Locating systems and methods for components

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9967523-B2
Application number	US-201514970595-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 16, 2015
Priority date	Dec 16, 2015
Publication date	May 8, 2018
Grant date	May 8, 2018

Abstract

Locating systems and methods for components are provided. A component has an exterior surface. A method includes locating a surface feature configured on the exterior surface along an X-axis and a Y-axis by analyzing an image of the component to obtain X-axis data points and Y-axis data points for the surface feature. The method further includes directly measuring the surface feature along a Z-axis to obtain Z-axis data points for the surface feature, wherein the X-axis, the Y-axis and the Z-axis are mutually orthogonal. The method further includes calculating at least two of a pitch value, a roll value or a yaw value for the surface feature.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A locating method for a component, the component having an exterior surface, the method comprising:
locating a surface feature configured on the exterior surface along an X-axis and a Y-axis by analyzing an image of the component to obtain X-axis data points for the surface feature relative to the component and Y-axis data points for the surface feature relative to the component;
directly measuring the surface feature along a Z-axis to obtain Z-axis data points for the surface feature, wherein the X-axis, the Y-axis and the Z-axis are mutually orthogonal;
calculating a pitch angle for the surface feature based on the X-axis data points for the surface feature relative to the component and the directly measured Z-axis data points; and
calculating a roll angle for the surface feature based on the Y-axis data points for the surface feature relative to the component and the directly measured Z-axis data points.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the surface feature is directly measured using a non-contact direct measurement technique.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the directly measuring step comprises:
emitting light towards the surface feature;
detecting the light after the light is reflected; and
calculating the Z-axis data points based on the detected light.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein analyzing the image comprises performing a pixel analysis of the image.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising positioning a data acquisition system relative to the surface feature based on the X-axis data points, the Y-axis data points, the pitch angle, and the roll angle.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the surface feature is a strain sensor.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the surface feature is a cooling hole.

8. A locating method for a component, the component having an exterior surface, the method comprising:
locating a surface feature configured on the exterior surface along an X-axis and a Y-axis by performing a pixel analysis of an image of the component to obtain X-axis data points for the surface feature relative to the component and Y-axis data points for the surface feature relative to the component;
directly measuring the surface feature along a Z-axis to obtain Z-axis data points for the surface feature, wherein the X-axis, the Y-axis and the Z-axis are mutually orthogonal; and
calculating a pitch angle and a roll angle for the surface feature based on the X-axis data points and the Y-axis data points from the pixel analysis in combination with the directly measured data points.

9. The method of claim 8 , further comprising positioning a data acquisition device relative to the surface feature based on the X-axis data points, the Y-axis data points, the pitch angle and the roll angle.

10. A locating system for a component, the component having an exterior surface, the system comprising:
a data acquisition system, the data acquisition system comprising:
an imaging device for obtaining an image of the component; and
a three-dimensional data acquisition device for examining a surface feature configured on the exterior surface of the component; and

a processor in operable communication with the data acquisition system, the processor configured for:
locating the surface feature along an X-axis and a Y-axis by analyzing the image to obtain X-axis data points and Y-axis data points for the surface feature;
obtaining Z-axis data points along a Z-axis for the surface feature based on signals from the three-dimensional data acquisition device, wherein the X-axis, the Y-axis and the Z-axis are mutually orthogonal;
calculating a pitch angle for the surface feature based on the X-axis data points obtained by analyzing the image and the Z-axis data points obtained from the three-dimensional data acquisition device; and
calculating a roll angle for the surface feature based on the Y-axis data points obtained by analyzing the image and the Z-axis data points obtained from the three-dimensional data acquisition device.

11. The system of claim 10 , wherein the three-dimensional data acquisition device is a non-contact three-dimensional data acquisition device.

12. The system of claim 10 , wherein analyzing the image comprises performing a pixel analysis of the image.

13. The system of claim 10 , wherein the surface feature is a strain sensor.

14. The system of claim 10 , wherein the surface feature is a cooling hole.

Assignees

• Gen Electric

Inventors

• Ozturk Yusuf Eren
• Icli Selami Haydar
• Yuvalaklioglu Mustafa
• Germann Bryan J
• Burnside Jason Lee

Classifications

• G01M15/14

  Testing gas-turbine engines or jet-propulsion engines · CPC title

• G06T7/60

  Analysis of geometric attributes · CPC title

• H04N7/18 Primary

  Closed-circuit television [CCTV] systems, i.e. systems in which the video signal is not broadcast · CPC title

• G01B11/002

  for measuring two or more coordinates · CPC title

• G01B21/00 Primary

  Measuring arrangements or details thereof, where the measuring technique is not covered by the other groups of this subclass, unspecified or not relevant · CPC title