INSPECTION SYSTEM

• US 20160335756A1
• Filed: 12/22/2013
• Published: 11/17/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Analogic Corporation
• Original Assignee: Analogic Corporation
• Inventors: SHAUGHNESSY, Charles, ZANIN, Eric, ACCOMANDO, Nicholas A., O'CONNOR, John P.
• Granted Patent: US 10,068,322 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10048 Infrared image
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10072 Tomographic images
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/20221 Image fusion; Image merging
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30252 Vehicle exterior; Vicinity of vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/60 Rotation of whole images or parts thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/0004 Industrial image inspection
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/0012 Biomedical image inspection
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/32 using correlation-based methods

Abstract

One or more techniques and/or systems are described for inspecting an object, such as a tire. The system comprises a radiation imaging system configured to examine the object via radiation to generate a radiation image depicting an interior aspect of the object and a machine vision system configured to measure visible light and/or infrared wavelengths to generate a vision image depicting an exterior aspect of the object. The radiation image and the vision image may be correlated to facilitate an inspection of the object which includes an inspection of the exterior aspect as well as the interior aspect.

Claims

1. An inspection system, comprising:

a machine vision system configured to examine an exterior surface of an object to generate a vision image depicting zero or more defects on the exterior surface;

a radiation imaging system configured to examine an interior volume of the object to generate a radiation image depicting zero or more defects within the interior volume; and

a correlation component configured to spatially correlate a first region of the vision image with a second region of the radiation image.

2. The inspection system of claim 1, comprising a fusion component configured to fuse the first region with the second region to generate a fused image comprising the first region and the second region.

3. The inspection system of claim 2, comprising:

a feature selection component configured to process the fused image to identify zero or more features of the object.

4. The inspection system of claim 3, the zero or more features comprising defects.

5. The inspection system of claim 1, the radiation imaging system comprising a computed tomography system.

6. The inspection system of claim 1, comprising:

an object movement component configured to rotate the object about a first axis concurrently with at least one of the machine vision system examining the exterior surface of the object or the radiation imaging system examining the interior volume of the object.

7. The inspection system of claim 6, the radiation imaging system comprising a radiation source and a detector array, at least one of the radiation source or the detector array configured to rotate about a second axis that is substantially perpendicular to the first axis.

8. The inspection system of claim 1, the radiation imaging system comprising a line-scan system.

9. The inspection system of claim 1, the vision image being a two-dimensional image depicting a non-planar exterior surface of the object.

10. The inspection system of claim 9, comprising:

a machine vision image processor configured to dewarp the two-dimensional image.

11. The inspection system of claim 1, the radiation image being a three-dimensional image.

12. The inspection system of claim 1, the object comprising a tire and the correlation component configured to spatially correlate the first region with the second region based upon a tread pattern of the tire.

13. The inspection system of claim 1, the machine vision system comprising an image sensor configured to measure wavelengths in at least one of a visible light spectrum or an infrared spectrum.

14. A method for object inspection, comprising:

examining an exterior surface of an object to generate a first image depicting zero or more defects on the exterior surface by measuring wavelengths in at least one of a visible light spectrum or an infrared spectrum;

examining an interior volume of the object to generate a second image depicting zero or more defects within the interior volume using at least one of x-rays or gamma-rays;

fusing a first region of the first image with a second region of the second image to generate a fused image; and

analyzing the fused image to detect a defect of the object.

15. The method of claim 14, comprising:

verifying the defect; and

updating one or more algorithms used for the analyzing responsive to the verifying.

16. The method of claim 14, the examining an exterior surface and the examining an interior volume performed concurrently.

17. The method of claim 14, comprising rotating the object about a first axis during at least one of the examining an exterior surface or the examining an interior volume.

18. The method of claim 17, comprising rotating at least one of a radiation source configured to emit the at least one of x-rays or gamma-rays or a detector array configured to detect the at least one of x-rays or gamma-rays about a second axis that is substantially perpendicular to a first axis about which the object is rotated during the examining an exterior surface and the examining an interior volume.

19. The method of claim 14, comprising dewarping the first image.

20. An inspection system, comprising:

a machine vision system configured to examine an exterior surface of an object to generate a vision image depicting zero or more defects on the exterior surface;

a radiation imaging system configured to examine an interior volume of the object to generate a radiation image depicting zero or more defects within the interior volume, the radiation imaging system comprising a radiation source and a detector array configured to rotate about a first axis;

an object movement component configured to rotate the object about a second axis concurrently with at least one of the machine vision system examining the exterior surface and the radiation imaging system examining the interior volume, the second axis substantially perpendicular to the first axis; and

a correlation component configured to spatially correlate a first region of the first image with a second region of the second image.