US 7,500,316 B2
	Contour reading device comprising a force sensor
Ahmed Haddadi, Draveil (France)
Assigned to Essilor International, Charlenton le Pont (France)
Appl. No. 11/597,502 PCT Filed May 20, 2005, PCT No. PCT/FR2005/001270 § 371(c)(1), (2), (4) Date Nov. 24, 2006, PCT Pub. No. WO2006/000673, PCT Pub. Date Jan. 05, 2006.
Claims priority of application No. 04 05815 (FR), filed on May 28, 2004.
Prior Publication US 2008/0022539 A1, Jan. 31, 2008
Int. Cl. G01B 5/20 (2006.01); G01B 7/28 (2006.01)

U.S. Cl. 33—200  [33/28; 33/507]

20 Claims

1. Contour reading method, for article such as an eyeglass frame rim, wherein a device is used including a support (3, 4) for holding said article, a rotary platform (6) mounted to rotate relative to the support (3, 4) about a rotation axis (R) this rotary platform (6) carrying a reading subassembly (15) which includes a feeler (8) featuring a finger (9) and a rod (12) extending transversely to said finger, said finger (9) having a distal end, said method including the step of displacing said distal end along said contour and of measuring successive positions of said distal end, characterized in that said displacement step includes the step of measuring the force exerted between the platform (6) and the rod (12), parallel to the latter, and the step of controlling the distance between said finger (9) and said platform (6) as a function of said force so that the intensity of said force remains below a predetermined threshold.