Non-Contact, 3-D Measurement for Aircraft Surfaces

In an Air Logistics Center (ALC) environment, where modification and maintenance of fighter (and other) aircraft is performed, there exists an urgent need for the efficient and accurate verification of work performed. This is of utmost importance when work is performed on the airfoil or control surfaces. Current products and techniques using mechanical templates, triangulation, mechanical articulated linkage devices, or laser scanning suffer from being too slow, cumbersome, or can not meet the resolution requirements. Photon-X proposes a revolutionary new product, the Non-Contact, 3-D Measurement System, which can meet the ALC needs. Building on the successes from Phase I, this proven, passive system based on patent-pending technology performs high-resolution 3-D mapping of surfaces over a wide area. The output of the Non-Contact, 3-D Measurement System can be compared against CAD reference files and has a resolution sufficient to detect dents, deformations, etc., caused by deformations or processing operations. During Phase II, a complete prototype system will be designed, developed, tested, and delivered to the Air Force. Extensive tests are planned for the instrument at appropriate AF facilities. At the end of the Phase II effort, the state of development will be sufficient to begin immediate product commercialization.