Methods, apparatuses, and systems for image-based measurement and inspection of pre-engineered structural components
First Claim
1. A method for inspecting a pre-engineered structural component, comprising:
- a) passing said pre-engineered structural component through an inspection apparatus;
b) capturing at least one image with a camera of said inspection apparatus, said at least one image being from at least one side of said pre-engineered structural component, said pre-engineered structural component comprising two or more pieces of lumber and at least one support plate;
c) sending said at least one image to a processing unit of said inspection apparatus;
d) identifying a pre-engineered structural component design of said pre-engineered structural component using a digital image processing algorithm on at least a portion of at least one support plate in said image;
e) selecting a reference array that corresponds to said identified pre-engineered structural component design from a plurality of reference arrays stored in an internal memory of said inspection apparatus;
f) said processing unit performing the steps of (1) detecting one or more characteristics of said pre-engineered structural component contained in said at least one image, including at least one of the presence of a piece of lumber, the relative position of a piece of lumber, the presence of said at least one support plate, and relative position of said at least one support plate, and (2) comparing said one or more characteristics of said pre-engineered structural component with corresponding characteristics in said selected reference array;
g) measuring at least one dimension of said pre-engineered structural component contained in said at least one image;
h) comparing said at least one dimension to a corresponding dimension in said reference array; and
i) reporting a result of the comparison.
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Abstract
Methods, apparatuses, and systems for image-based measurement and inspection of pre-engineered structural components, such as building trusses and wall panels. A system can include: a light source; a camera; a first memory storage; a second memory storage; and a processing unit configured to (i) detect a characteristic of the structural component, (ii) compare the characteristic to a corresponding characteristic of at least one reference data, and (iii) indicate a result of the comparison. A method can include: causing a light source to illuminate a portion of the structural component, receiving a reflection of the light source from the illuminated portion of the structural component, and storing data corresponding to the intensity of the reflection; comparing the stored data to at least one reference data; and indicating a result of the comparison.
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Citations
49 Claims
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1. A method for inspecting a pre-engineered structural component, comprising:
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a) passing said pre-engineered structural component through an inspection apparatus; b) capturing at least one image with a camera of said inspection apparatus, said at least one image being from at least one side of said pre-engineered structural component, said pre-engineered structural component comprising two or more pieces of lumber and at least one support plate; c) sending said at least one image to a processing unit of said inspection apparatus; d) identifying a pre-engineered structural component design of said pre-engineered structural component using a digital image processing algorithm on at least a portion of at least one support plate in said image; e) selecting a reference array that corresponds to said identified pre-engineered structural component design from a plurality of reference arrays stored in an internal memory of said inspection apparatus; f) said processing unit performing the steps of (1) detecting one or more characteristics of said pre-engineered structural component contained in said at least one image, including at least one of the presence of a piece of lumber, the relative position of a piece of lumber, the presence of said at least one support plate, and relative position of said at least one support plate, and (2) comparing said one or more characteristics of said pre-engineered structural component with corresponding characteristics in said selected reference array; g) measuring at least one dimension of said pre-engineered structural component contained in said at least one image; h) comparing said at least one dimension to a corresponding dimension in said reference array; and i) reporting a result of the comparison. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. A method for inspecting a pre-engineered structural component, comprising:
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a) inserting said pre-engineered structural component into a first end of an inspection apparatus; b) capturing at least one computer readable image of said pre-engineered structural component with a camera of said inspection apparatus, wherein said pre-engineered structural component comprises one or more pieces of lumber and at least one support plate; c) sending said at least one computer readable image to a processing unit of said inspection apparatus; d) said processing unit selecting a reference array from a plurality of reference arrays stored in an internal memory of said inspection apparatus by (1) detecting at least one characteristic of said pre-engineered structural component contained in said at least one computer readable image, including at least one of the presence of a piece of lumber, the relative position of a piece of lumber, the presence of a support plate, and the relative position of a support plate, and (2) identifying a reference array corresponding to said at least one detected characteristic; and e) said processing unit performing the steps of (1) detecting at least one characteristic of said pre-engineered structural component contained in said at least one computer readable image, including at least one of the presence of a piece of lumber, the relative position of a piece of lumber, the presence of a support plate, and the relative position of a support plate, and (2) comparing said at least one characteristic of said pre-engineered structural component with a corresponding characteristic in said selected reference array. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35)
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36. A method for inspecting a pre-engineered structural component, comprising:
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a) inserting said pre-engineered structural component into a first end of an inspection apparatus; b) capturing at least one computer readable image of said pre-engineered structural component with a camera of said inspection apparatus, wherein said pre-engineered structural component comprises one or more pieces of lumber and at least one support plate; c) sending said at least one computer readable image to a processing unit of said inspection apparatus; d) said processing unit selecting a reference array from a plurality of reference arrays stored in an internal memory of said inspection apparatus corresponding to at least one characteristic of a support plate of said pre-engineered structural component by (1) determining the presence of said at least one support plate in said at least one computer readable image, and (2) identifying a reference image corresponding to said pre-engineered structural component based on said at least one characteristic of said at least one support plate; e) measuring at least one dimension of said pre-engineered structural component contained in said at least one computer readable image; and f) comparing said at least one dimension to a corresponding dimension in said selected reference image. - View Dependent Claims (37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49)
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Specification