Patent ID: 6700668
Filing Date: 2004-03-02
Classification: G01B

Abstract:
A method of optical part shape measurement of a bare metal part to determine acceptability of the part, comprising:illuminating the surface of the part with a variable level light source; measuring light level values over the illuminated part and comparing data represented by the light level values with a reflectivity model of the part; determining whether or not to accept light level values for various regions on the part's surface and discarding the data for a region if a sufficiently high confidence level with respect to the data for that region cannot be reached; masking each region on the part for which data is discarded; and, changing the intensity of the light level with which the part is illuminated and acquiring new data for each masked region, the new data now being compared with the reflectivity model of the part and if a sufficiently high confidence level with respect to the new data can now be reached, replacing the discarded data for that area with the newly acquired data whereby acceptance of the part is based upon acceptable data for the entire part.