Inspection system

• US 10,068,322 B2
• Filed: 12/22/2013
• Issued: 09/04/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2013
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Analogic Corporation
• Original Assignee: Analogic Corporation
• Inventors: O'Connor, John P., Shaughnessy, Charles, Zanin, Eric, Accomando, Nicholas A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bekele, Mekonen
• Application Number:
  US15/107,216
• Publication Number:
  US 20160335756A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,717 Days
• 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 a tire to generate a vision image of the exterior surface;

a radiation imaging system configured to examine an interior volume of the tire to generate a three-dimensional radiation image of the interior volume;

a correlation component configured to spatially correlate a first region of the vision image with a second region of the three-dimensional radiation image, wherein the correlation component is configured to spatially correlate the first region with the second region based upon a tread pattern of the tire; and

a feature identification component configured to perform an action with respect to the tire upon detecting a defect in the tire using at least one of the vision image or the three-dimensional 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 scan for defects in the tire.

4. The inspection system of claim 1, wherein the action comprises issuing an alert notifying a user of the inspection system of the defect.

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

6. The inspection system of claim 1, comprising:

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

7. The inspection system of claim 6, wherein:

the radiation imaging system comprises a radiation source and a detector array, and

at least one of the radiation source or the detector array is configured to rotate about a second axis that is substantially perpendicular to the first axis.

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

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

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, wherein the action comprises diverting the tire to a location designated for objects comprising specified defects.

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

13. A method for object inspection, comprising:

examining an exterior surface of an object to generate a first image depicting 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 the interior volume using at least one of x-rays or gamma-rays, wherein;

the object is rotated about a first axis during at least one of the examining an exterior surface or the examining an interior volume, and

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 is rotated about a second axis that is substantially perpendicular to the first axis during the examining an exterior surface and the examining an interior volume;

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

analyzing the fused image to detect a defect of the object; and

performing an action with respect to the object upon detecting the defect.

14. The method of claim 13, comprising:

verifying the defect; and

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

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the examining an exterior surface and the examining an interior volume are performed concurrently.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the performing an action comprises issuing an alert notifying a user of the defect.

17. The method of claim 13, comprising dewarping the first image.

19. The method of claim 13, wherein the performing an action comprises diverting the object to a location designated for objects comprising specified defects.

20. The method of claim 13, wherein the fusing comprises spatially correlating the first region with the second region based upon one or more features detectable in both the first image and the second image.

18. An inspection system, comprising:

a machine vision system configured to examine an exterior surface of an object to generate a vision image of the exterior surface;

a radiation imaging system configured to examine an interior volume of the object to generate a radiation image of the interior volume, wherein the radiation imaging system comprises 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 or the radiation imaging system examining the interior volume, wherein the second axis is substantially perpendicular to the first axis; and

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