CAD Model-Based Intelligent Inspection Planning for Coordinate Measuring Machines

As the market competition among enterprises grows intensively and the demand for high quality products increases rapidly, product quality inspection and control has become one of the most important issues of manufacturing, and improving the efficiency and accuracy of inspection is also one of problems which enterprises must solve. It is particularly important to establish rational inspection planning for parts before inspecting product quality correctly. The traditional inspection methods have been difficult to satisfy the requirements on the speed and accuracy of modern manufacturing, so CAD-based computer-aided inspection planning （CAIP） system with the coordinate measuring machines （CMM） came into being. In this paper, an algorithm for adaptive sampling and collision-free inspection path generation is proposed, aiming at the CAD model-based inspection planning for coordinate measuring machines （CMM）. Firstly, using the method of step adaptive subdivision and iteration , the sampling points for the specified number with even distribution will be generated automatically. Then, it generates the initial path by planning the inspection sequence of measurement points according to the values of each point＇s weight sum of parameters, and detects collision by constructing section lines between the probe swept-volume surfaces and the part surfaces, with axis-aligned bounding box （AABB） filtering to improve the detection efficiency. For collided path segments, it implements collision avoidance firstly aiming at the possible outer-circle features, and then at other collisions, for which the obstacle-avoiding movements are planned with the heuristic rules, and combined with a designed expanded AABB to set the obstacle-avoiding points. The computer experimental results show that the presented algorithm can plan sampling points＇ locations with strong adaptability for different complexity of general surfaces, and generate efficient optimum path in a short time and avoid collision effectively.

Multiple Measurement Models of Articulated Arm Coordinate Measuring Machines

The existing articulated arm coordinate measuring machines（AACMM） with one measurement model are easy to cause low measurement accuracy because the whole sampling space is much bigger than the result in the unstable calibration parameters. To compensate for the deficiency of one measurement model, the multiple measurement models are built by the Denavit-Hartenberg＇s notation, the homemade standard rod components are used as a calibration tool and the Levenberg-Marquardt calibration algorithm is applied to solve the structural parameters in the measurement models. During the tests of multiple measurement models, the sample areas are selected in two situations. It is found that the measurement errors＇ sigma value（0.083 4 ram） dealt with one measurement model is nearly two times larger than that of the multiple measurement models（0.043 1 ram） in the same sample area. While in the different sample area, the measurement errors＇ sigma value（0.054 0 ram） dealt with the multiple measurement models is about 40% of one measurement model（0.137 3 mm）. The preliminary results suggest that the measurement accuracy of AACMM dealt with multiple measurement models is superior to the accuracy of the existing machine with one measurement model. This paper proposes the multiple measurement models to improve the measurement accuracy of AACMM without increasing any hardware cost.

ERROR COMPENSATION OF COORDINATE MEASURING MACHINES WITH LOW STIFFNESS

A technique for compensating the errors of coordinate measuring machines (CMMs) with low stiffness is proposed. Some additional items related with the force deformation are introduced to the error compensation aquations. The research was carried on a moving colunm horizontal arm CMM. Experimental results show that both the effects of systematic components of error motions and force deformations are greatly reduced, which shows the effectiveness of proposed technique.

Helical angle measurement of worm by a coordinate measuring machine and its uncertainty evaluation

The purpose of the study concerns the measurement of worm's helical angle by a coordinate measurement machine in the ambient industrial environment. The novel measurement method and sampling strategy were described firstly. This method used the coordinate measurement machine to measure both of the worm gear's left and right surfaces. The worm surface was reconstructed based on the measured data of all the sampling points. Then a middle cylinder was established to truncate the fitted worm surfaces, and the truncated spiral lines were straightened to calculate the helical angle. The measurement uncertainty of worm's helical angle was evaluated by taking the difference of calculated helical angles along the truncated spiral lines on both the left and right side surfaces of the worm. Twenty-four measurement experiments show that the maximum measurement error of the proposed method is 0.105, and the measurement error ratios are all less than 3.5%. The result means that the measurement method can realize the precision measurement of worm's helical angle and can be employed in the generally industrial application.

Determination of the workspace of a new coordinate-measuring machine using parallel-link mechanism

Presents the detailed algorithm established for determination of workspace for a 3-DOF coordinate measuring machine using parallel link mechanism by constructing the inverse kinematic model first and then reviewing the physical and kinematical constraints from the structural characteristics of the parallel link mechanism, and discusses the actual geometries of workspace and the factors having effect on workspace through computer simulation thereby providing necessary theoretical basis for the research and development of coordinate measuring machines using parallel link mechanism.

Flexible Scanning Method by Integrating Laser Line Sensors with Articulated Arm Coordinate Measuring Machines

Measuring and reconstructing the shape of workpieces have been considered as a fundamental step in both reverse engineering and product quality control.Owing to increasing structural complexity of recent products,measurements from multiple directions are typically required in current scanning techniques.Specifically,the plane structured light can be applied to measure one area of a part at a time,with an additional algorithm required to merge the collected data of each area.Alternatively,the line structured light sensor integrated on CNC machines or CMMs could also realize multi-view measurement.However,the system needs to be repeatedly calibrated at each new direction.This paper presents a flexible scanning method by integrating laser line sensors with articulated arm coordinate measuring machines(AACMM).Since the output of the laser line sensor is 2D raw data in the laser plane,our system model introduces an explicit transformation from the 2D sensor coordinate frame to the 3D base coordinate frame of the AACMM(i.e.,the translation and rotation the of the 2D sensor coordinate in the sixth coordinate system of AACMM).To solve the model,the“conjugate pairs”are proposed and identified by measuring a fixed point(e.g.,a sphere center).Moreover,a search algorithm is adopted to find the optimal solution,which noticeably boosts the model accuracy.The experimental results show that the error of the system is about 0.2 mm,which is caused by the error of the AACMM,the sensor error and the calibration error.By measuring a complicated part,the proposed system is proved to be flexible and facilitate,with the ability to measure a part expediently from any necessary direction.Furthermore,the proposed calibration method can also be used for robot hand-eye relationship calibration.

COORDINATE MEASURING MACHINE PROBING ACCESSIBILITY

The accessibility of coordinate measuring machines (CMMs) in dimensional inspection is studied. The problem of computing the global accessibility cone is solved using a method of angle representation. Otherwise, the length and volume of probe are considered sufficiently so that all the feasible probe orientations could be determined for the inspection of a workpiece when a touch trigger probe is used and the shortcoming of abstracting a probe as an infinite half line could be overcome completely. In the end, an example is given to explain the method.

ASSESSING THE DYNAMIC ERRORS OF COORDINATE MEASURING MACHINES

The main factors affecting the dynamic errors of coordinate measuring machines are analyzed. It is pointed out that there are two main contributors to the dynamic errors: One is the rotation of the elements around the joints connected with air bearings and the other is the bending of the elements caused by the dynamic inertial forces. A method for obtaining the displacement errors at the probe position from dynamic rotational errors is presented. The dynamic rotational errors are measured with inductive position sensors and a laser interferometer. The theoretical and experimental results both show that during the process of fast probing, due to the dynamic inertial forces, there are not only large rotation of the elements around the joints connected with air bearings but also large bending of the weak elements themselves.

Development of an In-Situ Laser Machining System Using a Three-Dimensional Galvanometer Scanner

In this study, a three-dimensional (3D) in-situ laser machining system integrating laser measurement and machining was built using a 3D galvanometer scanner equipped with a side-axis industrial camera. A line structured light measurement model based on a galvanometer scanner was proposed to obtain the 3D information of the workpiece. A height calibration method was proposed to further ensure measurement accuracy, so as to achieve accurate laser focusing. In-situ machining software was developed to realize time-saving and labor-saving 3D laser processing. The feasibility and practicability of this in-situ laser machining system were verified using specific cases. In comparison with the conventional line structured light measurement method, the proposed methods do not require light plane calibration, and do not need additional motion axes for 3D reconstruction;thus they provide technical and cost advantages. The insitu laser machining system realizes a simple operation process by integrating measurement and machining,which greatly reduces labor and time costs.

Three-Dimensional Analytical Modeling of Axial-Flux Permanent Magnet Drivers

In this paper, the axial-flux permanent magnet driver is modeledand analyzed in a simple and novel way under three-dimensional cylindricalcoordinates. The inherent three-dimensional characteristics of the deviceare comprehensively considered, and the governing equations are solved bysimplifying the boundary conditions. The axial magnetization of the sectorshapedpermanent magnets is accurately described in an algebraic form bythe parameters, which makes the physical meaning more explicit than thepurely mathematical expression in general series forms. The parameters of theBessel function are determined simply and the magnetic field distribution ofpermanent magnets and the air-gap is solved. Furthermore, the field solutionsare completely analytical, which provides convenience and satisfactoryaccuracy for modeling a series of electromagnetic performance parameters,such as the axial electromagnetic force density, axial electromagnetic force,and electromagnetic torque. The correctness and accuracy of the analyticalmodels are fully verified by three-dimensional finite element simulations and a15 kW prototype and the results of calculations, simulations, and experimentsunder three methods are highly consistent. The influence of several designparameters on magnetic field distribution and performance is studied and discussed.The results indicate that the modeling method proposed in this papercan calculate the magnetic field distribution and performance accurately andrapidly, which affords an important reference for the design and optimizationof axial-flux permanent magnet drivers.

Estimation of measuring uncertainty for optical micro-coordinate measuring machine

Based on the evaluation principle of the measuring uncertainty of the traditional coordinate measuring machine (CMM), the analysis and evaluation of the measuring uncertainty for optical micro-CMM have been made. Optical micro-CMM is an integrated measuring system with optical, mechanical, and electronic components, which may influence the measuring uncertainty of the optical micro-CMM. If the influence of laser speckle is taken into account, its longitudinal measuring uncertainty is 2.0 μm, otherwise it is 0.88 μm. It is proved that the estimation of the synthetic uncertainty for optical micro-CMM is correct and reliable by measuring the standard reference materials and simulating the influence of the diameter of laser beam. With Heisenberg's uncertainty principle and quantum mechanics theory, a method for improving the measuring accuracy of optical micro-CMM through adding a diaphragm in the receiving terminal of the light path was proposed, and the measuring results are verified by experiments.

基于NURBS曲线拟合的渐开线圆柱齿轮齿形偏差计算

为了提高现有齿轮齿廓曲线的拟合精度,针对现有的齿形偏差计算方法,提出了一种基于非均匀有理B样条(NURBS)曲线拟合的渐开线圆柱齿轮齿形偏差计算方法。首先,建立渐开线圆柱齿轮齿形误差的理论数学模型,然后根据NURBS曲线拟合原理和三坐标测量机测量的齿廓坐标点,用Matlab编程实现了NURBS曲线对实际齿廓曲线的拟合,结合渐开线等效拟合法,计算出了齿轮的齿形偏差。拟合结果表明,与最小二乘法(LS)的拟合结果对比,NURBS曲线拟合齿廓曲线精度更高,误差小,具有良好的拟合效果。齿形偏差计算结果表明,采用的基于NURBS曲线拟合的齿形偏差与实测值一致,表明该方法准确、有效。

基于遗传算法的圆锥量规中轴线提取方法

通过研究圆锥量规中轴线的拟合方法,提出了一种基于遗传算法拟合圆锥量规中轴线的方法。根据圆锥量规表面点云数据,利用圆锥量规表面与中轴线的特征关系建立数学模型,将遗传算法与点云数据结合,模拟实验并进行实际验证显示,基于遗传算法的圆锥量规点云中轴线提取方法可以有效减小误差,相比坐标测量机传统方法更加准确和稳定。

基于坐标测量机的圆度误差测量不确定度分析

测量圆度的仪器众多,如指示表、测微计、圆度仪、影像仪、坐标测量机等。坐标测量机因测量圆度精度高、效率高的特点而得到了广泛应用。测量不确定度作为评价测量结果质量的重要指标,其来源非常复杂,不仅与坐标测量机本身的精度有关,还与采样策略、被测工件、环境条件及数据处理方法等因素有关。本文主要针对坐标测量机的圆度误差进行测量不确定度分析。

车钩校对样板检定自动测量程序研制

在检定车钩校对样板过程中,采用人工手动打点编程,存在触测角度偏差大、测量特征点坐标时测量力不均匀、编程用时较长等问题。利用三坐标测量机软件的自动识别特征功能,在三维数据模型上规划测量过程,编写自动测量程序,实现车钩校对样板自动测量。对比分析手动测量与自动测量的过程和结果,结果表明:手动测量结果与自动测量结果均符合偏差要求;两者的重复性试验显示,自动测量的结果更加稳定准确。

柔性三坐标测量仪在汽车碰撞试验中的应用

随着各国汽车碰撞安全试验标准体系及试验方法的不断更新和发展,柔性三坐标测量仪在汽车碰撞试验中的应用范围日益增加,已经成为汽车碰撞试验的主要测试设备之一。文章简要梳理了柔性三坐标测量仪在汽车碰撞试验乘员舱侵入量测量、座椅调整、H点测定、假人定位、摄影标识定位、车辆碰撞参考线定位以及移动渐进可变形壁障(MPDB)测量等流程中的应用案例和方法,为即将从事汽车碰撞试验的工程技术人员了解柔性三坐标测量仪在汽车碰撞试验中的应用提供参考。

采矿设备装配三坐标测量机静态误差自动化校正方法

为解决在三坐标测量机进行扫描时,误差校正结果不准确的问题,提出了一种采矿设备装配三坐标测量机静态误差自动化校正方法。分析了三坐标测量机沿水平方向移动时采矿设备装配部件弯曲变形和测头不规则旋转导致的静态误差。利用自动化方法,通过考虑综合影响,对静态测量结果进行自动化综合分析,并总结静态误差的规律。采用相应的自动化数据处理方法建立静态误差修正模型,以自动化较正静态误差。结果表明,设计模型能很好地解决全局最优解问题,提高了校正精度。