Measuring dimensional characteristics of a production part

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9658085-B2
Application number	US-201514611872-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 2, 2015
Priority date	Feb 3, 2014
Publication date	May 23, 2017
Grant date	May 23, 2017

Abstract

A measuring tool ( 1 ) for measuring dimensional characteristics (D) of a production part ( 2 ). The tool ( 1 ) comprises a unit ( 3 a, 3 b ) for positioning the measuring tool ( 1 ) relative to the part ( 2 ) and at least one measuring apparatus ( 4 a, 4 b ) mechanically linked to the positioning unit ( 3 a, 3 b ) by a mechanical link ( 5 ). The positioning unit ( 3 a, 3 b ) comprises a first centring device ( 6 a ) for coming into contact against an inner surface ( 7 a ) of a first bore ( 22 a 1 ) of the production part ( 2 ) and a second centring device ( 6 b) for coming into contact against an inner surface ( 7 b ) of a second bore ( 22 b 1 ) of the production part ( 2 ), the first and second bores ( 22 a 1, 22 b 1 ) being coaxial. The mechanical link ( 5 ) allows the relative displacement of the measuring apparatus ( 4 a, 4 b ) relative to the first and second centring devices ( 6 a, 6 b ).

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A measuring tool ( 1 ) for measuring dimensional characteristics (D) of a production part ( 2 ), the tool ( 1 ) comprising:
positioning means ( 3 a , 3 b ) for positioning the measuring tool ( 1 ) relative to the production part ( 2 );
at least one measuring apparatus ( 4 a , 4 b ) mechanically linked to the positioning means ( 3 a , 3 b ) by mechanical link means ( 5 ) between said at least one measuring apparatus ( 4 a , 4 b ) and the positioning means ( 3 a , 3 b );
wherein the positioning means ( 3 a , 3 b ) comprises:
first centring means ( 6 a ) of the tool ( 1 ) suitable for coming into contact against an inner surface ( 7 a ) of a first bore ( 22 a 1 ) of the production part ( 2 );
second centring means ( 6 b ) of the tool ( 1 ) suitable for coming into contact against an inner surface ( 7 b ) of a second bore ( 22 b 1 ) of the production part ( 2 ), these first and second bores ( 22 a 1 , 22 b 1 ) being coaxial; and
wherein the mechanical link means ( 5 ) are arranged to allow the relative displacement of the at least one measuring apparatus ( 4 a , 4 b ) relative to the first and second centring means ( 6 a , 6 b ) so that said at least one measuring apparatus ( 4 a , 4 b ) can successively touch a plurality of points of at least one of the inner surfaces ( 7 a , 7 b ) of the first or second bore ( 22 a 1 , 22 b 1 ) while these first and second centring means ( 6 a , 6 b ) are in contact against the respective inner surfaces ( 7 a , 7 b ) of these first and second bores and position the tool ( 1 ) relative to the production part ( 2 ).

2. The measuring tool ( 1 ) according to claim 1 , in which:
the first centring means ( 6 a ) have a first bearing part ( 8 a ) provided with bearing surfaces ( 9 a 1 , 9 a 2 ) arranged to be able to come to bear against the inner surface ( 7 a ) of said first bore ( 22 a 1 );
the second centring means ( 6 b ) have a second bearing part ( 8 b ) provided with bearing surfaces ( 9 b 1 ) arranged to be able to come to bear against the inner surface ( 7 b ) of said second bore ( 22 b 1 );
the positioning means ( 3 a , 3 b ) comprising clamping means ( 30 ) arranged to be able to exert a clamping force of the first and second bearing parts ( 8 a , 8 b ) so that the production part ( 2 ) can be clamped between these first and second bearing parts ( 8 a , 8 b ) while these first and second bearing parts ( 8 a , 8 b ) are respectively bearing against the inner surfaces ( 7 a , 7 b ) of the first and second bores ( 22 a 1 , 22 b 1 ).

3. The measuring tool according to claim 2 , in which,
the first bearing part ( 8 a ) comprises a first plurality of bearing surfaces ( 9 a 1 , 9 a 2 ) belonging to a same first frustum ( 10 a ); and
the second bearing part ( 8 b ) comprises a second plurality of bearing surfaces ( 9 b 1 ) belonging to a same second frustum ( 10 b ) coaxial to the first frustum ( 10 a ), said first and second bearing parts ( 8 a , 8 b ) being oriented relative to one another in such a way as to be arranged between respective bases (Ba, Bb) of the first and second frustums ( 10 a , 10 b ).

4. The measuring tool ( 1 ) according to claim 2 , in which the first bearing part ( 8 a ) has peripheral cut-outs ( 8 a 1 ) arranged between at least some of the first and second bearing surfaces ( 9 a 1 , 9 a 2 ) of the first bearing part ( 8 a ) so as to allow the passage, through at least some of said peripheral cut-outs ( 8 a 1 , 8 b 1 ), of a mechanical tracer ( 41 a , 41 b ) belonging to said at least one measuring apparatus ( 4 a , 4 b ).

5. The measuring tool according to claim 3 , in which the guiding axis ( 52 ) is coaxial to the first and second frustums ( 10 a , 10 b ) and in which the position indexing means ( 6 ) are arranged to rotationally index said at least one measuring apparatus ( 4 a , 4 b ) about the guiding axis ( 52 ) while allowing it to slide along this said guiding axis ( 52 ) so that the measuring apparatus ( 4 a , 4 b ) can touch a plurality of points of the inner surface ( 7 a , 7 b ) of the corresponding bore ( 22 a 1 , 22 b 1 ) which are mutually aligned and are placed in a same plane of orientation in which the guiding axis ( 52 ) extends.

6. The measuring tool ( 1 ) according to claim 1 , in which the mechanical link means ( 5 ) between the at least one measuring apparatus ( 4 a , 4 b ) and the positioning means ( 3 a , 3 b ) comprise a guide ( 51 ) defining a guiding axis ( 52 ) arranged to guide the displacement of said at least one measuring apparatus ( 4 a , 4 b ) along the guiding axis ( 52 ) and/or to rotationally guide the displacement of said at least one measuring apparatus ( 4 a , 4 b ) about said guiding axis ( 52 ).

7. The measuring tool ( 1 ) according to claim 6 , in which the mechanical link means ( 5 ) between the at least one measuring apparatus ( 4 a , 4 b ) and the positioning means ( 3 a , 3 b ) have position indexing means ( 6 ) for positioning said measuring apparatus ( 4 a , 4 b ) relative to said guiding axis ( 52 ), said position indexing means ( 6 ) being arranged to define a plurality of positions of orientation of said at least one measuring apparatus ( 4 a , 4 b ) relative to the guiding axis ( 52 ), said positions of orientation being arranged about the guiding axis ( 52 ).

8. The measuring tool according to claim 1 , in which each at least one measuring apparatus ( 4 a , 4 b ) has an apparatus body ( 42 a , 42 b ) which is specific to it, the measuring tool ( 1 ) comprising a plurality of measuring apparatuses ( 4 a , 4 b ) with bodies ( 42 a , 42 b ) that are mechanically linked together so that, during the displacement of one of the measuring apparatuses ( 4 a , 4 b ) relative to the first and second centring means ( 6 a , 6 b ), all the bodies ( 42 a , 42 b ) of the at least one measuring apparatus ( 4 a , 4 b ) are displaced together relative to said first and second centring means ( 6 a , 6 b ).

9. The measuring tool according to claim 8 , in which the apparatus bodies ( 42 a , 42 b ) of the at least one measuring apparatus ( 4 a , 4 b ) are each linked to a same plate ( 55 ) by elastic means, each elastic means ( 56 a , 56 b ) being arranged to exert an elastic return force in a fixed position relative to the plate ( 55 ) of the measuring apparatus body which corresponds to it.

10. An assembly ( 11 ) comprising said measuring tool ( 1 ) according to claim 1 and said production part ( 2 ), the first centring means ( 6 a ) of the measuring tool ( 1 ) being in contact against the inner surface ( 7 a , 7 b ) of the first bore ( 22 a 1 ) of the production part ( 2 ) so as to be centred with respect to this first bore ( 22 a 1 ) and the second centring means ( 6 b ) of the tool ( 1 ) being in contact against the inner surface of the second bore ( 22 b 1 ) of the production part so as to be centred with respect to this second bore ( 22 b 1 ) which is coaxial to the first bore ( 22 a 1 ), said at least one measuring apparatus ( 4 a , 4 b ) being placed between the first and second bores ( 22 a 1 , 22 b 1 ) and between said first and second centring means ( 6 a , 6 b ), said mechanical link means ( 5 ) between said at least one measuring apparatus ( 4 a , 4 b ) and the positioning means ( 5 ) being suitable for displacing said measuring apparatus ( 4 a , 4 b ) between these first and second bore

Assignees

• Messier Bugatti Dowty

Inventors

• Dastugue Jean-Benoit
• Couchinave Jean-Claude
• Elizalde Xavier

Classifications

• G01B5/25

  for testing the alignment of axes · CPC title

• G01D11/00 Primary

  Component parts of measuring arrangements not specially adapted for a specific variable (G01D13/00, G01D15/00 take precedence) · CPC title

• G01B5/20

  for measuring contours or curvatures · CPC title

• G01B5/12 Primary

  internal diameters · CPC title

• G01B21/00

  Measuring arrangements or details thereof, where the measuring technique is not covered by the other groups of this subclass, unspecified or not relevant · CPC title