Measuring apparatus

Claim 2

Measuring apparatus comprising the combination of a relatively movable first casing having associated therewith a first probe, and a relatively fixed second casing having associated therewith a second probe, means supporting said first casing for sliding movement on said fixed shaft, said first casing having fixed thereto a slidable first shaft slidably carried by said second casing, a slidable second shaft slidably carried by said second casing and terminating in said second probe, a fixed third shaft attached to said second casing, said first, second and fixed third shafts being parallel to each other, said first casing having an arm carrying said first probe opposite said second probe, spring means for urging said second probe into engagement with one side of a work piece, said first casing being movable to urge said first probe toward said second probe and into engagement with an opposite side of the work piece, a position-measuring device in said second casing having relatively movable, inductively related elements, one of said elements being fixed to said first shaft, and the other of said elements being fixed to said second shaft, said positionmeasuring device producing a signal corresponding to the separation of said probes, and means for reading out said signal.

Claim 3

Apparatus according to claim 1, said first casing having means supporting a third probe and including a mechanical movement responsive to relative movement of said first and second casings to coordinate the movement of said third probe and maintain said first and second probes colinear with the diameter of a work piece being measured.

Claim 4

Apparatus according to claim 1, said second casing having manually operable means associated with said firsT and second shafts for adjusting the separation of said first and second probes.

Claim 5

A gage for measuring dimensions comprising, a first probe member movable over a coarse travel and lockable at selected positions, a second probe member movable over a fine travel when said first probe is locked, a position-measuring apparatus including first and second transducer members connected to said first and second probe members respectively, said first and second transducer members electrically related to continuously measure the displacement of said first and second probe members during said coarse and said fine travel and thereby measure said dimensions, a third probe member having a component of travel normal to the travel of said first and second probe members for maintaining said first and second probe members substantially colinear with a diameter of a work piece to be measured, and an operating mechanism for moving said first and third probe members over said coarse travel to engage said probe members with a work piece and for inhibiting the movement of said second probe member when said first and third probe members are unlocked for moving, wherein said operating mechanism includes, a rotatable member having first, second and third cams, a first cam follower actuated by said first cam for inhibiting the movement of said second probe member, a second cam follower actuated by said second cam for unlocking said first probe member, a third cam follower actuated by said third cam for translating said first probe.

Claim 6

A gage for measuring dimensions comprising, a first probe member movable over a coarse travel and lockable at selected positions, a second probe member movable over a fine travel when said first probe is locked, a position-measuring apparatus including first and second transducer members connected to said first and second probe members respectively, said first and second transducer members electrically related to continuously measure the displacement of said first and second probe members during said coarse and said fine travel and thereby measure said dimensions, a third probe member having a component of travel normal to the travel of said first and second probe members for maintaining said first and second probe members substantially colinear with a diameter of a work piece to be measured, and an operating mechanism for moving said first and third probe members over said coarse travel to engage said probe members with a work piece and for inhibiting the movement of said second probe member when said first and third probe members are unlocked for moving, wherein said operating mechanism includes, a rotatable member having first, second and third cams, a first cam follower actuated by said first cam for inhibiting the movement of said second probe member, a second cam follower actuated by said second cam for unlocking said first probe member, a third cam follower actuated by said third cam for translating said first probe.

Claim 7

A gage for measuring the diameter of a round work piece wherein a movable first probe contacts said work piece at one point, wherein a movable second probe contacts said work piece at a second point, and wherein a movable third probe contacts said work piece at a third point to maintain said first and second probes colinear with a diameter of the work piece, the improvement comprising, operating means for stopping said second probe short of an extreme end of a fine travel when said first probe is moved over a coarse travel to bring said first, second and third probes into contact with said work piece, said operating means including means for unstopping said second probe, thereby allowing full travel over said fine travel, said operating means also including means for locking said first probe when said first, second and third probes are in contact with said work piece, a position-measuring apparatus including a transducer having a first element connected to said first probe and a second element connected to said second probe, said first and second elements electrically related to continuously measure the relative displacement between said first and second probes during both coarse and fine travel and thereby measure the diameter of the work piece.

Claim 8

A gage for measuring the diameter of a round work piece wherein a movable first probe contacts said work piece at one point, wherein a movable second probe contacts said work piece at a second point, and wherein a movable third probe contacts said work piece at a third point to maintain said first and second probes colinear with a diameter of the work piece, the improvement comprising, operating means for stopping said second probe short of an extreme end of a fine travel when said first probe is moved over a coarse travel to bring said first, second and third probes into contact with said work piece, said operating means including means for unstopping said second probe, thereby allowing full travel over said fine travel, said operating means also including means for locking said first probe when said first, second and third probes are in contact with said work piece, a position-measuring apparatus including a transducer having a first element connected to said first probe and a second element connected to said second probe, said first and second elements electrically related to continuously measure the relative displacement between said first and second probes during both coarse and fine travel and thereby measure the diameter of the work piece.

Claim 9

The gage of claim 5 further including, first means for spring loading said first probe toward said second probe, second means for spring loading said second probe toward said first probe, said means for stopping operative to inhibit said first means from negating the loading action of said second means and from driving said second probe to the second probe''s extreme end of travel.

Claim 10

The gage of claim 6 wherein said first and second elements are relatively movable elements of a position-measuring transformer, wherein one of said elements includes a reference winding having active conductors transverse to the directions of travel of said first and second probes and equally spaced to define a reference cycle, wherein the other of said elements includes a plurality of polyphase windings having active conductors spaced to form polyphase signals with respect to said reference winding, and a digital readout apparatus for energizing said polyphase windings and forming from the error signal induced in said reference winding a digital readout representing the diameter of the work piece.

Claim 11

The gage of claim 7 further including, a balancing mechanism for supporting said gage in the vicinity of said work piece whereby the weight of said gage is supported by said mechanism thereby allowing said second means to force said second probe against said work piece with a substantially constant force.

Claim 12

A gage for measuring the diameter of a round work piece wherein a movable first probe contacts said work piece at one end of a diameter, wherein a second probe contacts said work piece at the opposite end of said diameter, and wherein a movable third probe maintains said first and second probes colinear with said diameter, the improvement comprising, means for maintaining, at any point over a fine travel, said first and second probes in contact with said work piece with a substantially constant force, means for moving said first and third probes over a coarse travel to bring said first, second and third probes into contact with said work piece, stop means for stopping said second probe when said first and third probes are moved over said coarse travel, means for locking said first and third probes when said first, second and third probes are in contact with said work piece and for unlocking said stop means to allow said second probe to move over its fine travel, a position-measuring apparatus including a transducer having a first element connected to said first probe and a second element connected to said second probe, said first and second elements electrically related to continuously provide an electrical measure of the displacement of said first and second probes and thereby measure the diameter of said work piece.

Claim 13

A gage for measuring the diameter of a round work piece wherein a movable first probe contacts said work piece at one end of a diameter, wherein a second probe contacts said work piece at the opposite end of said diameter, and wherein a movable third probe maintains said first and second probes colinear with said diameter, the improvement comprising, means for maintaining, at any point over a fine travel, said first and second probes in contact with said work piece with a substantially constant force, means for moving said first and third probes over a coarse travel to bring said first, second and third probes into contact with said work piece, stop means for stopping said second probe when said first and third probes are moved over said coarse travel, means for locking said first and third probes when said first, second and third probes are in contact with said work piece and for unlocking said stop means to allow said second probe to move over its fine travel, a position-measuring apparatus including a transducer having a first element connected to said first probe and a second element connected to said second probe, said first and second elements electrically related to continuously provide an electrical measure of the displacement of said first and second probes and thereby measure the diameter of said work piece.