A 3D Measurement of Cutting Tool Edge Based on Focus Error
Abstract This study describes a technique for measuring the three-dimensional (3D) shape of cutting tool edge, based on a CCD image sensor along the optical axis and on subsequently analyzing the image data. The image of a cutting edge formed by an optical system, such as a lens, contains geometric information about the shape of cutting edge. The focus errors can be deduced from the observed image. This deduction requires digital image processing. The focus error computation and a sequence of images obtained by continuously varying the distance between the lens and the image detector provides the possibility of obtaining high-resolution 3D coordinate measurement of cutting tool edge. The proposed technique is supported by experiments and further applications of the technique are indicated.