Patent Document ID: 20090248323
Application ID: 12202016
Patent Status: 0

Claim One:
1. A system to perform automated three-dimensional image registration for nondestructive evaluation of a part remotely positionable within an inspection cell, the system comprising: a laser-ultrasound inspection device having a scanning head including: an ultrasonic source to generate ultrasonic surface displacements in a remotely positioned part positioned within a pre-defined inspection cell, an inspection laser, and an interferometer to collect phase modulated light reflected by the remotely positioned part during scanning by the inspection laser, the phase-modulated light modulated by the ultrasonic surface displacements in the remotely positioned part to provide inspection data; a part position locator positioned to measure a distance between a plurality of points on at least one surface of the remotely positioned part and a scanning laser reference location, the plurality of points collectively representing a measured pose of the at least one surface of the remotely positioned part when positioned within the inspection cell, the part position locator including: a scanning laser positioned to provide an optical source and having the reference location associated therewith, at least one scanning mirror positioned to direct the optical source along the at least one surface of the remotely positioned part, and an optical receiver positioned to receive reflected laser light provided by the scanning laser and reflected from the at least one surface of the part to thereby determine the distance between a plurality of points on the at least one surface of the part and the scanning laser reference location; a laser ultrasound inspection computer in communication with the laser-ultrasound inspection device and the part position locator, and including a processor and memory in communication with the processor; and laser ultrasound inspection program product stored in the memory of the laser ultrasound inspection computer and including instructions, that when executed by the processor of the laser ultrasound inspection computer, cause the computer to perform the operations of: receiving model data for a three-dimensional model of the remotely positioned part, receiving from the part position locator a point cloud of data representing points on the at least one surface of the remotely positioned part when in the measured pose within the inspection cell defining range data, and aligning the three-dimensional model of the remotely positioned part to the measured pose of the part within the inspection cell, the operation of aligning including: performing a registration of the three-dimensional model to the range data including identifying a set of points in the range data having a high probability of corresponding to actual points on the three-dimensional model, and performing a registration of the identified set of points in the range data having a high correspondence probability to the three-dimensional model.