A method combining laser and vision detection for on-line measurement of small modules gears

Intelligent production of small modulus powder metallurgy gearing requires rapid and accurate measurement to ensure product quality. Currently, the contact measurement method exemplified by gear measuring centers lack efficiency and require gear mounting reference, which prevent them from meeting the requirements for on-line inspection of small modulus gears. Therefore, an optical method of gears was intensively researched. It combined the advantages of laser and vision inspection, which meet the requirements for accuracy and efficiency in on-line inspection. Based on the measurement principle of the line laser sensor and vision camera, a model of the measurement system was established; a standard block was designed to calibrate the system. The surface data of tooth flank were acquired by laser scanning and evaluated to analysis the accuracy. The result of method was validated by comparison with the gear measurement center. Both are of good agreement. Sufficient experiments verify the feasibility of proposed method for on-line inspection.