An introduction to the principles of 3D laser inspection

Mondo Science Updated on 2024-03-05

3D laser inspection is an advanced non-destructive testing technology, which uses the interaction between the laser beam and the surface of the target object to obtain the 3D topography and geometric size information of the object surface. This technology is widely used in industrial manufacturing, aerospace, cultural relics protection and other fields, and is of great significance for improving product quality, ensuring safety and promoting the protection of cultural heritage.

The basic principles of 3D laser inspection can be broken down into two steps: laser scanning and data processing. During laser scanning, the laser emitter emits a laser beam to the surface of the target object, and the movement path of the laser beam on the surface of the object is controlled by the scanning device. When the laser beam comes into contact with the surface of the target object, part of the laser energy is reflected back, forming a reflected spot. The position and intensity information of the reflected spot is captured and recorded by the laser receiver to obtain a series of discrete point cloud data on the surface of the object.

The next step is the data processing stage, where the discrete point cloud data is processed through specific algorithms to realize the reconstruction of the 3D topography. This process involves coordinate transformation, filtering and denoising, point cloud stitching and other techniques. Coordinate transformation is to convert discrete point cloud data from the scanning coordinate system to the global coordinate system, so that the data of different scanning sites can be unified into one coordinate system. Filtering and denoising is to remove noise points caused by environmental interference or the device's own error, and improve the accuracy and reliability of data. Point cloud stitching is the alignment and fusion of point cloud data obtained from multiple scanning sites to form a complete 3D model.

The advantages of 3D laser inspection technology are its high precision, high efficiency and non-contact. First of all, 3D laser inspection can obtain accurate geometric dimensions and topography information of the surface of the object, and the measurement accuracy can reach the micron level. Secondly, the laser scanning speed is fast, which can obtain a large amount of data in a short time, which improves the detection efficiency. Finally, there is no damage or contamination to the object as there is no contact with the target object during the laser inspection.

In the field of industrial manufacturing, 3D laser inspection is widely used in product quality control and production process optimization. For example, in the automotive manufacturing process, 3D laser inspection can be used to accurately measure the dimensions of the car body to ensure that the product quality meets the design requirements. In the aerospace sector, 3D laser inspection can be used to inspect the structure of aircraft and spacecraft to ensure their safety and reliability. In addition, in the field of cultural relics protection, 3D laser detection can obtain 3D topography information on the surface of cultural relics without contact, which provides an important basis for cultural relics protection and restoration.

However, there are some limitations to 3D laser inspection technology. First of all, the laser scanning process is affected by ambient light interference and the device's own errors, which can lead to errors in the measurement results. Second, for some complex surfaces or transparent materials, laser inspection may not be able to obtain accurate topography information. In addition, the high cost of 3D laser inspection equipment limits its application in some fields.

In the future, with the continuous development of laser technology and computer technology, 3D laser detection technology is expected to further improve measurement accuracy and efficiency, reduce costs, and broaden application fields. At the same time, with the integration of artificial intelligence and machine learning and other technologies, 3D laser inspection will achieve more intelligent data processing and analysis, providing strong support for the development of industrial manufacturing, aerospace, cultural relics protection and other fields.

In short, as an advanced non-destructive testing technology, 3D laser inspection has the advantages of high precision, high efficiency and non-contact, and has been widely used in many fields. With the continuous progress and innovation of technology, 3D laser inspection will play a more important role in the future, promoting the development and progress of related fields.

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