System and method for assembling substantially distortion-free images

• US 20080310754A1
• Filed: 06/15/2007
• Published: 12/18/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/15/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Georgeson, Gary E., Safai, Morteza, Finlayson, John W., Edwards, Talion
• Granted Patent: US 8,224,121 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/275
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 15/04 for measuring contours or curvatures
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 11/00 Photogrammetry or videogrammetry, e.g. stereogrammetry; Photographic surveying
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 5/0025 Measuring scattered radiation
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 5/222 measuring scattered radiation

Abstract

Exemplary systems and methods are provided for imaging a unit under test. Orientation of an imaging system is determined with a machine vision system, a unit under test is scanned with the imaging system, and the scanned image is processed into a substantially distortion-free image. The scanned image may be processed into a substantially distortion-free image by mapping a scanned image to coordinates determined by the machine vision system. By combining the position and orientation information collected at the time each image pixel is collected, the image can be assembled without distortion by mapping a detector signal to the appropriate image coordinate. Alternately, the scanned image may be processed into a substantially distortion-free image by mapping a scanned image to a predetermined matrix grid of coordinates, identifying distortion in the scanned image, and correcting identified distortion in the scanned image.

Claims

1. A method for imaging a unit under test, the method comprising:

determining orientation of an imaging system with a machine vision system;

scanning a unit under test with the imaging system; and

processing the scanned image into a substantially distortion-free image.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein processing the scanned image into a substantially distortion-free image includes mapping a scanned image to coordinates determined by the machine vision system.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein processing the scanned image into a substantially distortion-free image includes:

mapping a scanned image to a predetermined matrix grid of coordinates;

identifying distortion in the scanned image; and

correcting identified distortion in the scanned image.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein determining orientation of the imaging system includes imaging a plurality of fiducials installed on the unit under test with at least two spaced-apart machine vision image sensors mounted on the imaging system.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein determining orientation of the imaging system further includes triangulating distance between a unit under test and the machine vision image sensors.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein determining orientation of the imaging system further includes calculating angular orientation between a unit under test and the machine vision image sensors.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising tiling a plurality of substantially distortion-free images.

8. A method for imaging a unit under test, the method comprising:

determining orientation of an imaging system with a machine vision system;

scanning a unit under test with the imaging system; and

mapping a scanned image to coordinates determined by the machine system to process the scanned image into a substantially distortion-free image.

9. A method for imaging a unit under test, the method comprising:

determining orientation of an imaging system with a machine vision system;

scanning a unit under test with the imaging system;

mapping a scanned image to a predetermined matrix grid of coordinates;

identifying distortion in the scanned image; and

correcting identified distortion in the scanned image.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein determining orientation of the imaging system includes determining coordinates of the unit under test with the machine vision system that is mounted on the imaging system.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein identifying distortion in the scanned image includes registering the scanned image mapped to the predetermined grid of coordinates and the coordinates of the unit under test determined by the machine vision system.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein correcting distortion further includes making geometrical corrections to the scanned image.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein making geometrical corrections to the scanned image includes morphing the scanned image.

14. A method of reverse engineering a unit under test, the method comprising:

preparing a unit under test for imaging;

determining orientation of the imaging system with a machine vision system;

scanning the unit under test with an imaging system;

processing scanned images into substantially distortion-free images;

creating a data set from the substantially distortion-free images;

generating surfaces and structures from the data set; and

integrating the surfaces and structures into a pre-existing design of the unit under test.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein determining orientation of the imaging system includes imaging a plurality of fiducials mounted on the unit under test with at least two spaced-apart machine vision image sensors mounted on the imaging system.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein determining orientation of the imaging system further includes triangulating distance between a unit under test and the machine vision image sensors.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein determining orientation of the imaging system further includes calculating angular orientation between a unit under test and the machine vision image sensors.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein processing the scanned image into a substantially distortion-free image includes mapping a scanned image to coordinates determined by the machine vision system.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein processing the scanned image into a substantially distortion-free image includes:

mapping a scanned image to a predetermined matrix grid of coordinates;

identifying distortion in the scanned image; and

correcting identified distortion in the scanned image.

20. The method of claim 14, further comprising tiling a plurality of substantially distortion-free images.

21. A system for imaging a unit under test, the system comprising:

an imaging system configured to scan a unit under test;

a machine vision system configured to image a plurality of fiducials installed on the unit under test with at least two spaced-apart machine vision image sensors mounted on the imaging system; and

a computing system operatively coupled to the imaging system and the machine vision system, the computing system including;

a first computer processing component configured to determine orientation of the imaging system relative to the unit under test; and

a second computer processing component configured to process the scanned image into a substantially distortion-free image.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the first computer processing component includes a third computer processing component configured to triangulate distance between the unit under test and the machine vision image sensors.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the first computer processing component includes a fourth computer processing component configured to calculate angular orientation between the unit under test and the machine vision image sensors.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the second computer processing component includes a fifth computer processing component configured to map a scanned image to coordinates determined by the machine vision system.

25. The system of claim 21, wherein the second computer processing component includes:

a sixth computer processing component configured to map a scanned image to a predetermined matrix grid of coordinates;

a seventh computer processing component configured to identify distortion in the scanned image; and

an eighth computer processing component configured to correct identified distortion in the scanned image.

26. The system of claim 21, further comprising a ninth computer processing component configured to tile a plurality of substantially distortion-free images.

27. A system for reverse engineering a unit under test, the system comprising:

an imaging system configured to scan a unit under test;

a machine vision system configured to image a plurality of fiducials installed on the unit under test with at least two spaced-apart machine vision image sensors mounted on the imaging system; and

a computing system operatively coupled to the imaging system and the machine vision system, the computing system including;

a first computer processing component configured to determine orientation of the imaging system relative to the unit under test;

a second computer processing component configured to process the scanned image into substantially distortion-free images;

a third computer processing component configured to create a data set from the substantially distortion-free images;

a fourth computer processing component configured to generate surfaces and structures from the data set; and

a fifth computer processing component configured to integrate the surfaces and structures into a pre-existing design of the unit under test.

28. The system of claim 27, wherein the imaging system includes an x-ray backscatter system.

29. The system of claim 28, wherein:

the x-ray backscatter system includes a rotating collimator; and

the machine vision image sensors are mounted on the rotating collimator.

30. The system of claim 27, wherein the machine vision system includes a machine vision system chosen from a photogrammetry system and a videogrammetry system.

31. The system of claim 27, wherein the first computer processing component includes a sixth computer processing component configured to triangulate distance between the unit under test and the machine vision image sensors.

32. The system of claim 31, wherein the first computer processing component includes a seventh computer processing component configured to calculate angular orientation between the unit under test and the machine vision image sensors.

33. The system of claim 27, wherein the second computer processing component includes an eighth computer processing component configured to map a scanned image to coordinates determined by the machine vision system.

34. The system of claim 27, wherein the second computer processing component includes:

a ninth computer processing component configured to map a scanned image to a predetermined matrix grid of coordinates;

a tenth computer processing component configured to identify distortion in the scanned image; and

an eleventh computer processing component configured to correct identified distortion in the scanned image.

35. The system of claim 27, further comprising a twelfth computer processing component configured to tile a plurality of substantially distortion-free image.