Piotr Czajka

Inspection of Crane Rails with Use of Monorail Mobile Platform

Ensuring adequate technical and operational safety of the crane requires, among others, periodic track survey. The inspection of the crane track is to detect defects in the shape of the rail head resulting from plastic deformation and the surface wear as well as cracks in the structure of the rail. An important issue is the possibility of recording and archiving the results of periodic measurements in order to assess the wear of the rails during operation. The developed inspection system enables the determination of the rail profile using the laser scanning method, as well as the assessment of the condition of the rail head surface on the basis of the image recorded by the vision system. The stand-alone inspection system was installed on a mobile platform that traverses the rail. The article presents the developed inspection system and the results of the experimental tests.

Vision System for Inspection of Glass Furnace Structure

The article presents a method for the inspection of the walls and the bottom of a glass furnace in operation using a hybrid vision system that allows simultaneous monitoring in infrared and visible light. The fusion of images recorded in the infrared and visible light facilitates the process of the identification of specific areas on the surface of the furnace. Evaluation of the condition of the structure of the walls and bottom of the furnace is based on the analysis of thermograms recorded at specified intervals during the operation of the furnace. The paper presents the recorded thermal images and photographs of damage to the structure of the furnace. The collected results of the inspection of the furnace form the basis for the development of an empirical model to present the process of the degradation of the insulation layer of the furnace.

Inspection of the Proprieties of Joints for Pipes with Couplers Using the Hybrid Vision Method

The aim of this study was to test the connections of wastewater pipes with sockets. The connections are made by friction welding. In the production process, the pipe is fixed and the socket is rotated. Then, the rotating socket is forced onto the pipe. The heat necessary for the connection elements is produced by the friction of the contact surfaces with use of a suitable force. The effectiveness of the sealing process depends mainly on the holding force, temperature, and duration of the process. Figure 1 shows a cross section model of the pipe connected to the socket. The area includes two notches in the welded pipe.

The Use of 2D/3D Sensors for Robotic Manipulation for Quality Inspection Tasks

Industrial robots are mostly designed for tasks where working conditions are well known and do not change over time. However, there are many examples where robots require vision sensor-based control in order to perform complex operations and react to changes in the environment. Other areas where there is need for combining vision sensors with manipulators are quality inspection tasks of large or complex structured objects. The paper presents an overview of the methods used in robotic vision systems, taking into account their specific requirements and advantages. Experimental studies of a selected 2D/3D sensors mounted on industrial manipulators are presented including analysis of collected 3D points clouds. Additionally, a system of a reconfigurable manipulator that interchangeably uses various sensors and tools in complex inspection tasks is presented.

Hybrid Vision System for Diagnostics of Technical Objects and Processes

The paper presents a hybrid system for vision diagnostics of technical objects and processes simultaneously in the visible and infrared band. The system consists of a hybrid vision head adapted for use in industrial conditions, control and measurement system and the optional cooling system using compressed air. In order to verify the concept of hybrid method the study was performed on selected objects in the laboratory conditions using the developed system. The next stage was to perform the vision diagnostics of technical process in industrial conditions. By combining the analysis of the images in the two spectral bands additional information about the examined object or technical process can be obtained.

Application of Optical Inspection Method for Testing the Correctness of Ball Bearings Assembly

The article presents the optical inspection method for the correct assembly of bearings with rolling elements in the form of balls. During the assembly process, faults can occur of incomplete fill of the rolling elements in a bearing cage or a lack of rivets for fixing both parts of the cage. These are critical defects, disqualifying the bearing from the operation. In order to detect these faults, the method of backlighting was used in the form of a modular LED panel illuminator located under the inspected bearing. The chosen method of lighting provides a high contrast and good sharpness with a simultaneous low sensitivity to contamination that may arise in the field of view of the camera. In order to verify the developed method, an experimental automated research stand was made. For vision inspection, a modular vision controller with a monochromatic CCD camera was used. Due to the range of bearings subjected to vision inspection, the algorithm of the program allows automatic detection of the bearing type based on its characteristics. The operation of the vision system was presented for each of the individual stages of the inspection process. The functions used in the field of computer-based image processing and analysis were described. Examples of bearing inspections, with use of the developed method, were presented.

Method for Monitoring the Destruction Process of Materials Using a High-Speed Camera and a Catodioptric Stereo-Vision System

The article presents a method for monitoring the destruction process of materials under mechanical load on a universal testing machine. Observations of the subjects are made using a high-speed camera and a catadioptric stereo-vision system. The camera allows for data acquisition with the capture speed more than a million frames per second (FPS) with reduced resolution. Catadioptric vision systems use mirrors and lenses in order to modify the observation path. In the proposed system four mirrors are required to divide the observation path into two separate paths. This enables monitoring the test specimens from different perspectives, which provides a number of advantages including information redundancy or stereovision. In order to verify the proposed method several metal specimens were put under mechanical load and monitored with the vision system. Test results are enclosed in the article. Selected registered images presenting the moment of the destruction are described in greater detail with data about the capture speed provided. The tests were conducted under front and back lighting in order to assess the best method of illumination.