Dimensional Inspection in Manufacturing via Vision Metrology

Abstract

Accompanying the transition from gauge to gaugeless tooling, and the increasing emphasis being paid to dimensional inspection, has been a significant growth in the development of optical 3D measurement techniques in manufacturing. This has especially been the case in large-scale metrology for the aircraft, aerospace and automobile manufacturing sectors where recent innovations have centred on high-accuracy, automated 3D coordinate measurement systems based on the principles of machine and robot vision, and digital photogrammetry. This paper overviews the development of vision metrology and details a new technique based on still-video imagery. Applications of the technique are presented and conclusions are drawn regarding its suitability for routine industrial use.