contact points.

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First Claim