Advanced Six-Degree-of-Freedom (6-D) Laser Measurement System

In order to remain competitive in today's global marketplace, U.S. manufacturers are constantly striving to hold tighter and tighter tolerances on the parts that they produce. What this means is that the manufacturer needs to better control the machines that they use, and in order to do that they need an instrument that can quickly and easily characterize the geometric properties of the machines being used. The proposed development will result in such an instrument. The new instrument will be able to save time and money by simultaneously measuring linear displacement, displacements in the other two orthogonal axes, and roll, pitch, and yaw. The proposed work will build on the background developments at ADI, the proposer, and at the University of Michigan and at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. In particular, the new instrument will be patterned after the already developed 5-D laser measurement systems, and add a sensitive roll detector which makes use of the same laser beam. The resulting instrument will be rugged, easy to use and precise. It will be capable of being produced at a cost that will make the instrument cost effective to own and to use. The prototype instrument will be demonstrated in a shop floor environment to further prove its usefulness and easy set up. What used to take days to accomplish will be shown to require only hours instead. As part of the proposed work, an investigation will be undertaken to further define the expected market, both military and commercial, for the new instrument.