Data acquisition and processing using noncontact/contact digitizing systems for reverse engineering

摘要

Abstract: Reverse engineering is the process of creating an engineering design model for existing parts or prototypes. We have developed a reverse engineering system where data is acquired with a scanning system that combines noncontact and contact digitizing methods. The noncontact sensor is a PC-based vision system that views the part from orthogonal orientations and captures the boundary points of the object. The images are then vectorized and a 2D CAD drawing of the part is created. The contact probe is mounted on a CNC machine, which is then guided by the NC code based on the 2D drawings of the part and captures the 3D coordinates of the points inside the boundaries of the object. The 3D coordinates are then used by the surface-modeling module of the system to create a 3D CAD drawing of the part, which is presented in a commercial CAD system. By combining vision sensing with contact probing we achieved speed and accuracy in the data extraction process. This paper describes the elements of the system and the CAD modeling procedure. !4