Motorized orientable measuring head
Motorized indexed measuring head for a machine for measuring three-dimensional coordinates. The orientable axes are actuated by motors rigidly supported on bearings or ball bearings. The rotation is transmitted to the re-orientable elements by transmission elements having sufficient play so that the indexing accuracy is not impaired.
1. Orientable measuring head for orienting a probe feeler 60 relatively to a measuring apparatus, including:
a support element;
a first re-orientable element connected to said support element and capable of turning around a first axis relatively to said support element;
a rotation actuator, connected so as to be able to turn around said first axis;
a first transmission between said support element and said rotation actuator for driving said actuator around said first axis at a constant distance of said first axis;
a second transmission between said rotation actuator and said first re-orientable element, for driving said first re-orientable element.
2. The measuring head of claim 1 , wherein said second transmission includes a play.
3. The measuring head of claim 2 , wherein said play is comprised between 0.005 and 1.0 millimeter.
4. The measuring head of claim 1 , wherein said first transmission comprises a couple of toothed wheels of which one is united with said support element and the other is directly driven by a motor.
5. The measuring head of claim 1 , comprising a bearing to support said actuator.
6. The measuring head of claim 1 , wherein said first re-orientable element can slide in the direction of the axis between a locked position and an unlocked position.
7. The measuring head of claim 6 , wherein said actuator does not change position relatively to said support element when said first re-orientable element slides in the direction of the axis.
8. The measuring head of claim 7 , wherein said second transmission includes an element united with said first re-orientable element and parallel to said first axis.
9. The measuring head of claim 1 , including:
a plurality of mobile positioning elements united with said first re-orientable element;
a plurality of fixed positioning elements united with said support element and capable of engaging with said mobile positioning elements to define a plurality of predetermined orientations of said first re-orientable element relatively to said fixed element.
10. The measuring head of claim 9 , including:
a second re-orientable element connected with said first re-orientable element capable of turning relatively to said first re-orientable element along a second axis;
a second rotation actuator connected so as to be able to turn around said first axis;
a third transmission between said first re-orientable element and said second rotation actuator for driving said actuator around said second axis at a constant distance from said second axis;
a fourth transmission between said second rotation actuator and said second re-orientable element, for driving said second re-orientable element.
11. The measuring head of claim 10 , wherein said first axis and second axis are essentially orthogonal.