INSPECTION SYSTEM AND METHODS WITH AUTOCOMPENSATION FOR EDGE BREAK GAUGING ORIENTATION

• US 20080281543A1
• Filed: 05/07/2007
• Published: 11/13/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/07/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Ross, Joseph Benjamin, Harding, Kevin George, Isaacs, Ralph Gerald, Jia, Ming, Zheng, Jianming, Abramovich, Gil, Song, Guiju, Ning, Yu
• Granted Patent: US 7,925,075 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 702/97
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 11/25 by projecting a pattern, e.g. one or more lines, moiré fringes on the object G01B11/255 takes precedence ; image analysis for depth or shape recovery G06T7/50
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 21/20 for measuring contours or curvatures, e.g. determining profile

Abstract

A method for inspecting a feature of a part is provided. The method includes obtaining a profile corresponding to the feature using a sensor and projecting the profile onto a compensation plane normal to the feature for generating an updated profile. The method also includes using the updated profile for reducing a measurement error caused by an orientation of the sensor. An inspection system is also provided. The inspection system includes a sensor configured to capture a fringe image of a feature on a part. The inspection system further includes a processor configured to process the fringe image to obtain an initial profile of the feature and to project the initial profile onto a compensation plane normal to the feature.

Claims

1. A method for inspecting a feature of a part, comprising:

obtaining a profile corresponding to the feature using a sensor;

projecting the profile onto a compensation plane normal to the feature for generating an updated profile; and

using the updated profile for reducing a measurement error caused by an orientation of the sensor.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

obtaining a plurality of profiles comprising a plurality of edges; and

removing a plurality of data points corresponding to noise from the edges of the profiles.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the removing step comprises trimming the profiles by performing line fitting and at least one Graham scan.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising extracting a plurality of points from a trimmed profile and fitting two edge surface planes through the extracted points.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising generating the compensation plane that is normal to the two edge surface planes.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the updated profile is utilized to determine a quality of the feature.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the feature comprises an edge break in the part.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the edge break comprises a chamfer, or a bevel, or a rounded edge, or a fillet, or combinations thereof.

9. A method for inspecting a feature of a part, comprising:

obtaining a profile corresponding to the feature using a sensor; and

determining an orientation of the feature such that a cross-section of data along the profile is being measured normal to a major axis of the feature.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the determining step comprises projecting the profile along a normal direction for reducing a measurement error due to an orientation of the sensor.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising obtaining a plurality of profiles comprising a plurality of edges and removing a plurality of noise points in the edges of the profiles by performing line fitting and at least one Graham scan trimming method.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising extracting at least ten profiles from a captured image of the profile obtained using the sensor.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising extracting a plurality of points from the profiles and fitting two edge planes through the points.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising determining a normal vector and projecting the profile along the normal vector.

15. An inspection system, comprising:

a sensor configured to capture a fringe image of a feature on a part; and

a processor configured to process the fringe image to obtain an initial profile of the feature and to project the initial profile onto a compensation plane normal to the feature.

16. The inspection system of claim 15, wherein the feature comprises an edge break on the part.

17. The inspection system of claim 16, wherein the edge break comprises a chamfer, or a bevel, or a rounded edge, or a fillet, or combinations thereof.

18. The inspection system of claim 15, wherein the processor is further configured to extract a plurality of profiles in a region of interest and to remove a plurality of data points corresponding to noise from the profiles.

19. The inspection system of claim 18, wherein the processor is configured to remove the data points by trimming the profiles by performing line fitting and at least one Graham scan.

20. The inspection system of claim 19, wherein the processor is further configured to extract a plurality of points from the trimmed profile and to fit two edge planes through the points.

21. The inspection system of claim 20, wherein the processor is configured to determine the compensation plane that is normal to the edge planes.