This project concerns the development of a technique for obtaining three-dimensional range images in real-time with accuracies of the order of 0.001. Range image refers to an image where the value of each pixel in the image represents the distance from the camera's focal point to the corresponding point in the scene. In this mode, each pixel becomes a timer which measures the time from the start of the frame until the scanning plane of light crosses the pixel. This timing information is readily converted to distance information. Thus, the procedure used is computationally simple. The research includes development of the software, calibration and evaluation of the measurement system, and demonstration of the feasibility of close-in, high-speed, high- precision inspection using the camera mounted on an available Stewart Platform. Because the system produces high-accuracy three-dimensional data in real-time, it can be potentially used for in-process control for a wide variety of manufacturing processes, so that errors in the parts as manufactured can be corrected more effectively. The combination of the camera and the Stewart Platform, if successful, would make real-time dimensional inspection practical for many cases where it is not practical today.
