Patent ID: 8561309

Claim:
A shape measuring device to measure a surface shape of a workpiece based on a moving amount of a probe by contacting or moving the probe while in contact with a surface of the workpiece, wherein the shape measuring device comprises: the probe; a probe support shaft to pivotally support the probe; and a probe drive device to which the probe support shaft is attached to contact the probe with a measuring position of the surface of the workpiece and to move relatively the workpiece and the probe; wherein the probe is a sphere pivotally supported by the probe support shaft and has a cut face which is a shape cut so as to be nearly vertical to the probe support shaft in the sphere; and a shape measurement of the surface of the workpiece is carried out in such a manner that the cut face of the probe is faced with a face intersecting a face containing the measuring position of the surface of the workpiece, and a surface of the sphere is contacted with the measuring position of the workpiece.