Discontinuous Registration Of Industrial Radiographs Using Profile Analysis And Piecewise Correlation Techniques

Abstract

Profile analysis and piecewise correlation techniques for measuring internal machine part clearances by digital processing of industrial radiographs are described in this paper. These methods were developed at the Image and Pattern Analysis Laboratory of Pratt & Whitney Aircraft Group. Profile analysis requires mathematical modeling of the expected optical density of a radiograph as a function of machine part position. Part separations are estimated on the basis of individual image scan lines. A final part separation estimate is produced by fitting a polynominal to the individual estimates and correcting for imaging and processing degradations which are simulated using a mathematical model. Piecewise correlation involves an application of image registration where radiographs are correlated in a piecewise fashion to allow inference of the relative motion of machine parts in a time varying series of images. Each image is divided into segments which are dominated by a small number of features. Segments from one image are cross-correlated with subsequent images to identify machine part motion in image space. Correlation peak magnitude is used in assessing the confidence that a particular motion has occurred between images. The rigid feature motion of machine parts requires image registration by discon-tinuous parts. This method differs from the continuous deformations one encounters in perspective projective transformations characteristic of remote sensing applications.