Surface Treatment System Using Image Correlation Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing surface treatment methods rely on human senses to judge treatment states, leading to variability and making it difficult to achieve reproducible target surface treatment states, especially in industrial automation.
Innovation Solution
A surface treatment system that includes a storage unit for reference images, a surface treatment unit, an image capturing unit, a comparison unit to calculate correlation coefficients between captured images and reference images, and a control unit to stop the treatment when a set correlation value is reached.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If human senses are used to judge treatment state, then flexibility in assessment is maintained, but reproducibility and uniformity of treatment results deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical system of human sensory judgment with an optical measurement system comprising an image capturing unit and comparison unit. The image capturing unit captures images of the surface during treatment, and the comparison unit objectively compares these images against reference images to determine treatment completion, eliminating human subjectivity and improving reproducibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses reference images (which are copies or representations of the target treatment state) to compare against actual treatment images. This copying approach allows for consistent, reproducible judgment of treatment quality without requiring human experts to repeatedly assess the same quality criteria subjectively.
2Productivity
If automated treatment control is implemented, then productivity and uniformity are improved, but difficulty in detecting and measuring treatment state increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces difficult manual surface assessment with automated optical imaging and digital image comparison. The system captures images of the surface treatment state and uses computational methods to compare these images against reference standards, making the detection and measurement process both automated and relatively simple to implement.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary comparison unit that acts as a mediator between the image capturing unit and the treatment control system. This intermediary processes the captured images by comparing them against reference images, translating complex surface state information into simple control signals that indicate whether treatment should continue or stop.
3Measurement precision
If multiple measurement parameters are used to ensure accuracy, then measurement precision improves, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses reference images as simplified copies or representations of the target treatment state. Instead of measuring multiple physical parameters of the surface, the system captures an image and compares it against a reference image, achieving high measurement precision through this simplified copying and comparison approach without requiring complex multi-parameter measurement equipment.
Data Source
AI summary
An image capturing unit captures an image of a surface of a member treated by a surface treatment unit. A comparison unit obtains a correlation coefficient between a reference image stored in a storage unit and the image captured by the image capturing unit. A cross-correlation coefficient between power spectra of the reference image and the image captured by the image capturing unit is obtained. A control unit stops a surface treatment performed by the surface treatment unit when the correlation coefficient obtained by the comparison unit reaches a set value.