Automated Vision Metrology:A Mature Technology for Industrial Inspection and Engineering Surveys

Developments in automated off-line and on-line digital close-range photogrammetry systems have effectively rendered the technology mature. A broadening of the range of measurement tasks undertaken has accompanied the transfer of technology of automated vision metrology from the R & D environment to an end-user community focussed upon high-precision dimensional inspection for industrial manufacturing and large-scale engineering. This paper highlights the significant advances made in system productivity and accuracy by way of a description of selected measurement projects conducted by the Vision Metrology Services Unit of The University of Melbourne. These include multi-epoch deformation surveys of a trainer aircraft, of the world’s largest electric ring motor and of a military vehicle, and the dimensional characterisation of both abalone shells and the hull of a submarine. The relevance of industial measurement to modern surveying is highlighted by the awarding of the 1998 Robert Hoddle Prize for Excellence in Surveying, by the Institution of Surveyors Victoria, to The Vision Metrology Services Unit.