A method for determining an effective case depth of a metal component includes forming a conditioned core surface by blasting or shot peening an exposed surface of the metal component with blast media. The exposed surface is a contiguous exposed surface of the case and core. The method includes measuring surface texture, compressive stresses, or another suitable characteristic of the conditioned core surface using a surface metrology sensor, and identifying a case-core boundary using the measured characteristic, including identifying a location at which a predetermined difference or gradient in the characteristic is present within the exposed surface. The method also includes measuring the effective case depth as a perpendicular distance between a reference surface of the case and the case-core boundary.

A mirror support module having a body that includes an internal portion surrounding an inner space, an external portion, an aperture formed in the body and an intermediate region that extends between a segment of the internal portion and the aperture. When the intermediate region is subjected to a force directed in a first direction, the intermediate region can be moved in the first direction towards the aperture to reduce an area of the aperture while the external portion remains stable regardless of movement of the intermediate region.

A method for determining the position of at least one edge of an object, in particular a strand, comprises illuminating the object using light from at least one coherent light source, wherein diffraction borders are generated on both geometric boundaries of the shadow caused by the object. The method also includes recording the spatial intensity profile of at least one diffraction border using at least one single or multi line optical sensor, differentiating the at least one recorded intensity profile with respect to location and plotting it using a squared location axis, and comparing the at least one recorded intensity profile, differentiated with respect to location and plotted using a squared location axis, to at least one periodic reference intensity profile. The position of at least one edge of the object is determined on the basis of the completed comparison.

A localization scheme and method using a laser sensor for indoor wheeled mobile robots (IWMR), which need to localize themselves for working autonomously, is provided. In this method, a laser sensor moves inside an onboard guide way and its distance measurements are used to robustly detect and recognize a unique target based on edge detection and pattern recognition techniques. From the distance measurements with respect to the recognized target, a kinematic model is developed to determine the IWMR orientation and location in the global co-ordinates (in 2-D). Such target recognition and localization methods are validated with experimental results.

Device for measuring the length and diameter of a container using structured lighting includes a receiving area for receiving a container having a length and width. Receiving area has a surface on which container is received. A first laser line generator is provided and configured for directing a triangular plane of laser light at receiving area and container received in receiving area. A camera provided and configured for detecting an image of a first laser line appearing on surface of container in receiving area, and detecting an image of a second laser line appearing on surface of receiving area. An analyzing device may be provided to receive images of first and second laser lines, and use images of first and second laser lines to determine diameter and length of container received on receiving surface. Analyzing device may determine length and width of container by counting pixels.

A position detecting apparatus includes a rotating member rotatable and having a first cam and a second cam, a first detector, a second detector, and a rotational position acquirer. The first cam moves the first moving unit in a first rotational range of the rotating member and a second rotational range following the first rotational range. The second cam moves the second moving unit in the second rotational range of the rotating member and a third rotational range following the second rotational range. The rotational position acquirer acquires the rotational position using the first signal in the first rotational range and in part on a first rotational range side in the second rotational range, and acquires the rotational position using the second signal in the third rotational range and in part on a third rotational range side in the second rotational range.

A measurement apparatus for mounting within an enclosure of a machine is described. The apparatus includes a measurement device and a protection means for protecting the measurement device from contaminants present within the machine enclosure. The protection means is switchable between at least a first mode that protects the measurement device from contaminants and a second mode that provides less protection of the measurement device from contaminants than the first mode. A contaminant sensor is used for sensing contamination within the machine enclosure and thereby determining when the protection means can adopt the second mode. A corresponding method is also described.

An edge position detecting apparatus for detecting a position of an edge of a disk-shaped workpiece includes a chuck table having a holding surface for holding the workpiece thereon, a laser displacement gage having a laser applying unit including a light source, for applying a linear laser beam shaped into a linear shape perpendicular to a direction of travel from the light source toward the holding surface, across the edge of the workpiece, and a beam detecting unit including a plurality of photoelectric transducers arrayed at predetermined spaced intervals along a direction for detecting a reflection of the linear laser beam, a moving mechanism for moving the laser displacement gage and the chuck table relatively to each other along the longitudinal direction, and a calculating unit for calculating the position of the edge on the basis of information of a change in an amount of the detected reflection.

A method for assessing the profile of a tool using a non-contact tool setting apparatus that includes a transmitter for emitting a light beam and a receiver for receiving the beam. The receiver generates a beam intensity signal describing the intensity of received light. The setting apparatus is mounted to a coordinate positioning apparatus that allows the tool to be moved relative to the setting apparatus. The method includes using the coordinate positioning apparatus to move the tool relative to the setting apparatus along a tool inspection path, the tool inspection path being selected so that the light beam is traced substantially along a periphery of the tool to be inspected. Beam intensity data is collected describing the beam intensity signal that is generated by the receiver as the tool inspection path is traversed and analysis of the collected beam intensity data is used to assess the tool profile.

A measuring device for measuring thickness of a planar object, where the measuring device comprises a first optical sensor module and a second optical sensor module that located on opposites of the measured planar object with mutual distance the optical sensor modules having at least one light source, a reference shade with two dimensional pattern and an imaging sensor and computing equipment, where the one light source is set to an angle towards measured object and the reference shade is set between the light and the object so that a shadow forms on the surface of the object and the imaging sensor is set so it can detect the reference shade and the shadow while the computing equipment calculates the distance between the surface of the object and sensor module from the distance between the detected shade and shadow of both optical modules and calculate the thickness of the object.