Method and a system for assessing and optionally monitoring or controlling the texture of a surface
Disclosed herein is a computer-implemented method for assessing and optionally monitoring or controlling a texture of a surface. Additionally disclosed herein are a system including an input channel connected to a processing device, a processing device configured to derive and optionally monitor or control the at least one texture parameter of the surface, an output device and optionally at least on surface preparation device. Further disclosed herein is a computer program product for assessing and optionally monitoring or controlling a texture of a surface, including a data carrier storing a program code to be executed by a processor.
1 . A method for assessing and optionally monitoring a texture of a surface, comprising the steps of:
(i) providing, via an input channel, to a processing device, image data of a surface comprising a line pattern, wherein the line pattern is obtained by projecting a predefined line pattern onto the surface;
(ii) processing, by the processing device, the provided image data;
(iii) deriving at least one texture parameter of the surface from the line pattern in the processed image data by extracting a plurality of parallel lines from the processed image data using a pattern recognition algorithm, forming at least one concatenated line by concatenating at least two extracted parallel lines, and calculating a wavelength spectrum of each concatenated line by means of a fast Fourier transformation; and
(iv) providing the at least one texture parameter via an output channel.
2 . The method according to claim 1 , further comprising monitoring, based on said derived at least one texture parameter, the texture of the surface.
3 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the surface is a coating layer.
4 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the line pattern is a plurality of lines.
5 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein processing the provided image data in step (ii) comprises extracting the line pattern information from the image data provided in step (i).
6 . The method according to claim 5 , wherein processing the obtained image data comprises converting the obtained image data into binary image data.
7 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein deriving the at least one texture parameter comprises determining a deviation of the line pattern of the surface from the predefined line pattern projected onto said surface.
8 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one texture parameter is derived as a spectral peak of the calculated wavelength spectrum.
9 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one texture parameter is derived as a wavelength range of the calculated wavelength spectrum containing a spectral peak.
10 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein monitoring the texture of the surface comprises repeatedly determining the at least one texture parameter of the surface derived from the line pattern in the processed image data, and optionally storing the determined at least one texture parameter on at least one storage device.
11 . The method according to claim 10 , wherein monitoring the texture of the surface further comprises correlating the repeatedly determined at least one texture parameter with surface preparation parameters used at points in time when the image data used to derive the at least one texture parameter is obtained.
12 . A system for assessing and optionally monitoring a texture of a surface, comprising:
(a) an input channel connected to a processing device, said input channel being configured to provide an image data to the processing device,
(b) the processing device configured to
process image data of a surface comprising a line pattern, wherein the line pattern is obtained by projecting a predefined line pattern onto the surface, and
derive at least one texture parameter of the surface from the line pattern in the processed image data by extracting a plurality of parallel lines from the processed image data using a pattern recognition algorithm, forming at least one concatenated line by concatenating at least two extracted parallel lines, and calculating a wavelength spectrum of each concatenated line by means of a fast Fourier transformation, and
optionally, monitor the at least one derived texture parameter by providing a monitoring signal to a surface preparation device, and
(c) an output channel configured to display the derived at least one texture parameter, and
(d) optionally, at least one surface preparation device connected to the processing device and configured to prepare the surface.
13 . At least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon a computer-executable program code for assessing and optionally monitoring a texture of a surface, wherein, when the program code is executed by a processor, the program code uses the processor to implement a method according to claim 1 .
14 . A method of using the at least one texture parameter determined according to a method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one texture parameter is associated with a coating applied to the surface, the method comprising using the at least one texture parameter for manufacturing objects having the surface and being coated with the coating.
15 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the surface is a clearcoat layer.
16 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the line pattern is a grid of lines.
17 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the line pattern is an orthogonal grid of lines.
18 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein monitoring the texture of the surface comprises repeatedly determining the at least one texture parameter of the surface derived from the line pattern during preparation of the surface, and optionally storing the determined at least one texture parameter on at least one storage device.