Micro-Epsilon

The scanCONTROL 2700 allows the acquisition of line profile data, 3D image as well as the intensity image in real time. Unique absolute calibrated profile data (x, z) guarantee true and accurate measurement for many applications where conventional vision sensors fails.
Regardless of the position, angle and ambient conditions, the profiles are output as absolute calibrated data sets in a two - dimensional coordinate system which is fixed in respect to the sensor. This unique capability and compact design allows the sensor to be successfully used in dynamic, robotic and online applications without compromising accuracy. By moving the object or the sensor, it is possible to obtain a precise three dimensional image of your target as well as an intensity image.

The new system for thickness and profile inspection now provides a much larger measuring gap of 190mm, almost three times larger than its predecessor. In addition, the system can now reliably measure corrugated and vibrating metal strip Rather than using the previous point-type laser sensors, profile sensors are now installed, which measure significantly better on many different strip materials and which greatly increase the monitoring range. The system enables thickness measurements to an accuracy of 0.01mm and is used for process stabilisation, quality assurance and documentation. Due to the use of a special high-tech light barrier, edge detection for warped strips is also possible. This enables robust width measurement with maximum reliability. Individual strips can also be documented over the entire process.

Extremely high resolutions are possible when using confocal chromatic measurement technology. Resolution in the nanometre range is possible by expanding the colour spectrum. As colour in the focal point is used for the distance information, confocal sensors have an extremely small measuring spot, which also makes measurements on very small objects possible. Therefore, even the finest surface scratches can be detected reliably.

The beam path of the sensor is compact and concentric. This enables the system, for example, to measure inside drilled holes, which other optical methods, such as the triangulation technique, find difficult or even impossible to achieve due to the formation of shadows. For measurements of this nature, Micro-Epsilon''s optoNCDT2402 confocal miniature sensors, which have a sensor diameter of just 4mm, are ideally suited.

Turbochargers are particularly interesting at the moment, because they are to be found in each diesel vehicle. Apart from the angle of the guide vanes, the speed of the vanes on the turbine wheel is important for the performance of the turbocharger. So the rotation of the vanes is measured on the face side. Due to the increasing material stresses and speeds, titanium vanes are being used more and more, which presents a challenge in terms of measurement technology.

This is because eddy current sensors cannot be used on titanium. Titanium is a very poor electrical conductor and the speeds vary from 200 to 400,000 rpm. Consequently, it is extremely difficult to measure the speed. However, using special linearisation and an advanced electronic system, Micro-Epsilon is able to precisely measure this speed over the whole speed range.

In contrast to traditional vision approaches where the surface is illuminated by a point light source and diffusively reflected light is recorded by a camera, deflectometry uses an area light source and records the specularly reflected light. First of all, this approach allows the system to be used on highly glossy surfaces like the painted exterior of a vehicle where all other approaches using diffusive reflection will fail. Furthermore, it also makes the system extremely sensitive to changes in the curvature of the surface. And this is what allows detection of defects with a height or depth of just a few micrometers.

But deflectometry comes in multiple flavours: The key to the robust detection offered by reflectCONTROL lies within the employed multi-image approach: for every patch of the surface, multiple images are taken with a sinusoidal stripe pattern shifted into multiple positions, which then is rotated by 90° and shifted once more.