Inter-Ing 2005

„INTERDISCIPLINARITY IN ENGINEERING”
SCIENTIFIC CONFERENCE WITH INTERNATIONAL PARTICIPATION,
TG. MURES – ROMANIA, 10 -11 November 2005.

STUDY OF A VISION CAMERA IMPLANTATION ON A 3D MEASURING MACHINE

HOANG HUU-CHI WILLIAM

UNIVERSITY OF LIÈGE (BELGIUM)
MASALAR LIVIU
UNIVERSITY OF LIÈGE (BELGIUM)

Keywords: 3D, camera, measure, artificial vision, software

Abstract:
The study of a vision camera implantation on a 3D measuring machine took place at the University of
Liege, in Belgium. This kind of measurement has the advantage to be contactless, for example, it
reduces stresses on a classical probe.
A software written in C# language has been developed in order to allow the existing equipment to be
compatible with the camera and therefore to allow to measure mechanical parts.

1. Introduction.

The study concerns a measuring machine installed in a temperature regulated room

( 20 ± 0.5°C ), isolated from vibrations and sunlight in the Metrology laboratory of University
of Liege in Belgium. A camera was installed on the measuring machine to enable
measurements without contact. A software has been specifically developed to interface this
two elements.
Different strategies to allow measurements (communication between the computer, the
measuring machine and the camera, image processing, edge follow-up strategies, edge
detection, calculus …) have been designed and applied. When the values are returned, the
uncertainties can finally be estimated.
At the first sight, we can expect measurement uncertainties about the same size than pixel one
coming from camera resolution, in other words, 50x50 or 10x10 µ m depending on the lens
chosen.

2. The 3D Measuring Machine (short description).

The 3D measuring machine is an ideal tool to measure different kind of parts and at the same
time it is compatible with the CAO. The measuring machine is working usually with a contact
sensor.

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In place of it, a camera has been installed.
Consequently it allows having artificial vision
measurements, therefore without contact. For
example, we could detect defective colour,
measure printed circuit, verifying parts quickly,
as well in static and dynamic mode (moving
pieces), …
Furthermore, contactless feature decreases error
coming from probe bending. Obviously, there are
other contacless solutions like the laser. Even if it
allows smaller uncertainties, about 0.3 µ m , it is
not required because the uncertainties of the 3D
measuring machine equipped with the classical
probe are about 3 µ m .
Fig.1. 3D measuring machine.

3. Program design strategy.

Previously, when the measuring machine was equipped with a probe, it used the program
called “Metrosoft”. Its current released version is not compatible with the “Euresys Picolo
PCI video capture board” which allows acquiring the images from the camera. Consequently,
all the measurement process has been designed: the measuring machine control, data
acquisition, the calibration, image processing and measurements. The oriented object
language C#, successor of C++ has been chosen for its syntax and its potential in the software
development.
The mainly advantage of the oriented object programming is the program can easily evolve
and be modified without having to rewrite down the entire program. You only have to change
some object features and it is done. By the way, using an oriented object language is not
oriented object programming. The programmer has to design, to think object and interactions
between objects. This kind of approach fits particularly with our study because the software
will necessary evolved. The program structure global schema is presented in figure 2.

machine software
controlling Parameters

Serial ports
communications Main Camera

User interface
Fig.2. Program structure global schema.

4. Communications between the camera, the 3D MM and the computer

With the classical probe, the Metrosoft software is launched to measure parts with physical
contacts. The communications between the computer and the measuring machine use two

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serial ports (COA, 05). Unfortunately, the communication protocols and the configuration of
the ports are not provided. Those are then deducted by reverse engineering and by analysing
commands from Metrosoft (port initializing, measuring machine initializing, camera moving,
manual mode …). They are then implemented in a new program. So far at this development it
is possible to handle the measuring machine in a software way.

5. Frame grabbing.

As mentioned before, the frame grabbing, i.e.

the image acquisition is done with the Picolo
PCI video capture board made by Euresys
(EUR, 05). The basic libraries, almost
compatible with C# are available and are
used. Thanks to them, it is possible to launch
the acquisition and to grab frames. A
calibration target is also provided to measure
the relation between the real sizes of a pixel
on a picture. However, it is not used because
it involves focus lenses problems. Fig.3. Renishaw camera.

6. Image processing.

Once an image is acquired, image processing is used to improve its quality and thus to
facilitate its utilisation. Several filters such as the average filter, the low-pass filter, the Sobel
filter, the Median filter … were programmed (BEG and Al, 99). The filter selected consists in
acquiring a series of after-images and to average the images to reduce the noises.
Here are some results from several filters on a normal image and an image with noises, as
presented in the figure 4. As you see, the noise introduces difficulties in the edge detection.

Original (without noises and with random noises) Without filters

Median filter Low-pass filter

Fig.4. Image processing.

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 7. Measurement strategies.

The basis of artificial vision measurement with a camera consists in that the edges of an
object are represented by lines on an image which have to be detected. In an image, the reality
is represented by a distribution of points in a plane having various light intensities. In our
case, the edges can be located because of their great variation of light intensity. Some edge
detections and edge follow-up approaches have been developed (BRIS et al., 05, GRA, 02 et
ZEC, 05). However, the real parts often have irregularities (breaks, not homogeneity,
textures…) and the personal algorithms are not robust enough.

Fig.5. Personal followed by professional follow-up algorithm.

Another approach is thus developed, it is no more only based on images from the camera but
also on the positions of the 3D measuring machine. While an image is available, a matrix of
coordinates is calculated. Therefore, the camera moves on each one of these positions and
records the averages of the light intensities of the central pixels of the image. It results in an
image of the reality having a resolution that can reach the measuring machine resolution even
if the acquisition time increases. The resolution of the camera is only involved in the filter
size. This method also limits the aberrations due to the camera and the influence of
nonuniform lighting. The coordinates are as well as possible chosen in order to constitute
several segments perpendicular to the edge. On each one of these segments, a point of the
edge is estimated by interpolation according to a threshold experimentally chosen. All the
memorized points are distributed around a line representative of an edge.

Line 2
Line 1 Line 3
Fig.6. Measurement examples.

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 8. Measurement uncertainties.

The main sources of uncertainties come from the measuring machine, the camera (non
linearity, perspective error due to the thickness of the object…), the method, the operator, the
environment and the material.
The total standard deviation is estimated at:
(u ) + (u ) + ( uméthode ) + ( ubruit )
2 2 2 2
u= perspective calibration = 1.965 ≈ 2µ m (eq. 1)

In our case, the values are decreased by 3 µ m because of the systematic errors due to the
view and the method used.

Côté
considéré

Caméra trop à gauche Caméra bien centrée Caméra trop à droite

Fig.8. Systematic
Fig.7. Illustration of the error introduced with the
error due to the
camera position.
thickness of the
object.

If the coverage factor k is taken to 2 corresponding to a confidence level of approximately

95%, the expanded uncertainty will be U = 2 ⋅ u = 4 µ m (eq. 2).

9. Results

Here is for example the result of 20 measurements for a 7 mm gauge:

7.006000

Measurement with two lines (mm) 7.004000

Range: 0.003562mm 7.002000

Mean: 7.000236mm 7.000000

Calculated standard deviation: 6.998000

4 µm 6.996000

Parameters: 6.994000

6 segments. 6.992000

Length of segments: 0.1

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

n u mé r o d e la m e s u r e

Steps on a segment: 0.01 M esur es cor r g

i é es M oyen n e Ecar t - t ype supé r e
i ur Ecar t - t ype n
i f ére
i ur

Fig.9. Results of a measurement.

The results are coherent with the theory. The values are well dispersed around the average
value in the interval of expanded uncertainty.

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For measurements of very thin parts, the expanded uncertainty would be only about 2.6 µ m
while it would be impossible to measure with a classical probe.

10. Conclusion.

Measurements by artificial vision could have been done on a 3D measuring machine. The
principle of measurement is different from the one with a classical probe because it is based
on the light intensity. The utilisation of a camera allows measuring new kinds of lengths
which were not possible to measure before.
However, it is only possible to have good results if the edges are characterized by an
important light intensity variation. In other words, when there is a bad lighting or when the
edges are not discernible, the measurement by artificial vision with the camera is not very
efficient. The worked out techniques for the follow-ups of the edges on static images are not
robust enough, another means of edge follow-ups combining the camera and the 3D
measuring machine thus was thought out and carried out. Applied to parts like gauge of 7
mm, the measurement by artificial vision combined with the 3D measuring machine offers
results which are better than those expected in the beginning of the study. For a probability of
95%, expanded uncertainty can be lower than the resolution of the camera which is about 10
microns.
So far, it is possible to measure lengths between two rectilinear edges and to locate points of
an unspecified edge in any plane parallel with the verification table. In the will to increase the
possibilities of the measuring machine, it will be necessary to enable him to take measures in
different planes. In fact, it will mainly consist in transformations of coordinate systems using
the matrix algebra, the program was developed in this perspective. Even if the project is in the
early stages of its development, the positive results are rather good and encourage the
development of the measurement by artificial vision on the 3D measuring machine.

11. References.

BEG et al., 99: BEGHDADI Azeddine, BOUSSAÏD-BELKACEM Kamel, LE NEGRATE Alain:

"Quelques traitements bas niveau basés sur une analyse du contraste local" (pdf), Vision
Interface '99, Trois-Rivières, Canada, 19-21 May, pp. 598-603.
BRIS et al., 05: BRISSART Charles, CASTEL Christophe: "projet MTI: localisation et épaisseur
des contours des détecteurs par dérivation (Sobel, Prewitt, Roberts) ou par gradient
morphologique" (online), available on
<http://www.tsi.enst.fr/tsi/enseignement/ressources/mti/localisation_et_epaisseur2/projet_MT
I.html> (viewed on 2nd March 2005).
COA, 05: COAD Noah: "Serial COM Simply in C#" (online), available on
<http://www.devhood.com/tutorials/tutorial_details.aspx?tutorial_id=320> (viewed on 1st
March 2005).
EUR, 05: EURESYS: "Video capture board - EureCard Picolo" (online), available on <
http://www.euresys.com/Products/picolo/Picolo.asp > (viewed on May 2005)
GRA, 02: GRAUS Christian: "Image Processing for Dummies with C# and GDI+ Part 3 - Edge
Detection Filters" (pdf), available on
http://www.codeproject.com/cs/media/edge_detection.asp (1st April 2002).
ZEC, 05: ZECREATOR: "Convertion image en niveaux de gris" (online), available on
<http://www.vbfrance.com/code.aspx?ID=5393> (viewed on 1st March 2005).

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