Intelligent assistance system with interactive visualization and digital documentation in networking with DICONDE environment

Manual inspection of industrial components and structures

In many cases, the inspection of safety-relevant industrial components and structures is performed manually. In this »hand-guided inspection procedures«, the quality of the inspection depends heavily on the personnel and the environmental conditions. The correct analysis of the measured values and the complete coverage of the test area require a high degree of personal expertise. In addition, there are significant challenges for companies in terms of test performance. Up to now, test reports have been handwritten and detected anomalies have been marked on the components themselves. A digital connection between the test object and the test results is not established.

Digital documentation and interactive inspection by »3D-SmartInspect«

The »3D-SmartInspect« technology developed at the Fraunhofer Institute for Nondestructive Testing IZFP, Saarbrücken, Germany, now provides a system for interactive assistance and digital documentation in manual inspection. The assistance system optically records the inspection process (e.g. eddy current method, 3D ultrasound), the tracking module tracks the movement of the inspection head and fueses inspection positions and measurement signals. Recorded measurement signals and volume data are evaluated AI-supported and fused with location coordinates for the live image. The registered fault indications are displayed on a control screen (notebook or tablet). Augmented reality (AR) also enables visualization with a HoloLens.

In the spirit of Industry 4.0, the results are finally transferred to DICONDE (Digital Imaging and Communication for Non-Destructive Evaluation) in the form of a digital component file. Such a supplement relieves the inspectors to a considerable extent. Time-consuming and error-prone preparatory work and manual documentation become redundant. Engineers can correctly record relevant data with intelligent assisting sensor systems and profitably use it in the digital product memory, in every product life phase. Through the DICONDE environment, the recorded data can be compared and analyzed with other NDT processes.

Areas of application for »3D-SmartInspect«

The assistance system is suitable for all application areas of manual inspection, including aerospace (safety-relevant components), energy plants (turbines, generators, high-pressure vessels, etc.) and large-scale equipment manufacturing.

Advantages

• 100 percent inspection: the system ensures that the inspection area is completely scanned and all detected defects (e.g. corrosion, cracks) are localized.
• Reduction of inspection time: The inspector's work is accelerated by the interactive visualization of areas already inspected and areas still to be inspected. Multiple scanning of an area is avoided.
• Digital inspection memory: Automatic documentation of inspection results as proof of correct inspection performance in accordance with quality assurance requirements.
• DICONDE interface: Transmission and storage of the evaluated material data as a digital component file (central data storage).
• Combination with collaborative robotics and additional sensors based on further inspection principles.