Patent ID: 6837114

Claim:
A three-dimensional measure device comprising: a plurality of air bearings; a base member including a platform horizontally secured thereon; a bridge slidably mounted on the platform and movably positioned thereon along a first dimension of the three-dimensional measure device, the bridge including a first support and a second support respectively supporting a horizontal portion of the bridge; a runner slidably mounted on the horizontal portion of the bridge and movably along a second dimension of the three-dimensional measure device; a tubular shaft reciprocally and movably received in the runner and positionable along a third dimension of the three-dimensional measure device, said first and second and third dimensions being orthogonal with respect to each other; and, a probe longitudinally movable and received in the tubular shaft; a resilient member mounted and previously compressed in each of said plurality of air bearings to provide a biasing force on the air bearing for adjusting a gap between the two adjacent elements that are moved relative to each other, wherein each of said plurality of air bearings is mounted between said two adjacent elements movably positioned with respect to each other, each of said plurality of air bearings further comprising: a body with a bottom facing a flat surface of an adjacent element that is movable relative to the air bearing; a hemisphere-like cavity defined in the body opposite to the bottom of the body; a recess defined in a bottom of the hemisphere-like cavity; an outlet defined in the body, the outlet extending to the bottom of the body and communicating with the recess in the body; a block partially received in the hemisphere-like cavity and having a lower side with a shape corresponding to that of the hemisphere-like cavity, the block being adapted to load a weight of the adjacent element in which the air bearing is mounted; and, an inlet defined in the block and extending through the block, the inlet communicating with the recess after extending through the block and allowing compressed air to flow to the bottom of the body via the inlet, the recess and the outlet.