Non-contact measuring apparatus for the section profile of a tire and its method

Claim 1

A method of measuring a tire section profile shape comprising: a) moving a sensor having a slit ray beam generator and a camera with a robot hand having mutually orthogonal longitudinal x, y and z axes and mutually orthogonal rotational α, β axes, the generator and camera being mounted in the sensor so they are moved together relative to the x, y, z, α and β axes b) generating two-dimensional coordinate data by directing the slit ray beam relative to a calibration block and obtaining an image of said calibration block with said camera by moving the sensor and camera relative to said x, y, z, α and β axes as specified in step (a), c) generating three-dimensional coordinate data of the calibration block by processing said two-dimensional data corresponding to actual dimensions of the calibration block with a computer, d) generating two-dimensional coordinate data of the tire by directing the slit ray beam relative to the tire and obtaining an image of the tire with said camera by moving the sensor and camera relative to said x, y, z, α and β axes as specified in step (a), e) generating three-dimensional coordinate data of the tire section profile shape by processing in the computer said tire two-dimensional coordinate data corresponding with said three-dimensional coordinate data to generate data representing an image of the tire section profile shape based on a three-dimensional coordinate system, and f) transmitting the image to a two dimensional display having mutually orthogonal axes, the calibration block including plural polygonal sides forming plural stair faces, generating the three-dimensional coordinate data of the calibration block by directing the slit ray beam on the plural stair faces, the three-dimensional coordinate data of the calibration block being generated by directing the slit ray beam at four corner points of four different intersections of the stair faces, the corner points being detected by determining the maximum curvature of an image of the calibration block derived from the camera in response to the slit ray reflected from the calibration block.

Claim 2

A method of measuring a tire section profile shape comprising: a) moving a sensor having a slit ray beam generator and a camera with a robot hand having mutually orthogonal longitudinal x, y and z axes and mutually orthogonal rotational α, β axes, the generator and camera being mounted in the sensor so they are moved together relative to the x, y, z, α and β axes b) generating two-dimensional coordinate data by directing the slit ray beam relative to a calibration block and obtaining an image of said calibration block with said camera by moving the sensor and camera relative to said x, y, z, α and β axes as specified in step (a), c) generating three-dimensional coordinate data of the calibration block by processing said two-dimensional data corresponding to actual dimensions of the calibration block with a computer, d) generating two-dimensional coordinate data of the tire by directing the slit ray beam relative to the tire and obtaining an image of the tire with said camera by moving the sensor and camera relative to said x, y, z, α and β axes as specified in step (a), e) generating three-dimensional coordinate data of the tire section profile shape by processing in the computer said tire two-dimensional coordinate data corresponding with said three-dimensional coordinate data to generate data representing an image of the tire section profile shape based on a three-dimensional coordinate system, and f) transmitting the image to a two dimensional display having mutually orthogonal axes, the calibration block including plural polygonal sides forming plural stair faces, generating the three-dimensional coordinate data of the calibration block by directing the slit ray beam on the plural stair faces, the three-dimensional coordinate data of the calibration block being generated by directing the slit ray beam at four corner points of four different intersections of the stair faces, the corner points being detected by determining the maximum curvature of an image of the calibration block derived from the camera in response to the slit ray reflected from the calibration block.