| US 7,603,789 B2 | ||
| Measurement probe | ||
| Peter Kenneth Hellier, North Nibley (United Kingdom); and David Roberts McMurtry, Dursley (United Kingdom) | ||
| Assigned to Renishaw PLC, Wotton-Under-Edge (United Kingdom) | ||
| Appl. No. 11/885,545 PCT Filed Mar. 24, 2006, PCT No. PCT/GB2006/001095 § 371(c)(1), (2), (4) Date Sep. 04, 2007, PCT Pub. No. WO2006/100508, PCT Pub. Date Sep. 28, 2006. |
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| Claims priority of application No. 0506158.5 (GB), filed on Mar. 24, 2005. | ||
| Prior Publication US 2008/0163507 A1, Jul. 10, 2008 | ||
| Int. Cl. G01B 5/12 (2006.01) | ||
| U.S. Cl. 33—561 | 13 Claims |
| 1. A probe for position determining apparatus, comprising:
a probe body,
a stylus holder, connected or connectable to a workpiece-contacting stylus,
at least one bendable member, connected between the probe body and the stylus holder, which bends when the stylus contacts
a workpiece,
the bendable member having a neutral axis which is not subject to tension or compression during such bending, and at least
one portion of the member lying off the neutral axis, said portion being subject to tension or compression during the bending,
a strain-sensing element located on said portion which lies off the neutral axis, so as to produce an output signal when the
stylus contacts a workpiece,
the bendable member having a further portion which is closer to the neutral axis than the portion on which the strain-sensing
element is located, said further portion having a greater stiffness than the portion on which the strain-sensing element is
located.
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