Patent ID: 7794292

Claim:
A method for determining the geometrical data of a wire fitting in which the surface of the wire fitting is scanned and therefrom geometrical data of the wire fitting determined, comprising the steps of: a. providing a device for determining the geometrical data of the wire fitting, the device including a pair of distance sensors each for measuring a distance from the surface of the wire fitting contactlessly, wherein one of the distance sensors is positioned above the wire fitting and an other of the distance sensors is positioned below the wire fitting, each of the distance sensors including a light beam transmitter and a light beam receiver, the light beam receiver receiving a light beam that is diffusely reflected by the surface of the wire fitting for measurement of a distance from the surface of the wire fitting, a plurality of linear units for moving the distance sensors relative to the wire fitting along three axes, and a pair of grippers for holding the wire in a position, wherein at least one of the linear units and the grippers move the distance sensors and the wire fitting relative to one another along at least two of the three axes; b. performing a plurality of contactless distance measurements on the surface of the wire fitting with the distance sensors to obtain measurement values; c. creating a three-dimensional surface model of the wire fitting from the measurement values, wherein the three-dimensional surface model includes a plurality of measurements values from one of the distance sensors and a plurality of measurement values from the other of the distance sensors, the measurement values including z coordinates converted from measured distances taken at a plurality of x, y coordinates, the measurement values from the pair of distance sensors spatially separated from one another and together resulting in the three-dimensional surface model of the wire fitting; and d. determining the geometrical data of the wire fitting from the surface model.