METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR TACTILE MEASUREMENT, IN PARTICULAR LAYER THICKNESS MEASUREMENT

Abstract

A tactile layer thickness measurement is performed on a surface of a measurement object, in which at least one measurement value is detected by means of a tactile measuring probe. The at least one measurement value is transmitted by a data processing device to a pair of data glasses, and the at least one measurement value is reproduced in the data glasses. The system comprises at least one measuring probe, data glasses and a data processing device. The system is designed to carry out the method for tactile layer thickness measurement on the surface of the measurement object.

Claims

1. Method for tactile measurement on a surface of a measurement object, comprising: obtaining by a pair of glasses at least one measurement value of the surface of the measurement object, wherein the at least one measurement value is detected by a tactile measuring probe; and generating an image presentation in data glasses, wherein the image presentation includes the at least one measurement value.

2. Method according to claim 1, wherein the image presentation of the at least one measurement value in the data glasses is at least partially transparent, so that the image presentation is superimposed with information from the environment.

3. Method according to claim 1, wherein the at least one measurement value is correlated by a data processing device with at least one piece of quality information, and in that the at least one measurement value with the relevant correlated quality information is transmitted to the data glasses and reproduced in the image presentation.

4. Method according to claim 3, wherein the at least one measurement value is correlated by the data processing device with at least one upper and/or one lower limit value of a limit value range, and the upper and/or lower limit value of the limit value range for the measurement value is transmitted to the data glasses and reproduced in the image presentation.

5. Method according to claim 1, wherein at least one piece of surface information of the measurement object or a spatially resolved surface presentation of the measurement object, is provided to the data glasses and is reproduced in the image presentation.

6. Method according to claim 5, wherein a change is triggered between an image presentation of the at least one piece of surface information and an image presentation of the at least one measurement value, or the two are displayed superimposed on one another or next to one another.

7. Method according to claim 5, wherein the data processing device transmits to the data glasses at least one target measurement position at which at least one measurement value is to be determined.

8. Method according to claim 7, wherein the spatially resolved surface presentation is reproduced superimposed with the target measurement position before a measurement value is detected and the image presentation is at least partially transparent.

9. Method according claim 5, wherein the at least one piece of surface information with the target measurement position is correlated by the data processing device with the currently recorded measurement values of the tactile measuring probe, and the information correlated in this way is transmitted to the data glasses, so that the previous and/or the current measurement positions and/or the old measurement values and/or current measurement values of the tactile measuring probe are reproduced by the data glasses in the spatially resolved surface presentation of the measurement object.

10. Method according to claim 5, wherein the at least one surface information of the measurement object is provided by a data memory coupled to the data processing device and/or by a LIDAR sensor element.

11. Method according to claim 10, wherein the LIDAR sensor element is arranged on the data glasses.

12. Method according to claim 1, wherein the at least measurement value is correlated with position quality information by a data processing device, and the at least measurement value with the relevant correlated position quality information is transmitted to the data glasses and reproduced there.

13. Method according to claim 12, wherein the position quality information indicates whether a distance between an actual measurement position and a target measurement position is within or outside a limit value, and the actual measurement position at which a measurement value was detected is provided by a position detection element coupled to the tactile measuring probe.

14. Method according to claim 1, wherein at least one piece of additional information comprising a target area measurement region and/or a target measurement point and/or a repetition stage of the target measurement point is transmitted by the data processing device to the data glasses and reproduced there.

15. Method according to claim 14, wherein the respective piece of additional information is reproduced before or during the detection of a measurement value.

16. Method according to claim 1, wherein the measurement values are transmitted to the data processing device by the tactile measuring probe, and the data processing device is provided externally or internally to the measuring probe.

17. Method according to claim 1, wherein a data transmission between the tactile measuring probe and the data processing device and/or between the data processing device and the data glasses is wireless.

18. System for tactile measurement on a surface of a measurement object, comprising: at least one measuring probe configured to obtain at least one measurement value of the surface of the measurement object; a pair of data glasses configured to generate an image presentation in data glasses, wherein the image presentation includes the at least one measurement value; and a data processing device.

19. System according to claim 18, wherein the system is designed for layer thickness measurement on a surface of a measurement object.

20. System according to claim 18, wherein the data glasses are designed as protective glasses; and wherein the data processing device is configured to correlate the at least one measurement value with at least one piece of quality information and transmit the at least one measurement value with the correlated at least one piece of quality information to the data glasses for inclusion in the image presentation.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0037] FIG. 1 is a schematic depiction of a system for carrying out a method for tactile layer thickness measurement on a surface of a measurement object;

[0038] FIG. 2 is a schematic depiction of an image presentation in a pair of data glasses;

[0039] FIG. 3 is a schematic depiction of a further image presentation of the measurement object with superimposed user guidance; and

[0040] FIG. 4 is a schematic depiction of a further image presentation of the measurement object with measurement value and additional information.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0041] FIG. 1 shows a schematically simplified system 10 for carrying out a method for tactile layer thickness measurement on a surface 13 of a measurement object 11. Such measurement objects 11 can be large-area objects or objects of which the surfaces are difficult to access. For example, tanks, bridges, container or cargo ships or other metal walls with a surface coating, in particular lacquers or the like, may be provided. The system 10 comprises a tactile measuring probe 12 for coating thickness measurements. The system 10 further comprises a data processing device 16. The tactile measuring probe 12 is coupled to the data processing device 16 for data transmission through an interface 15 by means of a wireless or wired data transmission mechanism 14. A circuit 19 may be associated with the interface 15 in a housing 17 of the measuring probe to control the transmission of data. The measuring probe 12 comprises a measuring head 21, which is placed on the surface 13 of the measurement object for measuring—for example—a layer thickness. The system 10 further comprises a pair of data glasses 20. The data processing device 16 is coupled to the data glasses 20 by means of a wireless or wired data transmission mechanism 18. The data processing device 16 may be integrated in the measuring probe 12 or in the data glasses 20. Also, the data processing device 16 may be provided in a mobile device or a stationary device. An application software (app) 24 may be stored in the data processing device 16 for evaluation and communication. The data glasses 20 are, for example, video glasses by means of which an augmented reality can be visually displayed. For this purpose, the data glasses 20 are designed in the present case as video glasses with a digital camera as a projection means. In this way, data, information and/or measurement values can be projected into the user's field of vision as an image presentation.

[0042] The data transmission mechanisms 14, 18 may be based on a Bluetooth low-energy standard, in particular the Zigbee transmission protocol. The data transmission mechanism 14 from the tactile measuring probe 12 to the data processing device 16 is unidirectional. Alternatively, it can also be bidirectional. The data transmission mechanism 18 between the data processing device 18 and the data glasses 20 is bidirectional.

[0043] Optionally, a position detection element 22 may be fixedly coupled to or disposed within the tactile measuring probe 12.

[0044] Further, a local or remote data memory 26 may be provided to support operations performed by the data processing device 16 or to retrieve information, data or measurement values from past measurements.

[0045] The local data memory 26 may be integrated in the measuring probe 12 or the data glasses 20. The remote data memory 26 can be a laptop or similar, which is carried by the user.

[0046] Furthermore, the system 10 may comprise a LIDAR sensor element 28. The LIDAR sensor element 28 may be arranged on the data glasses 20. The LIDAR sensor element 28 enables measurement data of positions on the surface 11 of the measurement object 11 to be acquired, thereby allowing a spatially resolved surface presentation of the measurement positions on the measurement object 11.

[0047] For tactile layer thickness measurement on the surface 13 of the measurement object, the tactile measuring probe 12 is placed at least once on the same measurement position, and at least one measurement value 32 is recorded by the measuring probe 12 and transmitted to the data processing device 16.

[0048] The position on the measurement object 11 detected by the LIDAR sensor element 28 is transmitted to the data processing device 16.

[0049] At least target values for the layer thickness or other data to be detected are stored in the data memory 26. In an embodiment, a predefined test pattern is stored, according to which the measurement object 11 is to be examined.

[0050] FIG. 2 schematically shows a projection surface 40 in the data glasses 20. Within the projection surface 40, various visual presentations 42 can be selected and adjusted. For example, a measurement value 32 can be displayed in a field. This measurement value 32 is the currently recorded measurement value.

[0051] Furthermore, an upper limit value can be displayed in a field 54 and a lower limit value in a field 56. These limit values 54, 56 can be based on the current measurement position or on stored data. If, for example, the current measurement value 32 is within the limit values, this can also be displayed visually and/or confirmed with an acoustic signal. Alternatively, the visual and/or acoustic signal for the detection of a measurement value 32 within the upper and lower limit values 54, 56 can also be provided exclusively, without visual information being displayed with regard to the upper and lower limit values 54, 56.

[0052] Furthermore, additional information 58 can be displayed, for example, which is discussed in more detail below with reference to FIG. 4.

[0053] FIG. 3 shows the depiction of an image presentation 42 of the measurement object 1 with superimposed user guidance 48 through the data glasses 20. The data glasses 20 present surface information in the form of a spatially resolved surface presentation 44 in a projection surface 40. The image presentation 42 showing the measurement object 11 is projected onto this projection surface 40. The surface information may reproduce the spatially resolved surface presentation 44 of the measurement object 11, in this case the surface presentation of a ship. Generally, the surface presentation 44 of the measurement object 11 will be reproduced on a significantly larger scale. In this case, the presentation is merely schematic.

[0054] The surface presentation 44 of the measurement object 11 and the target measurement positions 46 are reproduced in the projection surface 40 before a measurement value 32 is detected. The image presentation 42 comprises a user guidance 48 which indicates for which target measurement position 46 at least one measurement value 32 is to be determined next. Because the image presentation 42 is at least partially transparent, the image presentation 42 is superimposed with real information of the measurement object 11. The user guidance 48 then enables the user to find the corresponding target measurement position 46 in a particularly simple and reproducible manner, so that the measurement value can also be detected in conformity with the particular target measurement position 46.

[0055] FIG. 4 shows a schematic depiction of an image presentation 42 of the measurement object 11 with a measurement value 32 and additional information 58. The measurement value 32 can in turn be correlated with at least one piece of surface information of the measurement object 11. In addition, the image presentation 42 comprises quality information 50 of the measurement value 32. The limit value range 54, 56 indicates the interval within which the particular measurement value 32 should lie for the particular target measurement position. The quality information 50 then indicates whether the measurement value 32 lies within the limit value range. For example, the measurement value 32 can be coloured according to a first colour (green) for a first piece of quality information 50 if the measurement value 32 is within the limit value range. Otherwise, the quality information 50 can be coloured according to another colour (red). The user is thus shown in a particularly simple and efficient manner the relationship between the measurement value 32 and the limits of the limit value range.

[0056] In addition, the image presentation 42 comprises the spatially resolved surface presentation 44 of the measurement object 11 already described above and the user guidance 48 corresponding to the particular target measurement position 46. The user is thus also shown in relation to which target measurement position 46 the detected measurement value 32 is assigned.

[0057] In an embodiment, the image presentation 42 of the measurement value 32 is additionally correlated with further additional information 58, which is also reproduced. The additional information 58 includes an indication of the position and/or location of the target measurement area region (“1”), a number of target measurement points (“4”) within the predetermined target area measurement region and a repetition stage of measurements (“2”) at the various target measurement points. The surface of the measurement object 11 is divided into target measurement area regions according to a predetermined test pattern. The additional information 58 assists the user in actuating the next target measurement position 46 within the target measurement area region.

[0058] Subsequently, the relevant number of repetitions of measurements at the specified measurement points can be acknowledged so that the user moves on to the next target measurement point. At this measurement point, the number of repeated measurements can be carried out again. This makes it easy for the user to complete a given test pattern with a high degree of certainty.

[0059] The specific devices and portions or elements of devices described herein are not required and may be substituted for one or more different devices or elements. Additional devices and elements of devices may also be included though not described or illustrated herein. One or more methods or steps of a method described herein may not be performed, or steps or methods may be performed in addition to those described. Still further, the sequence in which methods or steps of methods are listed are not necessarily the order in which they are performed. Also, the concepts have been described with reference to specific embodiments. However, one of ordinary skill in the art appreciates that various modifications and changes can be made without departing from the scope of the claims as set forth below. Accordingly, the specification and figures are to be regarded in an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense, and all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the claims.

[0060] Benefits, other advantages, and solutions to problems have been described above with regard to specific embodiments. However, the benefits, advantages, solutions to problems, and any feature(s) that may cause any benefit, advantage, or solution to occur or become more pronounced are not to be construed as a critical, required, or essential feature of any or all the claims. Moreover, the particular embodiments disclosed above are illustrative only, as the disclosed subject matter may be modified and practiced in different but equivalent manners apparent to those skilled in the art having the benefit of the teachings herein. No limitations are intended to the details of construction or design herein shown, other than as described in the claims below. It is therefore evident that the particular embodiments disclosed above may be altered or modified and all such variations are considered within the scope of the disclosed subject matter. Accordingly, the protection sought herein is as set forth in the claims below.

[0061] Although multiple embodiments have been illustrated in the accompanying Drawings and described in the foregoing Detailed Description, it should be understood that the claims are not limited to the disclosed embodiments, but is capable of numerous rearrangements, modifications, and substitutions without departing from the scope thereof.