US5077905A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Laser alignment mount assembly and method
Assignee: Individual
•
Filing: 1990-06-04
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Granted: 1992-01-07
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Expires: 2010-06-04
Abstract
Abstract An assembly for providing alignment growth measurements for coupled shafts includes laser alignment measurement equipment and a mounting assembly for attaching the laser alignment measurement equipment to bearing housings of cooperating coupled shafts. The mounting assembly includes a bracket for attaching directly to the bearing housing. A first mounting disk is attached directly to the bracket. A second mounting disk is attached to the first mounting disk and is universally pivotally adjustable about a center pivot ball between the mounting disks. Tilt-adjusting screws are placed at equally spaced quadrantal positions to effect the pivoting of the second mounting disk. A cylindrical insert is attached to the second mounting disk and receives a detachable end cap. The end cap is adapted to receive the laser measuring assembly. Accurate measurement data is provided by a plurality of pairs of cooperating tooling balls. An outside micrometer is used to measure the gap. To gather the information required for determining alignment, the laser equipment is initially zeroed before beginning the thermal cycle and the gaps between cooperating tooling balls measured. Following the end of the thermal cycle, the laser equipment is re-zeroed by pivotally adjusting the mount assembly. The change in gaps between cooperating tooling balls is measured and alignment growth information calculated.
Inventors
- 👤 Malcolm G. Murray, Jr.
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-06 15:25
CPC Classifications
G; G01; G01B; G01B11/00; G01B11/26; G01B11/27; G01B11/272; Y; Y10; Y10S; Y10S33/00; Y10S33/21
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 22
Claim 1
Independent Claim
66 words
An assembly for providing alignment thermal growth measurements for coupled shafts, said assembly located on adjacent machines, comprising: laser measuring means; bracket means associated with each of said coupled shafts; and universal means for attaching said laser means to said bracket means for single-point pivotal movement so as to allow adjustment of said laser means in a plurality of directions; whereby alignment accuracy and measurement range
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
66 words
An assembly for providing alignment thermal growth measurements for coupled shafts, said assembly located on adjacent machines, comprising: laser measuring means; bracket means associated with each of said coupled shafts; and universal means for attaching said laser means to said bracket means for single-point pivotal movement so as to allow adjustment of said laser means in a plurality of directions; whereby alignment accuracy and measurement range
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
103 words
An assembly for providing alignment thermal growth measurements for coupled shafts, said assembly located on adjacent machines, comprising: laser measuring means; bracket means associated with each of said coupled shafts; and universal means for pivotally attaching said laser measuring means to said bracket means so as to allow adjustment of said laser means in a plurality of directions, said pivotal attaching means including first mounting means attached to said bracket means, said first mounting means providing said pivotal adjustment, and second mounting means attached to said first mounting means for receiving said laser measuring means; whereby alignment accuracy and measurement range are increased.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
103 words
An assembly for providing alignment thermal growth measurements for coupled shafts, said assembly located on adjacent machines, comprising: laser measuring means; bracket means associated with each of said coupled shafts; and universal means for pivotally attaching said laser measuring means to said bracket means so as to allow adjustment of said laser means in a plurality of directions, said pivotal attaching means including first mounting means attached to said bracket means, said first mounting means providing said pivotal adjustment, and second mounting means attached to said first mounting means for receiving said laser measuring means; whereby alignment accuracy and measurement range are increased.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
29 words
The assembly set forth in claim 2, wherein said bracket means includes means to attach said first mounting means thereon in any one of a plurality of radial positions.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
33 words
The assembly set forth in claim 3, wherein each of said coupled shafts includes a cooperating bearing housing and said bracket means includes means for attaching said bracket means to said bearing housing.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
49 words
The assembly set forth in claim 2, wherein said first mounting means includes a first mounting disk secured to said bracket means, said second mounting means including a second mounting disk universally pivotally attached to said first mounting disk and an insert member attached to said second mounting disk.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
31 words
The assembly set forth in claim 5, wherein said first mounting disk includes a plurality of slots for receiving attachment bolts, said slots allowing rotational adjustment of said first mounting disk.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
40 words
The assembly set forth in claim 6, wherein said universal pivotal attachment between said first and second mounting disks includes a pivot ball received within cooperating recesses in said mounting disks and a plurality of tilt-adjusting screws coupling said disks.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
19 words
The assembly set forth in claim 7, wherein there are four tilt-adjusting screws, each located at a quadrantal position.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
23 words
The assembly set forth in claim 8, wherein said mounting disks each have at least one tooling ball cooperating to form a pair.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
26 words
The assembly set forth in claim 9, wherein there are four pairs of cooperating tooling balls, each pair at one of four equally spaced quadrantal positions.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
22 words
The assembly set forth in claim 10, further including micrometer measuring means for measuring gap dimension between said tooling balls to measurements.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
15 words
The assembly set forth in claim 11, wherein said micrometer means is an outside micrometer.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
53 words
The assembly set forth in claim 2 wherein said second mounting means includes means for rotating said laser measuring means about an axis parallel to said coupled shafts and reattaching the same in another operative 90° rotated position, whereby to facilitate obtaining measurements for all axes without having the assembly to another location.
Claim 16
Independent Claim
117 words
A method for determining thermal growth of coupled shafts during a thermal cycle using laser alignment equipment mounted to adjacent machines for universal positioning and single point pivotal movement comprising the steps of: establishing a zero reference point for said laser equipment before beginning said thermal cycle; determining the position of said mounted laser equipment with independent measurement following said establishment of said zero reference point; reestablishing said zero reference point for said laser equipment after the end of said thermal cycle; determining the change in position of said mounted laser equipment with independent measurement following said reestablishment of said zero reference point; and calculating said thermal growth during said thermal cycle from the change in position.
Claim 17
Independent Claim
117 words
A method for determining thermal growth of coupled shafts during a thermal cycle using laser alignment equipment mounted to adjacent machines for universal positioning and single point pivotal movement comprising the steps of: establishing a zero reference point for said laser equipment before beginning said thermal cycle; determining the position of said mounted laser equipment with independent measurement following said establishment of said zero reference point; reestablishing said zero reference point for said laser equipment after the end of said thermal cycle; determining the change in position of said mounted laser equipment with independent measurement following said reestablishment of said zero reference point; and calculating said thermal growth during said thermal cycle from the change in position.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
30 words
The method of claim 14, further including the step of removing said laser equipment before beginning said thermal cycle and reinstalling said equipment after the end of said thermal cycle.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
54 words
The method of claim 14 further including the step of rotating said laser measuring means about an axis parallel to said coupled shafts prior to calculating the thermal growth, reattaching the measuring means in another operative 90° rotated position, whereby to facilitate obtaining measurements for all axes without moving the equipment to another location.
Claim 20
Independent Claim
160 words
A method for aligning coupled shafts in response to thermal growth during a thermal cycle measured using laser alignment equipment mounted to adjacent machines for universal positioning and single point pivotal movement, comprising the steps of: establishing a zero reference point for said laser equipment before beginning said thermal cycle; determining the position of said mounted laser equipment with independent measurement following said establishment of said zero reference point; reestablishing said zero reference pint for said laser equipment after the end of said thermal cycle; determining the change in position of said mounted laser equipment with independent measurement following said reestablishment of said zero reference point; calculating said thermal growth during said thermal cycle from the change in position; calculating thermal offsets to be applied at ambient temperature to one or both of said machines; and adjusting one or both of said machines according to said thermal offsets to bring about substantial alignment of said machines at full operating conditions.
Claim 21
Independent Claim
160 words
A method for aligning coupled shafts in response to thermal growth during a thermal cycle measured using laser alignment equipment mounted to adjacent machines for universal positioning and single point pivotal movement, comprising the steps of: establishing a zero reference point for said laser equipment before beginning said thermal cycle; determining the position of said mounted laser equipment with independent measurement following said establishment of said zero reference point; reestablishing said zero reference pint for said laser equipment after the end of said thermal cycle; determining the change in position of said mounted laser equipment with independent measurement following said reestablishment of said zero reference point; calculating said thermal growth during said thermal cycle from the change in position; calculating thermal offsets to be applied at ambient temperature to one or both of said machines; and adjusting one or both of said machines according to said thermal offsets to bring about substantial alignment of said machines at full operating conditions.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
29 words
The method of claim 17, further including the step of removing said laser equipment before said thermal cycle and reinstalling said equipment after the end of said thermal cycle.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1995-01-06 | 1995-07-08 | 1996-01-07 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1999-01-06 | 1999-07-08 | 2000-01-07 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2003-01-06 | 2003-07-08 | 2004-01-07 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |