Patent ID: 9574863
Date: 2017-02-21
CPC Classifications: G01B,G06T

Claim:
1. A method of establishing a datum reference frame for a manufactured detail part used in an assembly, the method comprising: establishing a primary datum reference plane; identifying first and second mating surfaces of the part; identifying a first functional hole on the first mating surface and a second functional hole on the second mating surface; using a coordinate measuring machine (CMM) probe and associated software to identify a first hole center line, associated with the first functional hole, by sampling at least three first functional hole data points on the first mating surface, provided by the CMM, and using the at least three first functional hole data points to identify the hole center line; using the CMM probe and associated software to identify a first center point of the first functional hole at an intersection of the first centerline of the first functional hole and the first mating surface; using the CMM probe and associated software to identify a second hole center line, associated with the second functional hole, by sampling at least three second functional hole data points on the second mating surface, provided by the CMM, and using the at least three second functional hole data points to identify the hole center line; using the CMM probe and the associated software to identify a second center point of the second functional hole at an intersection of the second centerline of the second functional hole and the second mating surface; establishing a secondary compound datum reference plane through the first center point and the second center point and perpendicular to the primary datum reference plane storing the secondary compound datum reference plane as, at least part of, the datum reference frame for the manufactured detail part used in the assembly, the secondary compound datum reference plane forming, at least in part, a basis of measurement for the manufactured detail part; and measuring the manufactured detail part based, at least in part, on the stored secondary compound datum reference plane.