Patent ID: 6407819
Filing Date: 2002-06-18
Classification: G01B

Abstract:
A method for measuring the length of fibers comprising the steps of:separating the fibers in order to obtain a fiber in single form; passing the fiber by an optical measurement system that further performs the steps of: optically imaging the fiber into a first projection plane to create a projection; optically imaging the fiber into a second projection plane to create a projection; capturing the projection created in the first projection plane; and calculating the length of the fiber by using at least the captured projection from the first projection plane and the captured projection from the second projection plane; for each projection, incrementing the captured projection into at least two single image points in a two dimensional coordinate system, wherein the two dimensional coordinate system corresponding to the first projection plane and the two dimensional coordinate system corresponding to the second projection plane share a common coordinate axis; wherein the step of calculating the length of the fiber includes assigning numerical values to the locations of the image points in the two dimensional coordinate systems and using the differences between these values to determine the true length of the fiber; and wherein the step of calculating the length of the fiber employs the following computational equation for length L as a basis: L=&Sum;i=1n&it;(xi-xi+1)2+(yi-yi+1)2+(zi-zi+1)2;â€ƒwherein xi is a point of the fiber in the x coordinate direction, xi+1 is the next point of the fiber in the x coordinate direction, yi is a point of the fiber in the y coordinate direction, yi+1 is the next point of the fiber in the y coordinate direction, zi is a point of the fiber in the z coordinate direction, zi+1 is the next point of the fiber in the z coordinate direction, and n is the number of intervals.