Method for measuring the internal space of an aircraft

• US 8,576,409 B2
• Filed: 09/04/2009
• Issued: 11/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/04/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Lufthansa Technik AG (Deutsche Lufthansa AG)
• Original Assignee: Lufthansa Technik AG (Deutsche Lufthansa AG)
• Inventors: Thomaschewski, Oliver Sascha
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, SANG H
• Application Number:
  US12/554,524
• Publication Number:
  US 20100091300A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,523 Days
• Field of Search: 356601-614, 356625-636, 356/5.01, 356/4.01, 356/141.5, 235/454, 235/455, 235/459
• US Class Current: 356/601
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 11/24 for measuring contours or curvatures
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/89 for mapping or imaging

Abstract

A method for measuring the internal space of an elongate body. The elongate body has in a global xyz-coordinate system a longitudinal axis x. A laser profile scan is carried out, in which a laser scanner, which carries out scans in a plane, is moved through the internal space of the elongate body. The scan plane is tilted about the y-axis by a tilt angle α or about the z-axis by a tilt angle γ. Preferably, the scan plane is tilted about the y-axis and the z-axis corresponding to the global coordinate system of the internal space. An apparatus for carrying out the method.

Claims

1. A method for measuring internal space of an elongate body having a longitudinal axis x in a global xyz-coordinate system, comprising:

moving a laser scanner, which carries out scans in a plane, through the internal space of the elongate body to perform a laser profile scan of the internal space,

wherein the laser scanner is tilted to provide a scan plane that is tilted about a y-axis by a tilt angle α

or about a z-axis by a tilt angle γ

.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the laser scanner is moved through the internal space along an axis which is substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis x.

3. The method of claim 1, comprising moving the laser scanner at least twice through the internal space and tilting the scan plane, in both scans, by a different angle α

or γ

out of the coordinate system of the internal space.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the laser scanner in the first and second scans is moved through the internal space along two different axes.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the scan plane is tilted out of the yz-plane of the coordinate system of the internal space by an angle α

or γ

of 5 to 50°

.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein the scan plane is tilted in a first scan in a first direction of the x-axis about the y-axis or the z-axis and in a second scan in the other direction of the x-axis about the y-axis or the z-axis out of the yz-plane.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein a magnitude of the tilt angle α

or γ

is the same in the first and second scans.

8. The method of claim 4, wherein the two different axes are substantially mutually parallel and parallel with respect to the longitudinal axis x of the internal space, and are arranged either substantially mirror-symmetrically with respect to a plane which extends through the longitudinal axis x of the internal space or have differing distances from the center line of the internal space.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the movement of the laser scanner is discontinuous and the scanning of one or more scan planes takes place in the movement pauses of the laser scanner.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the movement of the laser scanner and the scanning of one or more scan planes take place at the same time.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the elongate body is an aircraft fuselage having a floor and an outer skin which extends substantially in the shape of a circular segment above the floor and is provided with radially extending frames.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the tilt angle α

about the y-axis, the tilt angle γ

about the z-axis, and a relative position of the laser scanner with respect to the axis of rotational symmetry of the outer skin which extends substantially in the shape of a circular segment above the floor are such that, during the scanning operation, as large a surface area as possible both of the inner surfaces of the outer skin, which extend in the radial direction, and of those surfaces, which extend in the axial direction, of the frames is struck by the laser beam at an angle which deviates at most 60°

from the perpendicular.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the magnitude of the tilt angle α

is 15 to 75°

.

14. The method of claim 12 or 13, wherein the magnitude of the tilt angle γ

is 15 to 75°

.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the angle deviates at most 50°

from the perpendicular.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein the angle deviates at most 45°

from the perpendicular.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein the magnitude of the tilt angle α

is 30 to 60°

.

18. The method of claim 12 or 13, wherein the magnitude of the tilt angle γ

is 30 to 60°

.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the y-axis and the z-axis correspond to the xyz-global coordinate system of the internal space.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein the scan plane is tilted out of the yz-plane of the coordinate system of the internal space by an angle α

or γ

of 5 to 30°

.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein the scan plane is tilted out of the yz-plane of the coordinate system of the internal space by an angle α

or γ

of 5 to 20°

.

22. The method of claim 1, wherein the scan plane is tilted out of the yz-plane of the coordinate system of the internal space by an angle α

or γ

of 5 to 15°

.

23. The method of claim 1, wherein the movement of the laser scanner is continuous.