US 12,456,170 B2
Inspection system and method
Veniamin Stryzheus, Kent, WA (US); and Matthew J. Chen, Seattle, WA (US)
Assigned to The Boeing Company, Arlington, VA (US)
Filed by The Boeing Company, Arlington, VA (US)
Filed on Sep. 22, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/473,157.
Prior Publication US 2025/0104190 A1, Mar. 27, 2025
Int. Cl. G06T 5/50 (2006.01); G06T 7/00 (2017.01); H04N 5/265 (2006.01); H04N 23/54 (2023.01); H04N 23/56 (2023.01); H04N 23/90 (2023.01)
CPC G06T 5/50 (2013.01) [G06T 7/0004 (2013.01); H04N 5/265 (2013.01); H04N 23/54 (2023.01); H04N 23/56 (2023.01); H04N 23/90 (2023.01); G06T 2200/24 (2013.01); G06T 2207/20212 (2013.01); G06T 2207/30108 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An inspection system for capturing a topography of a surface, comprising:
a rigid support frame configured to be positioned over the surface;
at least three light sources configured to be mounted at different locations on the support frame;
at least two cameras each having a viewing direction and configured to be mounted at different locations on the support frame in a manner such that the viewing direction of each camera points generally toward a common region of the surface;
a processor configured to:
temporarily activate the light sources one at a time and cause all the cameras to capture a respective plurality of images of the common region each time a light source is activated;
combine the images in a manner that results in a reconstructed surface representing the topography of the common region;
analyze the reconstructed surface for structural features, defects, and/or texture; and
mask out the structural features that can otherwise negatively impact the reliability and accuracy of the surface reconstruction process due to reflections, shadows, and/or other effects generated by the structural features, so that the structural features are absent in the reconstructed surface.