Automated Vision System for Real-Time Tire Crack Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for detecting cracks in pneumatic tires during endurance tests are inaccurate and require frequent downtime, posing safety risks and prolonging test duration, as they rely on visual inspection and empirical calculations.
Innovation Solution
A vision system using high-scanning frequency linear cameras and advanced image processing algorithms to detect defects like cracks on the sidewalls of rotating tires in real-time, allowing for remote and frequent inspections without interrupting the test.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If visual inspection is performed at regular intervals, then operator safety is improved, but test duration increases and crack detection timeliness deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual visual inspection with an automated optical inspection system comprising cameras and image processing algorithms. This substitution eliminates the need for operator intervention during testing, allowing continuous operation without safety interruptions while maintaining reliable defect detection capabilities
Solution Approach 2:
The inspection system performs self-diagnosis through automated image capture and processing. The system independently identifies cracks and defects without requiring external operator intervention, enabling continuous testing while maintaining safety through automated monitoring
2Measurement precision
If visual inspection frequency is increased to improve crack detection timeliness, then detection accuracy improves, but test downtime increases
Solution Approach 1:
The optical inspection system operates continuously throughout the entire test duration without requiring interruptions. Cameras capture images at high frequency, and the image processing system analyzes them in real-time, ensuring continuous monitoring capability that eliminates the need to stop testing for inspections
Solution Approach 2:
Replacing manual inspection with automated optical systems enables high-frequency continuous monitoring that would be impossible for human operators to sustain without breaks, thereby maintaining detection precision while eliminating test downtime
3Device complexity
If empirical calculation methods are used for crack detection, then device complexity is reduced, but measurement precision deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces empirical calculation methods with direct optical measurement and image analysis. The system uses cameras to capture crack images and applies image processing algorithms to directly measure crack dimensions and characteristics, providing accurate quantitative data without relying on indirect calculations
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates optical copies (images) of the crack and analyzes these copies to extract precise measurement data. This allows accurate measurement of crack length, width, and other characteristics directly from the captured images, replacing inaccurate empirical calculations with direct optical measurement
Data Source
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AI summary
The present invention generally relates to the sector regarding digital analysis techniques, in the fields of image acquisition, image processing and computer vision. The present invention relates, more particularly, to a method and to an apparatus for detecting the presence of defects on the surface of a pneumatic tyre.