Vision System for On-line Monitoring of Wood Surface Roughness

The latest development in the field of optics and microelectronics resulted in a new generation vision system capable of scanning surface topography with very high sampling frequencies. The blue color of illuminating light as well as novel systems for controlling ultra-thin laser line thickness allows measurement of the porous surface of wood with a triangulation method. Three alternative sensors were tested here in order to verify their suitability for determination of surface topography in the industrial environment. The scanning head was installed at the exit zone of the four-side profiling moulder and was set to scrutinize the wood surface shape line by line, immediately after profiling. The sensor was also tested for automatic detection of surface defects appearing on elements after sanding, wetting and painting with diverse finishing products. The set of pilot test results, together with an original algorithm for real-time surface defects detection, is presented.