Automated sampling path planning model for complex surface of cylinder gear based on laser scanning techniques

In modern manufacturing, the in-process measurement of complex surface of cylindrical gear is critical and challenging, and is directly associated with subsequent assembly and terminal gear quality. 3D geometric measurements of gear are ones of the crucial fundamental quantities to ensure their conformity to design specifications serving a range of industries, from shipping, automotive and aerospace industries to house applications. In this paper, an automated sampling path planning model is designed in order to obtain a loss cost sampling path by consider of the complex surface of cylinder gear. The high-precision full information model of tooth flank is also being established, which depends on the measurement procedure and the measurement uncertainty. A series of experiment on several typical cylindrical gears were carried out to demonstrate this automated path planning technique and the final geometric measurement accuracy. On the other hand, an commercial 3D geometric measuring system was also introduced, which has two degrees of laser scanner. Those scanning paths generation have been proven to be amenable for practical purposes through many tests so that it might be applicable to achieve 3D geometric measurements of large gear.