October 4, 2011 - Micro-Epsilon developed freely downloadable software modules and instrument drivers for its scanCONTROL series of laser profile scanners. These software plug-ins simplify integration of laser profile sensors with the user’s own software environment. In order to process recorded profile information from any laser scanner (profile sensor), the scanner must be integrated with a suitable software application such as LabVIEW or Geomagic Qualify. Conventional laser scanners often leave this task to the user, who will have to carry out labour-intensive software programming to ensure that the measured data is correctly integrated and processed.
When working with Micro-Epsilon’s scanCONTROL series of laser scanners, the user is aided by freely available, ready-to-use software tools. A software development kit is available for C/C++. This library for scanCONTROL supports both static and dynamic loading. If the user works with LabVIEW, help is provided in the form of a ready-to-use, downloadable device driver, which can be integrated directly with the user’s own virtual instruments (VIs) via the use of software modules. In addition, a software plug-in is available for users of Geomagic Qualify inspection software.
This enables the user to compare actual measured profiles directly with the target model. Geomagic Qualify allows rapid, precise graphical comparisons between digital reference models and manufactured parts, prior to volume production. Micro-Epsilon’s plug-in supports both online operation with all scanCONTROL sensors, as well as the importing of offline data. Therefore, the plug-in can also be tested quickly and easily without a sensor. The scanCONTROL range of laser scanners record, measure and evaluate profiles on a variety of different target surfaces.
Often referred to as profile sensors, laser scanners use the triangulation principle for two-dimensional profile detection on target surfaces. Using special lenses, a laser beam is enlarged to form a static laser line and projected onto the target surface. A high quality optical receiver system projects the diffusely reflected light from this laser line onto a highly sensitive sensor matrix. In addition to distance information (z-axis) the controller also uses this camera image to calculate the position along the laser line (x-axis). These measured values are then output in a two-dimensional coordinate system that is fixed with respect to the sensor.
Both with moving objects and a traversing sensor, it is possible to obtain 3D measurement data.