Measurement point generation device, measurement point generation method, and program

Abstract

To provide a measurement point generating device, a measurement point generation method, and a program, which automatically generates a pair of measurement points at facing positions.SOLUTION: A measurement point generating device 10 for generating measurement points for an object to be measured comprises: a measurement target surface determination section 110 that determines a measurement target surface by causing an operator to designate a measurement target size as the designation of the measurement target surface related to the measurement target size; a measurement point generation section 120 that generates a pair of measurement points at facing positions on the measurement target surface; and an output section 130 that outputs position coordinates of the pair of measurement points generated by the measurement point generation means. The measurement point generation section 120 includes: a projected surface generation section 121 that generates a projected surface to which a shape of the measurement target surface is projected; a measurement area determination section 122 that determines a measurement area on the projected surface on the basis of the shape of the measurement target surface which is projected to the projected surface; a virtual straight line generation section 123 that generates a virtual straight line passing through the measurement area; and an intersection point acquisition section 124 that acquires two intersection points between the virtual straight line and the measurement target surface to generate the acquired two intersection points as a pair of measurement points.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a measurement point generation device, a measurement point generation method, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] When measuring the dimensions of a workpiece using a 3D coordinate measuring machine equipped with a touch probe, the operation of the touch probe is defined in advance as a measurement program under NC control. The workpiece is then measured and evaluated automatically using this measurement program. There are techniques to streamline the creation of measurement programs. The technology to streamline the creation of measurement programs generates the position coordinates of the measurement points and the movement path of the touch probe on a computer based on the shape data of a 3D model that represents the shape of the workpiece. The position coordinates of the measurement points are generated individually for each workpiece.

[0003] The technology disclosed in Patent Document 1 automatically generates position coordinates of measurement points based on shape data representing the shape of the object to be measured. In addition, an operator adjusts the position coordinates of the measurement points by inputting parameters. The parameters include, for example, the number and spacing of measurement points.

[0004] In JIS, unless otherwise specified, size, which represents length, is evaluated by the "distance between two opposing points." For example, when measuring the distance between two parallel planes, surfaces A and B, two measurement points are generated, one on each surface A and B, in positions opposite each other, and the distance between the two measurement points generated is calculated. The distance between these two opposing points is called the size between two points. The result of measuring one or more two-point sizes for surfaces A and B is evaluated as the distance between surfaces A and B. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 6483430 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] However, when the technology disclosed in Patent Document 1 is used, the position coordinates of the measurement points are generated separately for surface A and surface B, so the measurement points are not generated as two points in opposing positions, and the size between the two points cannot be measured. If you want to evaluate the distance between surface A and surface B using the size between the two points, you need to manually generate the two points in opposing positions as measurement points, which is inefficient.

[0007] The present disclosure has been made in consideration of the above-described situation, and aims to provide a measurement point generation device, a measurement point generation method, and a program that automatically generate a pair of measurement points at opposing positions. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to achieve the above object, a measurement point generating device according to the present disclosure generates measurement points for an object to be measured, The operator is asked to select the distance between two parallel planes or the diameter of a cylinder as the measurement target size, and to specify the measurement target surface related to the selected measurement target size. a measurement target surface determination means for determining the measurement target surface; a measurement point generating means for generating a pair of measurement points at opposing positions on the measurement target surface; an output means for outputting the position coordinates of the pair of measurement points generated by the measurement point generation means; Equipped with. The measurement point generating means a projection surface generating means for generating a projection surface onto which the shape of the measurement target surface is projected; a measurement area determination means for determining a measurement area on the projection surface based on the shape of the measurement target surface projected onto the projection surface; a virtual line generating means for generating a virtual line passing through the measurement area; an intersection point acquiring means for acquiring two intersection points between the virtual line and the measurement target surface and generating the acquired two intersection points as the pair of measurement points; Equipped with. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the present disclosure, by generating a pair of measurement points by two intersections between a virtual line passing through the measurement area and the surface to be measured, it is possible to automatically generate a pair of measurement points at opposite positions on the surface to be measured. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration of a measurement point generation device according to a first embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of a measurement point generation device according to a first embodiment. [Figure 3] 1 is a flowchart showing a flow of a measurement target surface determination process according to the first embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a three-dimensional model according to the first embodiment. [Figure 5] A three-dimensional model according to the first embodiment is shown in (A) the +Y direction of the coordinate system, (B) the +Z direction, and (C) the +X direction. [Figure 6] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a plan view of a three-dimensional model according to the first embodiment; [Figure 7] 1 is a flowchart showing the flow of measurement point generation processing according to the first embodiment; [Figure 8] FIG. 1 shows an example of planes and distance dimensions of a three-dimensional model selected as a measurement target in the first embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 1 shows a projection surface generated in the first embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 1 shows a projection surface generated in the first embodiment. [Figure 11] FIG. 1 shows the shapes of two measurement target surfaces in the first embodiment. [Figure 12] FIG. 1 shows a measurement area generated in the first embodiment. [Figure 13] FIG. 1 shows an example of two planes on which no measurement area exists in the first embodiment. [Figure 14] 1 is a flowchart showing the flow of a virtual line generation process for two parallel planes according to the first embodiment; [Figure 15] FIG. 1 shows arrangement points according to the first embodiment. [Figure 16] FIG. 1 shows measurement points generated in the first embodiment. [Figure 17] FIG. 1 shows measurement points generated in the first embodiment. [Figure 18] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a three-dimensional model according to the first embodiment. [Figure 19] A three-dimensional model according to the first embodiment is shown in the coordinate system (A) as seen from the +Y direction, (B) as seen from the -X direction, (C) as seen from the +X direction, (D) as seen from the -Z direction, and (E) as seen from the +Z direction. [Figure 20] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the central axis of a cylinder according to the first embodiment. [Figure 21] FIG. 1 shows the shape of a cylindrical surface in the first embodiment. [Figure 22] FIG. 1 shows a measurement area generated in the first embodiment. [Figure 23] 1 is a flowchart showing the flow of a virtual straight line generation process for a cylindrical surface according to the first embodiment. [Figure 24] FIG. 1 shows a virtual plane generated in the first embodiment. [Figure 25] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing virtual lines and measurement points generated in the first embodiment; [Figure 26] FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of a measurement point generation device according to a second embodiment. [Figure 27] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing measurement points and a generated virtual plane according to the second embodiment. [Figure 28] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing measurement points and a virtual cylindrical surface generated in the second embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] Hereinafter, a measurement point generating device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0012] (Embodiment 1) 1 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration of a measurement point generation device 10 according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure. The measurement point generation device 10 is a device that generates a pair of measurement points at opposing positions on a three-dimensional model. The measurement point generation device 10 is connected to a three-dimensional coordinate measuring machine 30 in a communicable state.

[0013] The measurement point generation device 10 is a computer that includes a communication interface 11, which is hardware for communicating with the outside of the measurement point generation device 10, a CPU 12 that controls the measurement point generation device 10 overall, a ROM 13 that stores multiple pieces of firmware and data used when these firmware are executed, a RAM 14 that is used as a work area for the CPU 12, an auxiliary storage device 15 consisting of a readable / writable nonvolatile semiconductor memory, an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), etc., a monitor 16 that displays images, and a keyboard 17 and a mouse 18 that have input functions for the measurement point generation device 10. These components are connected to each other via a bus 19.

[0014] The measurement point generation device 10 exchanges data with the three-dimensional coordinate measuring machine 30 via the communication interface 11. The functions of the measurement point generation device 10 realized by the CPU 12 will be described in detail later. The readable and writable non-volatile semiconductor memory of the auxiliary storage device 15 is, for example, an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory), flash memory, etc. The auxiliary storage device 15 stores various programs including a program for realizing the functions of the measurement point generation device 10 (hereinafter referred to as a measurement point generation program), and data used when these programs are executed.

[0015] The measurement point generation program can be downloaded to the measurement point generation device 10 from another server via the communication interface 11. The measurement point generation program also includes an update program for updating the measurement point generation program. The measurement point generation program can also be stored and distributed on a computer-readable recording medium such as a CD-ROM (Compact Disc Read Only Memory), a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc), a magneto-optical disk, a USB (Universal Serial Bus) memory, a memory card, a HDD, or an SSD (Solid State Drive).

[0016] The monitor 16 displays information required for the operator to operate the measurement point generation device 10. The operator checks the information displayed on the monitor 16 and inputs the operation details into the measurement point generation device 10 via the keyboard 17. The keyboard 17 may be any keyboard as long as it can input the operation details into the measurement point generation device 10, and instead of the keyboard 17, the operation details may be input into the measurement point generation device 10 using a mouse 18 or a touch panel.

[0017] The measurement object size is the size that the operator specifies as the measurement object on the object to be measured. In this embodiment, the measurement object size is the distance between two parallel planes or the diameter of a cylinder. The measurement point generation device 10 has a function of prompting the operator to specify the measurement object size with respect to a three-dimensional model representing the three-dimensional shape of the object to be measured, and generating a pair of measurement points, which are two points at opposing positions on two parallel planes or on the side of a cylinder, based on the specified measurement object size. The three-dimensional coordinate measuring machine 30 operates based on the pair of measurement points generated by the measurement point generation device 10 and outputs the measurement results to the measurement point generation device 10. The measurement point generation device 10 calculates the two-point size, which is the distance between the two opposing points, based on the input measurement results, and presents the calculated two-point size to the operator as the measurement result of the measurement object size.

[0018] The operator specifies the size of the object to be measured by specifying the surface of the object to be measured related to the size of the object to be measured. The measurement point generating device 10 has a function of generating a pair of measurement points at opposite positions on the surface of the object to be measured based on the specified surface of the object to be measured. When the size of the object to be measured is the distance between two parallel planes, the surface of the object to be measured is the two parallel planes. When the size of the object to be measured is the diameter of a cylinder, the surface of the object to be measured is the cylindrical surface, which is the side surface of the cylinder.

[0019] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of measurement point generation device 10. Measurement point generation device 10 includes a measurement object surface determination unit 110 that determines a measurement object surface by having an operator specify a measurement object size as a measurement object surface related to the measurement object size; a measurement point generation unit 120 that generates a pair of measurement points at opposing positions on the measurement object surface and outputs the position coordinates of the pair of measurement points to output unit 130; and an output unit 130 that outputs the position coordinates of the pair of measurement points input from measurement point generation unit 120 to the measurement program described above as parameters. Measurement object surface determination unit 110 is an example of measurement object surface determination means according to the present disclosure. Measurement point generation unit 120 is an example of measurement point generation means according to the present disclosure. Output unit 130 is an example of output means according to the present disclosure.

[0020] The measurement point generation unit 120 includes a projection surface generation unit 121 that generates a projection surface onto which the shape of the measurement target surface is projected; a measurement area determination unit 122 that determines a measurement area on the projection surface based on the shape of the measurement target surface projected onto the projection surface; a virtual line generation unit 123 that generates one or more virtual lines passing through the measurement area; and an intersection acquisition unit 124 that acquires two intersections between the virtual lines generated by the virtual line generation unit 123 and the measurement target surface, generates the acquired two intersections as a pair of measurement points, and outputs the position coordinates of the pair of measurement points to the output unit 130. The projection surface generation unit 121 of the measurement point generation unit 120 is an example of a projection surface generation means according to the present disclosure. The measurement area determination unit 122 is an example of a measurement area determination means according to the present disclosure. The virtual line generation unit 123 is an example of a virtual line generation means according to the present disclosure. The intersection acquisition unit 124 is an example of an intersection acquisition means according to the present disclosure.

[0021] The functions of these functional units of the measurement point generation device 10 are realized by the CPU 12 executing the above-mentioned measurement point generation program stored in the auxiliary storage device 15. A monitor 16 and a keyboard 17 are also used to realize the functions of these functional units of the measurement point generation device 10.

[0022] 3 is a flowchart showing the measurement target surface determination process executed by measurement target surface determination unit 110. The measurement target surface determination process is started when an operator designates a three-dimensional model representing the three-dimensional shape of the object to be measured as the model to be measured. In this embodiment, it is assumed that the operator designates the three-dimensional model M1 shown in FIG. 4 as the model to be measured.

[0023] Fig. 4 is a perspective view showing the three-dimensional model M1. Fig. 5(A) is a view of the three-dimensional model M1 viewed from the +Y direction of the Y axis of the coordinate system C1. Fig. 5(B) is a view of the three-dimensional model M1 viewed from the +Z direction of the Z axis of the coordinate system C1. Fig. 5(C) is a view of the three-dimensional model M1 viewed from the +X direction of the X axis of the coordinate system C1.

[0024] 3, first, in step S100, the operator is prompted to select whether the measurement object size is the distance between two parallel planes or the diameter of a cylinder. Specifically, the measurement object surface determination unit 110 displays a selection screen on the monitor 16, prompts the operator to input the selection result from the keyboard 17, and acquires the selection result.

[0025] If the operator selects the distance between two parallel planes, the measurement target plane determination unit 110 determines whether two or more planes exist in the three-dimensional model designated by the operator as the measurement target representing the three-dimensional shape of the object to be measured (step S110). If two or more planes do not exist in the three-dimensional model (step S110: NO), the unit notifies the operator that there is no distance between two parallel planes to be measured (step S111), and terminates the measurement target plane determination process. If two or more planes exist (step S110: YES), the unit prompts the operator to specify two planes related to the measurement target size from the three-dimensional model M1 (step S112). Specifically, the measurement target plane determination unit 110 displays a selection screen on the monitor 16, prompts the operator to input a selection result from the keyboard 17, and acquires the selection result.

[0026] Next, the measurement object surface determination unit 110 determines whether the two selected planes are parallel to each other (step S113). If the two planes are not parallel (step S113: NO), the operator is notified on the monitor 16 that the selected plane is inappropriate (step S114), and the process returns to step S112 to have the operator select two planes related to the measurement object size again. If the two planes are parallel (step S113: YES), the process proceeds to step S115.

[0027] In step S115, the measurement target surface determination unit 110 determines whether the outer surfaces of the two planes are oriented in the same direction. First, a case will be described in which the planes F11 and F13 in FIG. 6 are selected by the operator. The planes F11 and F13 are parallel to each other. However, the outer surface of the plane F11 in the three-dimensional model M1 faces the + direction of the Y axis in the coordinate system C1, and the outer surface of the plane F13 in the three-dimensional model M1 also faces the + direction of the Y axis. If the outer surfaces of the two planes are oriented in the same direction (step S115: YES), the measurement target surface determination unit 110 determines that the planes F11 and F13 are inappropriate as measurement target surfaces. The measurement target surface determination unit 110 then notifies the operator on the monitor 16 that the selected planes are inappropriate (step S114), and the process returns to step S112, prompting the operator to select two planes related to the measurement target size again.

[0028] 6 is selected. The planes F11 and F14 are parallel to each other. The outer surface of the plane F11 in the three-dimensional model M1 faces the positive direction of the Y axis, and the outer surface of the plane F14 in the three-dimensional model M1 faces the negative direction of the Y axis. When the outer surfaces of the two planes do not face the same direction (step S115: NO), the measurement target surface determination unit 110 determines that the planes F11 and F14 are appropriate as measurement target surfaces. Therefore, the measurement target surface determination unit 110 determines the two selected planes F11 and F14 as measurement target surfaces (step S118), outputs data indicating the measurement target surfaces to the measurement point generation unit 120, and ends the measurement target surface determination process. Similarly, when planes F11 and F15 in Figure 6 are selected, the outer surface of plane F11 in the three-dimensional model M1 faces in the positive direction of the Y axis, and the outer surface of plane F15 in the three-dimensional model M1 faces in the negative direction of the Y axis, so planes F11 and F15 are determined to be suitable as surfaces to be measured.

[0029] Next, an example will be described in which planes F13 and F14 in FIG. 6 are selected. Planes F13 and F14 are parallel to each other. The outer surface of plane F13 in the three-dimensional model M1 faces the positive direction of the Y axis, and the outer surface of plane F14 in the three-dimensional model M1 faces the negative direction of the Y axis. In this way, when the outer surfaces of the two planes in the three-dimensional model M1 do not face the same direction (step S115: NO), the measurement target surface determination unit 110 determines that planes F13 and F14 are appropriate as measurement target surfaces. Therefore, the measurement target surface determination unit 110 determines the two selected planes F13 and F14 as measurement target surfaces (step S118), outputs data indicating the measurement target surfaces to the measurement point generation unit 120, and ends the measurement target surface determination process.

[0030] In this way, by determining the two selected planes as the measurement target planes only when the two planes selected by the operator as the measurement target planes are parallel and the outer surfaces of the three-dimensional model M1 are not oriented in the same direction, it is possible to prevent an inappropriate surface from being determined as the measurement target plane. Note that when the outer surfaces of the three-dimensional model M1 are not oriented in the same direction, there are two cases: when the two planes are oriented back to back, such as planes F11 and F14, and when the two planes are oriented facing each other, such as planes F13 and F14.

[0031] 3, if the diameter of a cylinder is selected as the measurement target size, the measurement target surface determination unit 110 determines whether a cylindrical surface exists in the 3D model designated by the operator as the measurement target representing the three-dimensional shape of the object to be measured. If a cylindrical surface exists (step S116: YES), the operator is prompted to select a cylindrical surface related to the measurement target size from the 3D model (step S117). The measurement target surface determination unit 110 determines the selected cylindrical surface as the measurement target surface (step S118), outputs data indicating the measurement target surface to the measurement point generation unit 120, and terminates the measurement target surface determination process. If a cylindrical surface does not exist in the 3D model (step S116: NO), the operator is notified that the diameter of a cylinder to be measured does not exist (step S119), and the measurement target surface determination process terminates.

[0032] When data indicating the measurement target surface is input from the measurement target surface determination unit 110, the measurement point generation unit 120 executes a measurement point generation process. Fig. 7 is a flowchart showing the measurement point generation process. Here, the specific contents of the process will be explained using as an example a case where the distance D1 between two parallel planes, plane F11 and plane F15, in the three-dimensional model M1 in Fig. 8 is the measurement target size, and plane F11 and plane F15 are determined as the measurement target surfaces.

[0033] The measurement point generating unit 120 first identifies whether the measurement target surface is two parallel planes (hereinafter simply referred to as two planes) or a cylindrical surface based on data indicating the measurement target surface (step S121). If the measurement target surface is two parallel planes, the process proceeds to step S122.

[0034] In step S122, the projection surface generation unit 121 generates a virtual projection surface on the three-dimensional model M1. In this embodiment, the projection surface generation unit 121 generates a projection surface parallel to two parallel planes that are measurement target surfaces, midway between the two parallel planes. The projection surface is generated at a position where the distances from the projection surface to the two planes that are measurement target surfaces are equal. FIG. 9 shows the projection surface V1 generated by the projection surface generation unit 121. As shown in FIG. 10, the projection surface V1 is located midway between planes F11 and F15 that are measurement target surfaces, and the distance from the projection surface V1 to the plane F11 is equal to the distance from the projection surface V1 to the plane F15. After generating the projection surface V1 on the three-dimensional model M1, the projection surface generation unit 121 outputs data indicating the projection surface V1 and data indicating the measurement target surface to the measurement area determination unit 122. The data representing the projection surface V1 or the data representing the measurement target surface is, for example, an equation of a plane.

[0035] When data indicating the projection surface V1 and data indicating the measurement target surface are input, the measurement area determination unit 122 projects the shape of the measurement target surface onto the projection surface and determines a measurement area on the projection surface based on the projected shape of the measurement target surface. Specifically, the measurement area determination unit 122 first projects the shapes of two parallel planes that are the measurement target surface onto the projection surface V1 to generate two measurement target surface projection areas on the projection surface V1 (step S123). Then, the measurement area determination unit 122 determines whether there is an area where the two measurement target surface projection areas overlap (step S124). If there is an area where the two measurement target surface projection areas overlap (step S124: YES), the measurement area determination unit 122 determines the area where the two measurement target surface projection areas overlap as the measurement area (step S125).

[0036] In Fig. 11, plane F11, which is the measurement target surface, is shown with diagonal lines, and plane F15, which is also the measurement target surface, is shown with dashed diagonal lines. Fig. 12 shows two measurement target surface projection areas F11A and F15A, which are obtained by projecting the shapes of plane F11 and plane F15 onto projection surface V1. Furthermore, Fig. 12 shows the area where the two measurement target surface projection areas F11A and F15A overlap as measurement area A1. Measurement area determination unit 122 outputs data indicating projection surface V1, data indicating the measurement target surface, and data indicating the determined measurement area A1 to virtual straight line generation unit 123.

[0037] On the other hand, if there is no area where the two measurement object surface projection areas overlap (step S124: NO), the measurement object size cannot be measured, so measurement area determination unit 122 proceeds to step S126, notifies the operator that measurement is not possible, and stops the measurement point generation process. An example of a case where there is no area where the two measurement object surface projection areas overlap and no measurement area exists is when planes F16 and F17 shown in Figure 13 are used as the measurement object surfaces.

[0038] When the virtual line generation unit 123 receives data indicating the projection surface V1, data indicating the measurement target surface, and data indicating the measurement area A1, it executes a virtual line generation process to generate one or more virtual lines that pass through the measurement area A1 and are perpendicular to the projection surface V1 (step S127). FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing the virtual line generation process when the measurement target surface is two parallel planes. The virtual line generation unit 123 first generates a reduced area TA1, which is an area obtained by reducing the measurement area A1 (step S141). FIG. 15 shows the measurement area A1 as viewed from the +Y direction of the Y axis in the coordinate system C1. The reduced area TA1 is generated by moving the outline of the measurement area A1 inward by a distance D2. The distance D2 is stored in advance in the virtual line generation unit 123. The hatched area in FIG. 15 is the reduced area TA1 generated by the virtual line generation unit 123.

[0039] Next, the virtual straight line generating unit 123 generates a rectangle TR1 that encompasses the reduced area TA1 (step S142). In this embodiment, the rectangle TR1 generated by the virtual straight line generating unit 123 is the rectangle that encompasses the reduced area TA1 and has the smallest area among the rectangles whose contours at least partially overlap with the contour of the reduced area TA1.

[0040] The virtual line generating unit 123 then generates grid lines TL1, which are grid-like lines that divide the rectangle TR1 (step S143). The number of grid lines TL1 to be generated is stored in advance in the virtual line generating unit 123, and the virtual line generating unit 123 generates grid lines evenly in the vertical and horizontal directions of the rectangle TR1 according to the number of grid lines TL1. In the present embodiment shown in FIG. 15, the virtual line generating unit 123 generates two grid lines TL1a and TL1b in the vertical direction and two grid lines TL1c and TL1d in the horizontal direction. In other words, the virtual line generating unit 123 generates an equal number of grid lines evenly in the vertical and horizontal directions. The grid lines TL1a to TL1d divide the rectangle TR1 evenly into nine parts.

[0041] The virtual line generator 123 then acquires the intersections between the sides of the rectangle TR1 and the grid lines TL1a-TL1d, the intersections between the grid lines TL1a-TL1d, and the intersections between the sides of the rectangle TR1, and determines those intersections within the reduced area TA1 as placement points TP1 for placing the virtual line (step S144). The intersections within the reduced area TA1 include those on the outline of the reduced area TA1. In the example of FIG. 15, there are a total of 16 intersections between the sides of the rectangle TR1 and the grid lines TL1a-TL1d, the intersections between the grid lines TL1a-TL1d, and the intersections between the sides of the rectangle TR1, of which 13, indicated by black circles, are within the reduced area TA1. The virtual line generator 123 determines these 13 intersections as placement points TP1.

[0042] Next, the virtual line generation unit 123 generates a virtual line L11 that passes through the determined arrangement point TP1 and is perpendicular to the projection surface V1 (step S145). The virtual line generation unit 123 generates the virtual line L11 for all of the determined arrangement points TP1. Fig. 16 shows an example of the virtual line L11 for one of the 13 arrangement points TP1 in this embodiment. The virtual line generation unit 123 outputs data indicating the generated virtual line L11 to the intersection point acquisition unit 124, in accordance with data indicating the measurement target surface.

[0043] The intersection point acquisition unit 124 receives the data representing the measurement target surface and the data representing the virtual line L11 from the virtual line generation unit 123, acquires the intersection points between the virtual line L11 and the measurement target surface, and generates the acquired intersection points as measurement points (step S128). Specifically, the intersection point acquisition unit 124 generates the two intersection points between the virtual line L11 and the two measurement target surfaces as pairs of measurement points.

[0044] In FIG. 16, the intersection of the virtual line L11 and the plane F11, which is the surface to be measured, is generated as the measurement point P11, and the intersection of the virtual line L11 and the plane F15, which is the surface to be measured, is generated as the measurement point P12, and the measurement points P11 and P12 are regarded as a pair of measurement points P11 and P12. The intersection acquisition unit 124 similarly generates pairs of measurement points for all the virtual lines L11. FIG. 17 shows a state in which pairs of measurement points have been generated for all the virtual lines L11. The intersection acquisition unit 124 outputs data indicating the position coordinates of the generated pairs of measurement points to the output unit 130.

[0045] On the other hand, if the measurement target surface is a cylindrical surface (step S121), the measurement point generating unit 120 proceeds to step S130. In the following description, it is assumed that the operator designates the three-dimensional model M2 shown in FIG. 18 as the model to be measured, and the measurement target surface selected in step S117 is the cylindrical surface F21. In other words, the measurement target size is the diameter D3 of the cylinder. The coordinate system C2 has the center of the circle on the bottom surface of the three-dimensional model M2 as its origin, and the central axis of the cylinder as its Y-axis.

[0046] Figure 19(A) is a view of the three-dimensional model M2 viewed from the +Y direction of the Y axis of the coordinate system C2. Figure 19(B) is a view of the three-dimensional model M2 viewed from the -X direction of the X axis of the coordinate system C2. Figure 19(C) is a view of the three-dimensional model M2 viewed from the +X direction of the X axis of the coordinate system C2. Figure 19(D) is a view of the three-dimensional model M2 viewed from the -Z direction of the Z axis of the coordinate system C2. Figure 19(E) is a view of the three-dimensional model M2 viewed from the +Z direction of the Z axis of the coordinate system C2.

[0047] In step S130, the projection surface generation unit 121 generates the central axis of a cylinder having the cylindrical surface, which is the measurement surface, on its side in the 3D model M2 based on data indicating the measurement surface. Fig. 20 shows the central axis V2 of a cylinder generated for the cylindrical surface F21, which is the measurement surface. As described above, the central axis V2 overlaps with the Y axis of the coordinate system C2.

[0048] Next, the projection surface generation unit 121 generates a projection surface, which is a virtual surface of the side shape of a cylinder, on the three-dimensional model M2 (step S131). In this embodiment, the projection surface generation unit 121 generates a projection surface that has the central axis V2 of the cylinder as its central axis and at least partially overlaps with the cylindrical surface F21, which is the surface to be measured. After generating the projection surface on the three-dimensional model M2, the projection surface generation unit 121 outputs data indicating the central axis V2, data indicating the projection surface, and data indicating the surface to be measured to the measurement region determination unit 122. The data indicating the central axis V2 is, for example, an equation of a straight line, and the data indicating the projection surface and the data indicating the surface to be measured are, for example, an equation of a cylinder.

[0049] The measurement area determination unit 122 receives data indicating the central axis V2, data indicating the projection surface, and data indicating the measurement target surface, projects the shape of the measurement target surface onto the projection surface radially around the central axis, and determines the measurement area based on the projected shape of the measurement target surface. Specifically, the measurement area determination unit 122 first projects the shape of the cylindrical surface F21 onto the projection surface radially around the central axis F21 to generate a first measurement target surface projection area (step S132). Next, the measurement area determination unit 122 rotates the cylindrical surface F21 180 degrees around the central axis V2, and projects the shape of the rotated cylindrical surface F21 onto the projection surface radially around the central axis F21 to generate a second measurement target surface projection area (step S133). FIG. 21 shows the first measurement target surface projection area TF1 and the second measurement target surface projection area TF2.

[0050] Then, the measurement area determination unit 122 determines whether there is an area where the first measurement object surface projection area TF1 and the second measurement object surface projection area TF2 overlap (step S134). If there is an area where the two measurement object surface projection areas overlap (step S134: YES), the measurement area determination unit 122 determines the area where the first measurement object surface projection area TF1 and the second measurement object surface projection area TF2 overlap as the measurement area (step S135). In FIG. 22, the area where the two measurement object surface projection areas TF1 and TF2 overlap is shown as measurement area A2. The measurement area determination unit 122 outputs data indicating the central axis line V2, data indicating the measurement object surface, and data indicating the determined measurement area A2 to the virtual line generation unit 123.

[0051] On the other hand, if there is no area where the two measurement object surface projection areas overlap (step S134: NO), the measurement object size cannot be measured, so the measurement area determination unit 122 proceeds to step S126, notifies that measurement is not possible, and cancels the measurement point generation process.

[0052] The virtual line generating unit 123 receives data indicating the measurement area A2, data indicating the central axis V2, and data indicating the measurement target surface and generates one or more virtual lines that pass through the measurement area A2, the central axis V2, and are perpendicular to the central axis V2 (step S136). FIG. 23 is a flowchart showing the virtual line generating process when the measurement target surface is a cylindrical surface. FIG. 24 shows the measurement area A2 as viewed from the +Z direction of the Z axis in the coordinate system C2. In the C2 coordinate system, if the maximum value of the Y coordinate in the measurement area A2 is Ymax and the minimum value is Ymin, the coordinate value of the coordinate TM1 in FIG. 24 is (X, Y, Z) = (0, Ymin, 0), and the coordinate value of the coordinate TM2 is (X, Y, Z) = (0, Ymax, 0).

[0053] The virtual line generating unit 123 generates a coordinate TM3 on the Y axis in the positive direction and a distance D4 from the coordinate TM1 (step S150). That is, the coordinate value of the coordinate TM3 in FIG. 24 is (X, Y, Z) = (0, Ymin + D4, 0). The virtual line generating unit 123 also generates a coordinate TM4 on the Y axis in the negative direction and a distance D4 from the coordinate TM2 (step S151). That is, the coordinate value of the coordinate TM4 in FIG. 24 is (X, Y, Z) = (0, Ymax - D4, 0). The distance D4 is stored in advance in the virtual line generating unit 123.

[0054] Next, the virtual line generating unit 123 generates three virtual planes TV1, TV2, and TV3 perpendicular to the central axis V2 at equal intervals between the coordinates TM3 and TM4 (step S152). As shown in Fig. 24, the virtual plane TV1 passes through the coordinate TM3, and the virtual plane TV3 passes through the coordinate TM4. The number of virtual planes to be generated is stored in advance in the virtual line generating unit 123. Then, the virtual line generating unit 123 generates virtual lines on the generated virtual planes TV1 to TV3 (step S153).

[0055] FIG. 25 shows the virtual plane TV1 as viewed from the +Y direction of the Y axis in the coordinate system C2. The virtual line generating unit 123 generates four virtual lines L21, L22, L23, and L24 that pass through the central axis V2 and are perpendicular to the central axis V2 at equal intervals on the virtual plane TV1. As described above, the central axis V2 overlaps with the Y axis. The number of virtual lines to be generated here is stored in advance in the virtual line generating unit 123. If a generated virtual line does not pass through the measurement area A2, the virtual line generating unit 123 deletes the generated virtual line. For example, the virtual line L24 in FIG. 25 is deleted because it does not pass through the measurement area A2.

[0056] In this way, the virtual line generating unit 123 generates virtual lines L21, L22, and L23 on the virtual plane TV1 that pass through the measurement area A2, pass through the central axis V2, and are perpendicular to the central axis V2. The virtual line generating unit 123 similarly generates virtual lines for the other virtual planes TV2 and TV3. The virtual line generating unit 123 outputs data indicating the measurement target surface and data indicating the generated virtual lines to the intersection acquiring unit 124.

[0057] The intersection point acquiring unit 124, which has received the data representing the virtual line and the data representing the measurement target surface, acquires the intersection points between the virtual line and the measurement target surface, and generates the acquired intersection points as a pair of measurement points (step S137). Specifically, the intersection point acquiring unit 124 acquires two intersection points between the virtual line and the measurement target surface, and generates the two acquired intersection points as a pair of measurement points.

[0058] 25, two points of intersection on the imaginary plane TV1 where the imaginary line L21 intersects with the cylindrical surface F21, which is the surface to be measured, are generated as a pair of measurement points P21 and P22. Similarly, two points of intersection where the imaginary line L22 intersects with the cylindrical surface F21 are generated as a pair of measurement points P23 and P24, and two points of intersection where the imaginary line L23 intersects with the cylindrical surface F21 are generated as a pair of measurement points P25 and P26.

[0059] Similarly, for the other imaginary planes TV2 and TV3, the intersection point acquisition unit 124 generates the intersection points between the imaginary lines and the cylindrical surface F21 as pairs of measurement points. The intersection point acquisition unit 124 outputs data indicating the position coordinates of the generated pairs of measurement points to the output unit 130.

[0060] The output unit 130 receives data indicating the position coordinates of the pair of measurement points and outputs the position coordinates of the pair of measurement points as parameters to the measurement program. The output unit 130 may further display the position coordinates of the measurement points on the monitor 16. When displaying the position coordinates of the measurement points on the monitor 16, it is also possible to display not only the measurement points but also the measurement area A1, arrangement point TP1, and virtual line L11 generated in the measurement point generation process. This allows the display to be visually easy for the operator to understand.

[0061] As described above, the measurement point generation device 10 can automatically generate a pair of measurement points at opposing positions on the surface of the object to be measured. The position coordinates of the generated pair of measurement points can then be output as parameters to a measurement program. Based on the measurement program that has acquired the position coordinates of the pair of measurement points as parameters, the three-dimensional coordinate measuring machine 30 operates and outputs the measurement results to the measurement point generation device 10, which can then calculate the size of the object to be measured. The size of the object to be measured can be obtained by calculating the distance between the pair of measurement points based on the measurement results of the pair of measurement points.

[0062] The measurement point generation device 10 displays the acquired measurement object size on the monitor 16, allowing the operator to confirm the measurement object size. According to this embodiment, since a plurality of pairs of measurement points can be automatically generated, the measurement object size can be calculated for each pair of measurement points and used to evaluate the measurement object size.

[0063] The output unit 130 may display the measurement points on the monitor 16 so that the worker can adjust the positions of the measurement points. When the worker adjusts the positions of the measurement points, the measurement point generation device 10 displays the elements to be moved, such as placement points, virtual planes, and virtual lines, and the measurement area on the model on the monitor 16.

[0064] The measurement point generation device 10 includes a correction operation content input unit 125 shown in Fig. 2. The correction operation content input unit 125 is an example of a movement operation content input means according to the present disclosure. The correction operation content input unit 125 inputs the correction operation content of the element to be corrected by the worker, and corrects the element to be corrected based on the correction operation content.

[0065] Specifically, when an operator performs an operation to move a placement point, the correction operation content input unit 125 inputs the operation content to move the placement point and moves the placement point based on the movement operation content, the virtual line generation unit 123 generates a virtual line that passes through the moved placement point and is perpendicular to the projection surface, and the intersection point acquisition unit 124 corrects the coordinates of the measurement point by using the intersection point between the generated virtual line and the surface to be measured as a pair of measurement points.

[0066] When an operator performs an operation to move the virtual plane, the correction operation content input unit 125 inputs the operation content to move the virtual plane and moves the virtual plane based on the operation content to move, the virtual line generation unit 123 generates a virtual line on the virtual plane after the movement, and the intersection acquisition unit 124 corrects the coordinates of the measurement points, using the intersection of the generated virtual line and the surface to be measured as a pair of measurement points.

[0067] When the operator performs an operation to move the virtual straight line parallel or rotate it, the correction operation content input unit 125 inputs the movement operation content of the virtual straight line and moves the virtual straight line based on the movement operation content, and the intersection acquisition unit 124 treats the intersection point between the moved virtual straight line and the surface to be measured as a pair of measurement points and corrects the coordinates of the measurement points.

[0068] The correction operation content input unit 125 may move the element to be moved only when the conditions for each element to be moved are satisfied. The conditions for each element to be moved include, for example, that the movement of the placement point, virtual plane, and virtual line is limited to within the measurement area, and that the virtual line is perpendicular to the projection surface. The operator may move the element to be moved by, for example, using the mouse 18 to click the element to be moved and then click the destination position, or by dragging and dropping the element to move or rotate it.

[0069] Here, measurement points are not included in the elements to be moved. This is because if an operator moves the position coordinates of one of a pair of measurement points determined as two opposing points, the positional relationship between the pair of measurement points will be disrupted. By adjusting the positions of the measurement points as described above, the coordinates of the measurement points can be corrected with intuitive and visually easy operations while always maintaining the pair of measurement points as two opposing points on two parallel planes or a cylindrical surface. Since the measurement point generation device 10 can adjust the positions of the measurement points, for example, if the measuring instrument of the three-dimensional coordinate measuring machine 30 interferes with the object to be measured or the base on which the object is fixed during measurement, the operator can adjust the positions of the measurement points.

[0070] The output unit 130 may display the measurement points on the monitor 16, allowing the worker to add or delete measurement points. When the worker deletes a measurement point, the measurement point generation device 10 displays elements to be deleted, such as placement points, virtual planes, and virtual lines, on the model on the monitor 16, and the worker performs a deletion operation for the elements to be deleted. When the worker performs a deletion operation, the correction operation content input unit 125 inputs the deletion operation content, deletes the elements to be deleted based on the deletion operation content, and deletes a pair of measurement points related to the deleted elements. The elements to be deleted do not include measurement points. By not including measurement points in the elements to be deleted, it is possible to prevent only one of a pair of measurement points from being deleted.

[0071] When the worker adds a measurement point, the measurement point generating device 10 allows the worker to add elements to be added, such as a placement point, a virtual plane, and a virtual line, to the model on the monitor 16. When the worker performs an operation to add a placement point, the correction operation content input unit 125 inputs the content of the addition operation and adds the placement point based on the content of the addition operation, the virtual line generating unit 123 generates a virtual line that passes through the added placement point and is perpendicular to the projection surface, and the intersection point acquisition unit 124 adds the intersection of the generated virtual line and the measurement target plane as a pair of measurement points.

[0072] When an operator performs an operation to add a virtual plane, the correction operation content input unit 125 inputs the content of the addition operation and adds a virtual plane based on the content of the addition operation, the virtual line generation unit 123 generates a virtual line on the added virtual plane, and the intersection acquisition unit 124 adds the intersection between the generated virtual line and the surface to be measured as a pair of measurement points.

[0073] When an operator performs an operation to add a virtual line, the correction operation content input unit 125 inputs the content of the addition operation and adds a virtual line based on the content of the addition operation, and the intersection acquisition unit 124 adds the intersection of the added virtual line and the measurement symmetry plane as a pair of measurement points.

[0074] The correction operation content input unit 125 may add an element to be added only when the conditions for each element to be added are satisfied. The conditions for each element to be added include, for example, that the addition of a placement point, virtual plane, or virtual line is limited to within the measurement area, and that the virtual line is perpendicular to the projection surface. The elements to be added do not include measurement points. By not including measurement points in the elements to be added, it is possible to prevent measurement points without paired measurement points from being added.

[0075] (Embodiment 2) In the second embodiment, before performing the measurement point generation process, the measurement target surface is corrected based on the measurement results of the object to be measured. FIG. 26 shows the configuration of measurement point generation device 20 in the second embodiment. Measurement point generation device 20 includes a measurement target surface correction unit 220 in addition to the configuration of measurement point generation device 10 in the first embodiment. Measurement target surface correction unit 220 is an example of the measurement target surface correction means according to the present disclosure. Measurement target surface correction unit 220 corrects the measurement target surface of the three-dimensional model based on the measurement results of the shape of the object to be measured, and generates a corrected measurement target surface. Measurement target surface correction unit 220 includes a memory unit 221, a measurement result reading unit 222, and a corrected measurement target surface generation unit 223.

[0076] The memory unit 221 stores the measurement results of the shape of the object to be measured. The measurement results stored in the memory unit 221 may be measurement results of the shape of the object to be measured obtained using the measurement point generation devices 10 and 20, or may be measurement results of the object to be measured by another device. When the object to be measured is measured by another device, the measurement points are arranged randomly rather than as pairs of measurement points. The memory unit 221 stores the measurement results as coordinate values ​​at the measurement points. The memory unit 221 may also store measurement results for multiple objects to be measured.

[0077] Measurement result reading unit 222 reads the measurement results relating to the measurement target surface from storage unit 221. Corrected measurement target surface generation unit 223 corrects the measurement target surface based on the measurement results read by measurement result reading unit 222, and generates a corrected measurement target surface.

[0078] The hardware configuration of measurement point generation device 20 in embodiment 2 is shown in the block diagram of Fig. 1, and the functions of these functional units of measurement point generation device 20 are realized by CPU 12 executing the above-mentioned measurement point generation program stored in auxiliary storage device 15. To realize the functions of these functional units of measurement point generation device 20, monitor 16, keyboard 17, and auxiliary storage device 15 are also used.

[0079] First, a case where the measurement object size is the distance between two parallel planes will be described. Specifically, a case where the measurement object size is the distance D1 between planes F11 and F15 in the three-dimensional model M1 shown in Fig. 8 will be described as an example. First, the measurement object surface determination unit 210 executes the measurement object surface determination process described in the first embodiment, outputs data indicating the planes F11 and F15, which are the measurement object surfaces, to the measurement result reading unit 222, and ends the measurement object surface determination process.

[0080] The measurement result reading unit 222 determines that the measurement target surface is the plane F11, F15 based on the input data indicating the measurement target surface, and reads the measurement results for the planes F11, F15, which are the measurement target surfaces, from the memory unit 221. The measurement results for the planes F11, F15 are coordinate values ​​of measurement points on the planes F11, F15. There are multiple measurement points for each measurement target surface, and there are also multiple coordinate values ​​read as measurement results for each measurement target surface. The measurement result reading unit 222 outputs the data indicating the measurement target surface and the read measurement results to the corrected measurement target surface generation unit 223.

[0081] The corrected measurement target surface generation unit 223 receives data indicating the measurement target surface and measurement results for the measurement target surface, and corrects the measurement target surface based on the measurement results to generate a corrected measurement target surface. Specifically, the corrected measurement target surface generation unit 223 first generates two parallel virtual planes based on the coordinate values ​​of the measurement points for planes F11 and F15, which are the measurement results for the measurement target surface. The virtual plane generated based on the coordinate values ​​of the measurement points for plane F11 will be referred to as virtual plane AV1 below, and the virtual plane generated based on the coordinate values ​​of the measurement points for plane F15 will be referred to as virtual plane AV2 below.

[0082] 27 shows the coordinates PC1a to PC1d of measurement points on the plane F11 and the imaginary plane AV1, and the coordinates PC2a to PC2d of measurement points on the plane F15 and the imaginary plane AV2. The corrected measurement target plane generating unit 223 generates as the imaginary plane AV1 the plane that is parallel to the imaginary plane AV2 and has the smallest sum of squared distances to the coordinates PC1a to PC1d of measurement points on the plane F11, and simultaneously generates as the imaginary plane AV2 the plane that is parallel to the imaginary plane AV1 and has the smallest sum of squared distances to the coordinates PC2a to PC2d of measurement points on the plane F15.

[0083] The corrected measurement target surface generation unit 223 sets the planar shape obtained by projecting the shape of the plane F11, which is the measurement target surface, onto the imaginary plane AV1 as the corrected measurement target surface of the plane F11, and sets the planar shape obtained by projecting the shape of the plane F15, which is the measurement target surface, onto the imaginary plane AV2 as the corrected measurement target surface of the plane F15. The corrected measurement target surface generation unit 223 outputs data indicating the corrected measurement target surface of the plane F11 and data indicating the corrected measurement target surface of the plane F15 to the measurement point generation unit 120, and ends the processing.

[0084] The measurement point generation unit 230, which has received the data representing the corrected measurement target surface, handles the data representing the corrected measurement target surface as data representing the measurement target surface, and thereafter generates a pair of measurement points by performing the same processing as when the data representing the measurement target surface was received. The subsequent processing flow is the same as that described in the first embodiment.

[0085] Next, a case where the measurement object size is the diameter of a cylinder will be described. Specifically, a case where the measurement object size is the diameter D3 of the cylindrical surface F21 in the three-dimensional model M2 shown in Fig. 18 will be described as an example. First, the measurement object surface determination unit 210 executes the measurement object surface determination process described in the first embodiment, determines the cylindrical surface F21 as the measurement object surface, outputs data indicating the measurement object surface to the measurement result reading unit 222, and ends the measurement object surface determination process.

[0086] The measurement result reading unit 222 determines that the measurement target surface is a cylindrical surface F21 based on the input data indicating the measurement target surface, and reads the coordinate values ​​of the measurement points on the measurement target surface from the storage unit 221. The measurement result reading unit 222 outputs the read coordinate values ​​of the measurement points to the corrected measurement target surface generation unit 223.

[0087] After receiving the coordinate values ​​of the measurement points, corrected measurement object surface generation unit 223 corrects the measurement object surface based on the coordinate values ​​to generate a corrected measurement object surface. Specifically, corrected measurement object surface generation unit 223 first generates a virtual cylindrical surface based on the coordinate values. Fig. 28 shows the coordinates PC3a to PC3f of the measurement points on the measurement object surface and a virtual cylindrical surface AV3. Corrected measurement object surface generation unit 223 generates as the virtual cylindrical surface AV3 a cylindrical surface that has the smallest sum of the squared distances to the coordinates PC3a to PC3f of the measurement points.

[0088] The corrected measurement target surface generation unit 223 projects the shape of the measurement target surface onto the virtual cylindrical surface AV3, and sets the resulting cylindrical surface shape as the corrected measurement target surface. During the projection, the cylindrical surface F21, which is the measurement target surface, is moved so that the central axis of the cylindrical surface F21 coincides with the central axis of the virtual cylindrical surface AV3. Then, with the central axis of the cylindrical surface F21 and the central axis of the virtual cylindrical surface AV3 coincident, the shape of the measurement target surface is projected onto the virtual cylindrical surface AV3 radially from the central axis. The shape of the measurement target surface may be enlarged or reduced before being projected onto the cylindrical surface AV3. The corrected measurement target surface generation unit 223 outputs data representing the corrected measurement target surface to the measurement point generation unit 120, and then the process ends.

[0089] The measurement point generation unit 230, which has received the data representing the corrected measurement target surface, handles the data representing the corrected measurement target surface as data representing the measurement target surface, and thereafter generates a pair of measurement points by performing the same processing as when the data representing the measurement target surface was received. The subsequent processing flow is the same as that described in the first embodiment.

[0090] In this way, in the second embodiment, a corrected measurement object surface is generated based on the shape of the actually measured object, and measurement points are generated on the corrected measurement object surface. The shape of the 3D model represents the ideal shape of the object, and may not match the actual shape of the object, but according to the second embodiment, it is possible to determine measurement points that measure the size of the object more accurately.

[0091] The present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications are possible without departing from the spirit of the present disclosure.

[0092] (Variation 1) For example, in the above embodiment, after the intersection point acquisition unit 124 generates the measurement points, the output unit 130 displays the measurement points on the monitor 16 so that the operator can adjust the positions of the measurement points, but the operator may adjust the positions of the measurement points immediately after the virtual line generation unit 123 determines the arrangement points. That is, immediately after the virtual plane is generated, the arrangement points are displayed on the monitor 16, and when the operator performs an operation to move the arrangement points, the correction operation content input unit 125 inputs the movement operation content and moves the arrangement points based on the movement operation content, the virtual line generation unit 123 generates a virtual line that passes through the moved arrangement points and is perpendicular to the projection surface, and the intersection point acquisition unit 124 generates the intersection of the generated virtual line and the measurement target plane as a pair of measurement points.

[0093] (Variation 2) The operator may adjust the position of the measurement point immediately after generating the virtual plane by the virtual line generating unit 123. That is, immediately after generating the virtual plane, the virtual plane may be displayed on the monitor 16, and when the operator performs an operation to move the virtual plane, the correction operation content input unit 125 may input the movement operation content and move the virtual plane based on the movement operation content, the virtual line generating unit 123 may generate a virtual line on the moved virtual plane, and the intersection point acquiring unit 124 may generate the intersection point between the generated virtual line and the surface to be measured as a pair of measurement points.

[0094] (Variation 3) The operator may adjust the position of the measurement point immediately after generating the virtual line by the virtual line generating unit 123. In other words, immediately after generating the virtual line, the virtual line may be displayed on the monitor 16, and when the operator performs an operation to translate or rotate the virtual line, the correction operation content input unit 125 may input the operation content for moving the virtual line and move the virtual line based on the operation content, and the intersection point acquisition unit 124 may generate the intersection point between the virtual line after the movement operation and the surface to be measured as a pair of measurement points.

[0095] (Variation 4) In the above-mentioned second embodiment, the measurement result reading unit 222 reads the measurement results for the surface to be measured from the memory unit 221, but if there are no measurement results for the surface to be measured in the memory unit 221, it is also possible to perform a measurement on the object to be measured at that time and obtain the measurement results for the surface to be measured.

[0096] (Variation 5) In the first embodiment, the projection surface is generated at a position where the distances from the projection surface to the two planes that are the measurement target surfaces are equal, but this is not limited to this. The projection surface only needs to be parallel to the two parallel planes that are the measurement target surfaces, and the positional relationship with the measurement target surfaces can be freely set. For example, the projection surface may be generated above or below the two parallel planes that are the measurement target surfaces.

[0097] (Variation 6) The method of determining the placement points in the above embodiment is merely an example, and the method of determination is not limited to this. For example, the virtual line generating unit 123 may randomly place a number of placement points stored in advance within the measurement area, or the placement points may be placed at intervals on a trajectory offset along the periphery of the measurement area. Alternatively, the operator may input the number and / or positions of the placement points.

[0098] (Variation 7) In the above embodiment, the rectangle TR1 is divided into nine parts and the number of grid lines is four, but this is not limited to this. An even number of grid lines TL1 is preferable, but if there is an odd number, grid lines are generated one more vertically than horizontally, or one more horizontally than vertically. The virtual line generation unit 123 may store the number of rectangles to be generated by division and generate grid lines according to that number.

[0099] (Variation 8) In the above embodiment, the virtual line generating unit 123 generates three virtual planes TV1, TV2, and TV3 perpendicular to the central axis V2, but the number of virtual planes to be generated is not limited to three. Also, the virtual line generating unit 123 generates four virtual lines L21 to L24 at equal intervals on the virtual plane TV1, but the number and arrangement of the virtual lines are also examples and are not limited thereto. For example, the virtual lines may be arranged randomly. Also, the number and / or arrangement of the virtual lines may be input by the operator.

[0100] (Variation 9) Furthermore, all or part of the functional units (see FIGS. 2 and 26) of the measurement point generation devices 10 and 20 may be realized by dedicated hardware, such as a single circuit, a composite circuit, a programmed processor, an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), or a combination thereof.

[0101] The technical ideas according to the above-described modifications may be realized independently or in appropriate combination. [Explanation of symbols]

[0102] 10, 20 Measurement point generation device, 11 Communication interface, 12 CPU, 13 ROM, 14 RAM, 15 Auxiliary storage device, 16 Monitor, 17 Keyboard, 18 Mouse, 19 Bus, 30 3D coordinate measuring machine, 110, 210 Measurement object surface determination unit, 120, 230 Measurement point generation unit, 121, 231 Projection surface generation unit, 122, 232 Measurement area determination unit, 123, 233 Virtual line generation unit, 124, 234 Intersection acquisition unit, 125, 235 Correction operation content input unit, 130, 240 Output unit, 220 Measurement object surface correction unit, 221 Memory unit, 222 Measurement result reading unit, 223 Corrected measurement object surface generation unit, M1, M2 3D model, A, B surface, A1, A2 Measurement area, C1, C2 coordinate system, F11 to F17 plane, F11A, F15A, TF1 first measurement object surface projection area, TF2 second measurement object surface projection area, D1, D2, D4 distance, D3 diameter, V1 projection surface, A1, A2 measurement area, P11, P12, P21 to P26 measurement point, TA1 reduction area, TP1 placement point, TR1 rectangle, TL1a to TL1d grid lines, L11, L21 to L24 virtual lines, F21 cylindrical surface, V2 center axis line, TM1 to TM4, PC1a to PC1d, PC2a to PC2d, PC3a to PC3f coordinates, AV1, AV2, TV1 to TV4 virtual plane, AV3 virtual cylindrical surface

Claims

1. A measurement point generating device for generating measurement points on an object to be measured, a measurement object surface determination means for determining a measurement object surface by having an operator select either the distance between two parallel planes or the diameter of a cylinder as the measurement object size and having the operator specify a measurement object surface related to the selected measurement object size; a measurement point generating means for generating a pair of measurement points at opposing positions on the measurement target surface; an output means for outputting the position coordinates of the pair of measurement points generated by the measurement point generation means; Equipped with The measurement point generating means a projection surface generating means for generating a projection surface onto which the shape of the measurement target surface is projected; a measurement area determination means for determining a measurement area on the projection surface based on the shape of the measurement target surface projected onto the projection surface; a virtual line generating means for generating a virtual line passing through the measurement area; an intersection point acquiring means for acquiring two intersection points between the virtual line and the measurement target surface and generating the acquired two intersection points as the pair of measurement points; A measurement point generating device comprising:

2. the designation of the measurement target surface is performed with respect to a three-dimensional model representing the three-dimensional shape of the object to be measured; further comprising a measurement object surface correction means for correcting the measurement object surface of the three-dimensional model based on the measurement result of the shape of the measurement object, to generate a corrected measurement object surface; the measurement point generating means treats the corrected measurement object surface as the measurement object surface and generates the pair of measurement points. The measurement point generating device according to claim 1 .

3. further comprising a movement operation content input means for inputting a movement operation content of the virtual straight line by an operator and moving the virtual straight line based on the movement operation content, the intersection point acquisition means generates an intersection point between the moved virtual straight line and the measurement target surface as the pair of measurement points; The measurement point generating device according to claim 1 or 2.

4. When the distance between two parallel planes is selected as the measurement object size, the measurement object surface is the two parallel planes, the projection surface generating means generates the projection surface parallel to the two parallel planes, the measurement area determination means projects the shapes of the two parallel planes onto the projection surface to generate two measurement object surface projection areas on the projection surface, and determines an area where the two measurement object surface projection areas overlap as the measurement area; the virtual line generating means generates the virtual line that passes through the measurement area and is perpendicular to the projection surface; The measurement point generating device according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. 5. The measurement point generating device according to claim 4, wherein the measurement target surface determining means determines the two specified planes as the measurement target surfaces only if the two specified planes are parallel and the outer surfaces do not face the same direction.

6. When the diameter of a cylinder is selected as the measurement object size, the measurement object surface is a cylindrical surface that is a side surface of the cylinder, the projection surface generating means generates a projection surface that has a central axis line of the cylinder as a central axis and at least partially overlaps with the cylindrical surface that is the measurement target surface; the measurement area determination means projects the shape of the cylindrical surface radially around the central axis onto the projection surface to generate a first measurement object surface projection area, rotates the cylindrical surface 180 degrees around the central axis, and projects the shape of the rotated cylindrical surface radially around the central axis onto the projection surface to generate a second measurement object surface projection area, and determines the area where the first measurement object surface projection area and the second measurement object surface projection area overlap as the measurement area; the virtual line generating means generates the virtual line that passes through the measurement area and the central axis and is perpendicular to the central axis. The measurement point generating device according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

7. A measurement point generation method for generating measurement points on an object to be measured, comprising: a step of having an operator select, as the measurement object size, the distance between two parallel planes or the diameter of a cylinder, and having the operator specify a measurement object surface related to the selected measurement object size, thereby determining the measurement object surface related to the measurement object size; generating a projection surface onto which the shape of the measurement target surface is projected; determining a measurement area on the projection surface based on the shape of the measurement target surface projected onto the projection surface; generating a virtual line passing through the measurement area; obtaining two intersection points between the virtual line and the measurement surface, and generating the obtained two intersection points as a pair of measurement points at opposite positions on the measurement surface; A measurement point generation method including:

8. On the computer, a function of having an operator select the distance between two parallel planes or the diameter of a cylinder as the size of the object to be measured, and having the operator specify the surface of the object to be measured related to the selected size of the object to be measured, thereby determining the surface of the object to be measured related to the size of the object to be measured; a function of generating a projection surface onto which the shape of the measurement target surface is projected; A function of determining a measurement area on the projection surface; A function of generating a virtual line passing through the measurement area; a function of acquiring two intersection points between the virtual line and the measurement surface, and generating the acquired two intersection points as a pair of measurement points at opposing positions on the measurement surface; A program to make this happen.

Images