A mesh curvature point planning method for on-machine inspection systems

Planning of an automated digitisation and inspection process takes time and requires experience. The demands of fast response machining require that the accuracy of the digital model be balanced against the time taken for the measurements. This accuracy depends directly on the digitisation strategies. The ideal method to measure complex surfaces is to vary the point density with the curvature. This method will produce the best model for a given number of data points. Based on the analysis of planning methods for measuring surface curvature, this article adopts an optimal method for curvature calculation and point planning. Measurement points are created through the curvature of vertexes and a search step adjustable to the curvature variations. Through this approach, the measurement points can be distributed adaptively to the shape of the free-form surface measured. The method proposed is implemented in Visual C++; and a test part is presented for verification.