An Augmented Reality-Based System for Ultrasonically Measuring the Thickness of Thin-Walled Parts

Manual thickness measurement of thin-walled parts is largely demanded in industrial applications. Repetitive manual interventions and poor consistency of measurement data are two of the critical existing problems for manual thickness measurement, which reduce the measuring accuracy and efficiency. To address these problems, this article combines digital ultrasonic thickness with an augmented reality (AR)-based system to assist the manual thickness measurement of the thin-walled parts. A simple adaptive pattern projection method is proposed to replace the manual drawing of grids and thickness states on the part. A multifunctional tool is developed to automatically visualize and record the measured thickness data in real-time, which guarantees the consistency of measurement data. The communication within the proposed system is established to enhance the human-machine interaction experience, allowing the operator to focus on the thickness measurement itself. The accuracy of the projection position is analyzed and the maximum deviation is 1.5 mm. A case study is conducted to validate the proposed system. The proposed system largely improves digitization and decreases the workload of manual thickness measurement. The measurement time is shortened compared to the conventional thickness measurement method.