Optical three-dimensional (3-D) geometry measurements are state of the art when it comes to contactless quality control and maintenance of the shape of technical components that exclude tactile measurements due to filigree or internal structures. Optical inspection methods are also characterized by a fast and high-resolution 3-D inspection of complex geometries. And due to their noncontact principle, they can carry out measurements in places that would otherwise not be accessible due to harsh environmental conditions or specimens such as hot forged parts. However, there are currently no methods to estimate the reconstruction quality for the optical 3-D geometry measurements of hot objects. The mainly used geometric measurement standards cannot be used for the characterization of hot measurements since the calibrated geometrical values are not transferable to high temperatures. For the development of such a metric, we present the fundamentals of the concepts and algorithms for an estimation of the reconstruction quality are presented and evaluated using a two-dimensional simulation model. The generated findings were applied to the 3-D geometry measurement of a hot object in a laboratory environment. The results are compared with general state-of-the-art reconstruction quality metrics.
A robust calibration approach for a telecentric stereo camera system for three-dimensional (3-D) surface measurements is presented, considering the effect of affine mirror ambiguity. By optimizing the parameters of a rigid body transformation between two marker planes and transforming the two-dimensional (2-D) data into one coordinate frame, a 3-D calibration object is obtained, avoiding high manufacturing costs. Based on the recent contributions in the literature, the calibration routine consists of an initial parameter estimation by affine reconstruction to provide good start values for a subsequent nonlinear stereo refinement based on a Levenberg–Marquardt optimization. To this end, the coordinates of the calibration target are reconstructed in 3-D using the Tomasi–Kanade factorization algorithm for affine cameras with Euclidean upgrade. The reconstructed result is not properly scaled and not unique due to affine ambiguity. In order to correct the erroneous scaling, the similarity transformation between one of the 2-D calibration plane points and the corresponding 3-D points is estimated. The resulting scaling factor is used to rescale the 3-D point data, which then allows in combination with the 2-D calibration plane data for a determination of the start values for the subsequent nonlinear stereo refinement. As the rigid body transformation between the 2-D calibration planes is also obtained, a possible affine mirror ambiguity in the affine reconstruction result can be robustly corrected. The calibration routine is validated by an experimental calibration and various plausibility tests. Due to the usage of a calibration object with metric information, the determined camera projection matrices allow for a triangulation of correctly scaled metric 3-D points without the need for an individual camera magnification determination.
Hot forming processes, especially open die forging, are often used for production of high-performance, large-scale objects. The main benefits compared to, e.g. shape cutting methods, include lower material use and higher stress resistance. Inline process control by 3d geometry measurement is an important part of a cost-effective component production. However, there are no automated control systems commercially available for open die forging, which results in a limited precision of the final component geometry. The main challenges for a control system in said conditions are imposed by the temperature influence of the hot object on the measurement systems as well as limited actuator accuracy for the precise handling of hot, heavy objects. Additionally, the tools used in open die forging are kept simple for financial reasons. Comparable tools for, e.g., drop forging, need to be exclusively made for each new object form and therefore cannot be used for a cost-efficient production of low-quantity components. In this paper, we present a production concept in order to control a hot forming method for large scale, low quantity components. The approach combines an adaptable high-resolution 3d geometry measurement system and an incremental open die forging press for cost- and time-efficient production. Forming simulations will need to be conducted prior to the process to gain access to a large database of possible forming steps to reach the desired final geometry. The control system itself compares the measured geometry and temperature to the simulated ones. Occurring deviations are analysed and a sequence of forming steps is calculated from the database. The necessary forging forces and strokes of the actuating system are extracted from the chosen forming sequence and linked back into the system to achieve maximum precision.
The realization of 3D triangulation measurements in inhomogeneous media is challenging, as the sensor light path is not necessarily rectilinear anymore and the triangulation principle is violated. An exemplary measurement scenario under inhomogeneous optical conditions is the geometry characterization through an inspection window. The discrete refractive index variation from air to inspection window and back to air (or even water) can require complicated light path modeling approaches in order to triangulate 3D surface data correctly. As commonly used entocentric lenses “fan out” the projected light rays, the rays’ incidence angles onto the refractive index interface are not constant, and the rays are individually deflected. In consequence, the typically used camera pinhole model does not apply anymore, or can only approximate the actual light path under refraction. In this paper, we present a structured light sensor concept for measurements through inspection windows, which does not require a special adaption of the light path model. The key is the application of a telecentric stereo camera pair and high-quality optical inspection windows. It can be shown theoretically, that no additional parameters are necessary to model light refraction induced by a plane-parallel plate – such as a window –, when used in combination with a telecentric lens. Next to the affine stereo camera pair, the sensor comprises an entocentric projector unit as feature generator. In previous work, the projector was calibrated with refraction model in order to provide a 3D point cloud basis for the affine camera calibration.1 In the new approach, the projector is merely used as feature generator to solve the correspondence problem between the affine stereo camera pair. Besides the developed sensor hardware concept, we present an overview on the calibration strategy based on an affine self-calibration approach, the solving of the correspondence problem between the cameras, and first calibration and measurement results. In forthcoming work, the sensor is also meant to be used in three-media refraction scenarios.
When repairing worn components it is crucial to have detailed knowledge of the current object’s state. For this purpose a multi-sensor system was developed to measure objects in different scales and modalities. This work focuses on the 3-D measurement of worn turbine blades using a fringe projection system. The 3-D geometry of turbine blades is crucial for the overall performance and safety of an engine. Therefore it is not sufficient to rely on single fringe projection measurements for a functional evaluation. To obtain a 3-D model the blade has to be measured from multiple directions. Gathered data are combined to form the model. This process is called registration or stitching. To reduce uncertainties during the process markers can be applied on or near the measurement object. However, common methods using markers are insufficient in automatability and feature density and therefore are not applicable in this case. In this work a novel registration strategy based on projected random patterns is developed. Multiple projectors are placed around the object to illuminate its geometry. Keypoints are identified by capturing additional grayscale images and applying state-of-the art feature detection algorithms. Feature matching is performed on consecutive measurements. Matches are preprocessed and a random sample consensus approach is chosen to calculate the rigid body transformation. Multiple measurements of the turbine blade and other geometries have been successfully aligned using the proposed strategy. Beyond that the high density of features allows the alignment of measurements with different scales and resolutions.
Within the Collaborative Research Centre 1153 Tailored Forming a process chain is being developed to manufacture hybrid high performance components made from different materials. The optical geometry characterization of red-hot workpieces directly after the forming process yields diverse advantages, e.g., the documentation of workpiece distortion effects during cooling or the rejection of deficient components in an early manufacturing state. Challenges arise due to the high components temperature directly after forming (approximately 1000°C): The applied structured light method is based on the triangulation principle, which requires homogeneous measurement conditions and a rectilinear expansion of light. This essential precondition is violated when measuring hot objects, as the heat input into the surrounding air leads to an inhomogeneous refractive index field. The authors identified low pressure environments as a promising approach to reduce the magnitude and expansion of the heat induced optical inhomogeneity. To this end, a vacuum chamber has been developed at the Institute of Measurement and Automatic Control. One drawback of a measurement chamber is, that the geometry characterization has to be conducted through a chamber window. The sensors light path is therefore again affected - in this case by the window’s discrete increase of refractive index, and also due to the different air density states at sensor location (density at ambient pressure conditions) and measurement object location (density at low pressure conditions). Unlike the heat induced deflection effect, the light path manipulation by the window and the manipulated air density state in the chamber are non-dynamic and constant over time. The reconstruction of 3D geometry points based on a structured light sensor measurement directly depends on the mathematical model of detection and illumination unit. The calibration routine yields the necessary sensor model parameters. The window light refraction complicates this calibration procedure, as the standard pinhole camera model used for entocentric lenses does not comprise enough degrees of freedom to adequately parametrize the pixel-dependent light ray shift induced by thick vacuum windows. Telecentric lenses only map parallel light onto a sensor, therefore the window induced ray shift is constant for all sensor pixels and can be directly reproduced by the so-called affine camera model. In this paper, we present an experimental calibration method, and corresponding calibration data and measurement results for a structured light sensor with and without measurement window. The sensor comprises a telecentric stereo camera pair and an entocentric projector. The calibration of the telecentric cameras is conducted according to the well-known affine camera model. The projector is used as feature generator to solve the correspondence problem between the two cameras. The calibration data illustrates that the window refraction effect is fully reproduced by the affine camera model, allowing a precise geometry characterization of objects recorded through windows. The presented approach is meant to be used with the aforementioned vacuum chamber to enable a geometry characterization of hot objects at low pressure levels.
The optical inspection of wrought hot workpieces between subsequent forming steps of a multistage process chain can yield diverse advantages. Deficient components can be detected in an early forming stage. Moreover, the eliminated cooling economizes heating energy. The present workpiece temperature can be exploited in the following chain steps. Challenges arise due to the heat input into the air surrounding the workpiece, as triangulation techniques rely on homogeneous optical conditions. The effect of an inhomogeneous refractive index field (RIF) in air on a 3-D geometry measurement by optical triangulation is modeled exemplary by a virtual measurement of a hot cylinder. To our knowledge, this is the first simulation approach that fully considers both light deflection from the illumination unit to object and from object to camera. Simulated measurement results in a homogeneous and an inhomogeneous RIF are compared. The presented approach predicts measurement deviations in inhomogeneous optical media and can help to design actuated or computer-assisted compensation routines in order to reduce deflection effects when measuring hot objects.
The optical geometry characterization of wrought hot components can help to quantify material distortion effects during air-cooling. The component's shrinkage behavior is affected by inhomogeneous heat dissipation due to the object's complex geometry and - in case of hybrid materials - differing thermal expansion coefficients. As optical triangulation techniques rely on the rectilinear expansion of light, the hot component's heat input into the surrounding medium air influences the reachable accuracy of optical geometry measurements due to an inhomogeneous refractive index field around the hot component. In previous work, the authors identified low pressure measurements in air as a possible approach to reduce the magnitude and expansion of the inhomogeneous refractive index field above cylindrical high-temperature objects and thereby allow precise geometry acquisition. We now present experimental data of the 2D refractive index field above a hot cylinder in different pressure scenarios using the well-known background oriented schlieren (BOS) method in order to illustrate the decrease in refractive index variations dependent on the pressure state. For this purpose, a ceramic rod is placed in a vacuum chamber and heated up to temperatures of about 1000°C. Using a monochromatic camera, a wavelet background and an optical ow algorithm, the developing 2D refractive index field for a low pressure scenario is compared to ambient pressure conditions. The experimental data illustrates a reduction in the convective heat flow above the hot heating rod at lower pressure values and therefore a homogenization of the density-coupled refractive index in air, validating former simulation results.
We present a fringe projection system to measure glowing hot hybrid components in between production processes. For this a high power green light projector, based on TI DLP technology, is used to create the highest possible contrast between fringes on the red glowing specimen. It has a resolution of 1140 x 912 pixels with a maximum frame rate of 120 images per second for fast measurement. We use a green bandpass filter (525 nm) on the camera lens to block unwanted incoming radiation from the specimen caused by self-emission. Commercial measurement standards are not calibrated for temperatures other than 20° C, so they cannot be used to validate measurement data at the required temperatures of up to 1000°C since thermal expansion invalidates the geometry specification from the calibration data sheet. In our first development we use a uniformly heated pipe made of stainless steel as a dummy specimen to examine the measured geometry data. A pyrometer measures the temperature of the pipe so the expansion can be easily calculated using the thermal expansion coefficient. Different impact and triangulation angles are investigated to identify the effects of hot ambient air on the measurement. The impact of the induced refractive index gradient is examined to check the need for pre-processing steps in the measurement routine.
In the manufacturing process of Tailored Forming components, the inline inspection of the joining zone directly after each single process step can yield advantages - such as early error detection and real-time process control. Since measuring times need to be synchronized with the production chain, there is no time to cool down the components in between two hot forming processes. On the one hand, the chosen measurement technique needs to be non-tactile due to the heat of the measurement object. On the other hand, the object's areal surface texture needs to be captured rapidly to realize a fast inline inspection. These requirements are only matched by optical 3d measurement systems. Additional challenges arise due to the high temperature of the Tailored Forming components: the ambient air is heated up and the air's temperature increase results in an inhomogeneous refractive index field surrounding the hot workpiece, effecting the light's path emitted by the illumination unit of the optical sensor. We present a simple measurement setup based on the laser light section method to visualize the measurement accuracy loss induced by the convectional heat flow from a hot cylindrical measurement object. To attain a direct validation of the measurement results, the measurements are performed with and with reduced influence of the inhomogeneous refractive index field induced by the hot object.
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