System and method for verifying a position of a component on an object

1. An apparatus for verifying a position of an edge of a component on an object, the apparatus comprising:

an optical sensor configured to receive light reflected from the component and the object;

a contrast element disposed on the edge, wherein the contrast element is a retroreflective paint applied to the edge; and

one or more processors operably coupled to the optical sensor, the one or more processors;

determining the position of the edge at an inspection point;

determining a deviation in the position of the edge and a predetermined position of the edge; and

providing an indication of an amount of the deviation and an indication whether the position or orientation of the object is within an acceptable range or tolerance.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a light projector having a light source operable to emit a beam of outgoing light and a beam steering system operable to steer the beam of outgoing light onto the component and the object, wherein the light received by the optical sensor is light from the beam of outgoing light returned from the component and the object.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the optical sensor is integrated into the light projector.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the deviation is based on comparing the determined position to an electronic model.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors are further responsive for projecting a template of light onto the object prior to placement of the component.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the component is a layer of material and the object is a layup assembly.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors are further responsive to detect the presence of foreign object debris on the object or the component.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the detection of the foreign object debris is based at least in part on an image acquired by the optical sensor.

9. The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the one or more processors are further responsive to detect the presence of foreign object debris on the object or the component based at least in part on the beam of outgoing light returned from the component and the object.

10. A method of verifying a position of a component on an object, the method comprising:

disposing a contrast element on an edge of the component of the object, wherein the contrast element is a retroreflective paint applied to the edge, wherein the object is a layup assembly and wherein the component is a ply of the layup assembly;

receiving a returned light with an optical sensor;

determining a position of the edge based at least in part on the returned light

determining a deviation in the position of the edge and a predetermined position of the edge; and

providing an indication of an amount of the deviation and an indication whether the position or orientation of the object is within an acceptable range or tolerance.

11. The method of claim 10 , further comprising:

generating a template of light on the object with a light projector;

positioning the component on the object based at least in part on the template of light;

emitting a beam of outgoing light with a light source of the light projector; and

steering the beam of outgoing light onto the object with a beam steering system to define a scan box.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the scan box is positioned on the edge, and the returned light is the beam of outgoing light reflected by the object or the component.

13. The method of claim 10 , wherein the predetermined position is based at least in part on an electronic model of the object and the component.

14. The method of claim 10 , wherein the disposing of the contrast element includes applying the retroreflective paint on the edge of the component.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the applying of the reflective material includes spraying, rolling, brushing, or rubbing of the reflective material onto the edge.

16. The method of claim 10 detecting the presence of foreign object debris on the object or the component.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein the detection of the foreign object debris is based at least in part on an image acquired by the optical sensor.

18. The method of claim 12 , further comprising detecting the presence of foreign object debris on the object or the component based at least in part on the returned light.