A Fast Algorithm for Automated Quality Control in Surface Engineering

Ehsan Sheybani, Singli Garcia-Otero, Fedra Adnani, Giti Javidi

DSP Lab, Virginia State University, Petersburg, USA..

DOI: 10.4236/jsemat.2012.22019                

Abstract

In this article an approach to surface image quality assessment for surface pattern and object recognition, classification, and identification has been described. The surface quality assessment finds many industrial applications such as auto-mated, advanced, and autonomous manufacturing processes. Given that in most industrial applications the target surface is an unknown variable, having a tool to measure the quality of the surface in real time has a significant value. To add to the complication, in most industrial applications, the surface (and therefore its image) suffers from several physical phenomena such as noise (of several different kinds), time, phase, and frequency shifts, and other clutter caused by interference and speckles. The proposed tool should also be able to measure the level of deterioration of the surface due to these environmental effects. Therefore, evaluation of quality of a surface is not an easy task. It requires a good understanding of the processing methods used and the types of environmental processes affecting the surface. On the other hand, for a meaningful comparative analysis, some effective parameters have to be chosen and qualitatively and quantitatively measured across different settings and processes affecting the surface. Finally, any algorithm capable of handling these tasks has to be efficient, fast, and simple to qualify for the “real-time” applications.

Keywords

Surface Characterization; Advanced Techniques

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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