60/094, 442, entitled,"Finding Shape Deformations in Airfoils or Generalized Cylinders,"filed on July 28,1998, both of which are incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates generally to digital image processing techniques and in particular to a method and apparatus for calibrating a non-contact range sensor of the type used to obtain digital images of objects for the purpose of inspecting the objects for defects.

Currently, automated inspection is performed on manufactured objects such as airfoils (e. g. turbine blades) by obtaining digital data and images of the objects to detect defects in them. Airfoils, including forged blades such as those used for aircraft engines, are inspected for deformation parameters such as platform orientation, contour cross-section, bow and twist along stacking axis, thickness and chord length at given cross-sections. One method of obtaining digital data representing these parameters is through coordinate measurement machines (commonly known as"CMMs"). CMM's

translate and rotate a probe in contact with the surface of the object to sample points on the object's surface.

Another means of obtaining digital representations of these parameters is with full-fiel non-contact range sensors. Non-contact full-fiel sensors scan the external surfaces of opaque objects using laser or white light. These sensors are capable of scanning the part quickly while obtaining large quantities of data. Examples of non contact sensors include sensors that are based on laser line grating and stereo triangulation ; and based on single laser line scan plus rotating the part. Another non contact sensor is based on phased-shift Moire and white light.

The raw data points obtained by non-contact sensors, however, provide a very low degree of accuracy and thereby, generate noisy normal deviations that yield unacceptable precision and accuracy when the data are used to reconstruct the surface of an object in order to detect deformations and defects of the object. Because full-fiel sensors are relatively new, efforts to calibrate and characterize them to increase their accuracy have been few and largely unsuccessful.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a method for calibrating a non contact range sensor comprises the steps of scanning the object to be inspected with the range sensor to obtain a range image of the object. The range image is registered with a reference image of the object to provide registered data. Normal deviations between the registered data and the

reference image are computed. Noise is filtered from the normal deviations.

A plurality of bias vectors and a covariance matrix are estimated and used to generate a lookup table comprising geometric correction factors. The range image of the object is compensated in accordance with the lookup table.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Referring now to the drawings wherein like elements are numbered alike in the several Figures : Figure 1 is a flowchart of the method of the present invention, of calibrating a full-fiel non-contact range sensor ; Figure 2 is a perspective view of a plurality of projections of a bias vector disposed along the z-axis ; Figure 3 is a perspective view of the x, y and z components of the bias vector illustrated in FIG. 2.

Figure 4 is a flowchart of one method of registering a range image of an object with a reference image of the object.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION For purposes of this specification, sensor calibration is defined as the process of identifying bias errors in measurements obtained by the sensor such that later-obtained measurements can be compensated for the errors.

Generally, according to the method of the present invention, the sensor is calibrated in a sequence of steps as follows. The sensor is employed to obtain a range image of an object to be inspected. The sensor scans the object as the object translates and rotates through its working volume. Thus, range data points are obtained. The data points are arranged in data sets, also referred to herein as a scanned image, and the data sets are registered to one or more reference data sets. Reference data comprises geometric ideal models of the object and is also referred to herein as a reference image.

The scanned image and the reference image are registered to each other such that both are represented in a common coordinate system. Normal deviations are then computed from the scanned image to the registered image. Random noise, which describes precision, and bias error, which describes accuracy, are estimated from the normal deviations and stored in a lookup table. The look up table is employed for 3D geometric correction and multiple view integration of images obtained by the sensor.

One embodiment of the method of the invention is illustrated in FIG. 1. Step 42 of method 40 obtains a scanned image of an object to be inspected by translating the object on a translation stage, and rotating the object on a rotation stage along a plurality of directions throughout the 3 dimensional working volume of the object. This step is accomplished using typical scanning and digital imaging systems and techniques.

In step 44, a reference image comprising data points corresponding to the ideal shape of the object, and the scanned image of the actual object are registered. One method of obtaining a reference image with which to register the scanned image is to grind a planar object to achieve flatness.

Alternatively, the object itself is measured using a more accurate sensor like a CMM, and the measurements stored as reference data. Alternatively, computer assisted drawing (CAD) data or other engineering or design specifications may be used to provide a reference image.

As illustrated in FIG. 4, one embodiment of the invention uses a Robust- Closest-Patch (RCP) algorithm in the registration process. The RCP algorithm is the subject of co-pending application SN 09/303, 241, entitled <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> "Method and Apparatus for Image Registration ", filed 4/30/99, and assigned to the assignee of the present invention and hereby incorporated by reference.

According to the RCP algorithm, given an initial rigid pose, each scanned image data point is matched to its nearest data point on the reference image as indicated at 62 and 64 of FIG. 4. In other words, the RCP algorithm matches reference image data points and scanned image data points based on the current pose estimate, and then refines the pose estimate based on these matches.

In one embodiment of the invention, pose is solved by singular value decomposition (SVD) of a linear system in six parameters. One embodiment of the invention employs. a linear and symmetric formulation of the rotation constraint using Rodrigues'formula rather than quaternions or orthonormal matrices. This is a simplified method of solving for pose. In one embodiment of the invention, a typical M-estimator is employed to estimate both the rigid

pose parameters and the error standard deviation to ensure robustness to gross errors in the data.

The 3D rigid transformation that best aligns these matches is determined at step 66 and applied in step 68 of FIG. 4. The foregoing steps are repeated using the most recently estimated pose until convergence. Accordingly, registration step 44 of FIG. 1 solves for the translation direction and the axis of rotation by which the reference image may be represented in the scanned image coordinates.

In step 46 of FIG. 1, normal deviations from registered data points to data points of the scanned image are found. In one embodiment of the invention, an approximate normal distance between model data points, also referred to herein as patches, and data surface points is used, avoiding the need to estimate local surface normal and curvature from noisy data. To accomplish step 46, one embodiment of the invention computes the raw error The raw error ejj along the normal, nk, for the given direction Dx, at the point qj«, according to the relationship : e# = (q # - Pij).nk (1) Random noise is filtered from the normal deviations using a Gaussian or mean filter. In one embodiment of the invention the projection bjjk of the bias vector by at each point is determined by : b ; k=b ; . nk (2) for the mean filter described by : where Mu ils a small region surrounding the data point.

The filter described in equation 3 above is utilized to find the projection bijk of bias vector bij at each data point, as indicated in step 50.

Figure 2, illustrates a portion of the step 50 of estimating bias vectors. Bias values 56 are determined for a set of planes 58, from the plane 59 closest to the sensor, to the plane furthest from the sensor, along the z axis. A 3D geometric correction table is built by finding the projection of the bias vectors at regularly (evenly) spaced grid points p in the 3D volume of the object. To accomplish this the projections of the bias vectors found at each point qij are down-sampled and interpolated. One embodiment of the invention employs Gaussian interpolation to interpolate the projections of the bias vectors.

Returning to FIG. 1, step 50 estimates bias vectors as a function of surface location and orientation based upon the projection of the bias vector along a plurality of normals, all projections stemming from the same grid point. The

previous steps provide, for each direction Dk, the normal to the planes n k, and the projections of the bias vector, bpk, at each grid point p.

In one embodiment of the invention, the following system of relationships are solved for each grid point p of the 3d working volume of the object to be inspected.

Nbp = vp (4) Where N is the k x 3 matrix of the normal vectors, And wherein bp is the bias vector to be found at this grid point, and wherein vp is the k x 1 vector of the bias projections : wherein bp is the bias vector to be found grid point p, and vp is the k x 1 vector of the bias projections from gridpoint p.

n one embodiment of the invention the system described above is solved by applying a typical singular value decomposition (SVD) algorithm when the rank of N is 3. Thus, the smooth field of bias vectors is obtained.

Figure 3 illustrates three components X, Y and Z of bias vector components in a 3D grid.

In FiG. 1 at step 52, a covariance matrix is estimated. The covariance matrix provides a model of the random noise and precision of the range sensor based on data points corrected for bias as described above. Principal eigenvalues and eigenvectors of the covariance matrix are found and analyzed to simplify the noise model. To accomplish this, the variance in normal direction n k at the grid point p is determined by the relationship : where eik is the error previously calculated at the point j and Mpk is the number of points taken over a small region around p.

In one embodiment of the invention, the relationship between 52k and the covariance matrix Sp at the point p is described by :

&=(8) wherein : Wherein n'k is the vector: wherein ñ k = (n#, n#, n#).

And wherein sp is:

To illustrate one technique for estimating the six coefficients of the covariance matrix Sp, the equation 3 is rewritten using the vector n'k as follows : n'k.sp = s²pk (12) sp, which contains the terms of the covariance matrix Sp, is estimated by forming the kx 6 matrix as follows : Wherein the kx1 vector is given by :

Wherein the constraint on s is given by : Tsp = tp (15) In one embdiment of the invention, the foregoing is solved using a typical least squares approach. An alternative embodiment of the invention employs an SVD or pseudo-inverse approach, as long as the rank of Tp is at least 6.

In step 54, the calibration obtained by the process of the invention is verified using an independent data source relating to known features of the object. For example, use of a corner artifact allows independent verification of the sensor calibration. Alternatively, sphere artifacts of different radii can be employed to reveal the effect of curvature on the 3D geometric correction and the sensor noise model.

One skilled in the art will appreciate that the method 40 can be used to implement on-site calibration checks and re-calibration procedures that can extend the working life of the sensor. In one embodiment of the invention, calibration checks are performed at least at 8-hour intervals, and re-calibration procedures at least every week.

The present invention can be embodied in the form of computer-implemented processes and apparatuses for practicing those processes. The present invention can also be embodied in the form of computer program code containing instructions embodied in tangible media, such as floppy diskettes, CD-ROMs, hard drives, or any other computer-readable storage medium, wherein, when the computer program code is loaded into and executed by a computer, the computer becomes an apparatus for practicing the invention.

The present invention can also be embodied in the form of computer program code, for example, whether stored in a storage medium, loaded into and/or executed by a computer, or transmitted over some transmission medium, such as over electrical wiring or cabling, through fiber optics, or via electromagnetic radiation, wherein, when the computer program code is loaded into and executed by a computer, the computer becomes an apparatus for practicing the invention. When implemented on a general- purpose microprocessor, the computer program code segments configure the microprocessor to create specific logic circuits.

While preferred embodiments have been shown and described, various modifications and substitutions may be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, it is to be understood that the present invention has been described by way of illustrations and not limitation.