US 11,867,630 B1
Fixture and method for optical alignment in a system for measuring a surface in contoured glass sheets
Benjamin L. Moran, Perrysburg, OH (US); Jason C. Addington, Sylvania, OH (US); and Michael J. Vild, Toledo, OH (US)
Assigned to Glasstech, Inc., Perrysburg, OH (US)
Filed by Glasstech, Inc., Perrysburg, OH (US)
Filed on Aug. 9, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/884,116.
Int. Cl. G01N 21/958 (2006.01); G01N 21/64 (2006.01)
CPC G01N 21/6456 (2013.01) [G01N 21/958 (2013.01); G01N 2201/06113 (2013.01)] 28 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An optical inspection system comprising:
a fixture to support a glass sheet, the fixture having an optical fiducial provided thereon;
an ultraviolet laser and associated optics forming a planar laser sheet directed to the glass sheet, wherein the planar laser sheet intersects a surface of the glass sheet thereby causing the surface of the glass sheet to fluoresce and form a visible wavelength line on the surface;
a camera having an image sensor for detecting the optical fiducial and for detecting the visible wavelength line across at least a portion of a width of the sheet; and
a control system configured to (i) image the optical fiducial on the fixture, (ii) define an optical fiducial coordinate system from the imaged optical fiducial, (ii) receive a mathematical model of the glass sheet in a model coordinate system, and (iii) relate the optical fiducial coordinate system to the model coordinate system via at least one transformation.