System and method for extracting and measuring shapes of objects having curved surfaces with a vision system

A method for detecting features relative to curved surfaces from a 3D point cloud imaged by a 3D vision system camera assembly comprising:

• identifying a curved surface in 3D space and providing a reference model relative to the curved surface;
• flattening the curved surface into a flattened, planar shape in accordance with the reference model, wherein a portion of the curved surface is represented as a height image having values representative of distances of points on the curved surface from a central element of the reference model, wherein the curved surface comprises one or more regions that are monotonic with respect to an outward radial direction from the central element of the reference model;
• locating a feature on the planar shape represented in the height image by processing the planar shape produced from the flattening process with respect to the height image;
• mapping the located feature into the 3D space;
• and
• reporting the located feature relative to the curved surface.

A system for detecting object features within an industrial process, the process comprising:

• a 3D vision system camera including an image sensor and a field of view (FOV), and configured to acquire a 3D point cloud representative of an object within the FOV;
• and
• at least one processor in communication with the 3D vision camera and configured to:
• receive the 3D point cloud representative of the object;
• identify, from the 3D point cloud, a curved surface in 3D space;
• provide a reference model relative to the curved surface;
• flatten the curved surface, including a feature thereof, into a flattened, planar shape in accordance with the reference model, wherein a portion of the curved surface is represented as a height image having values representative of distances of points on the curved surface from a central element of the reference model, wherein the curved surface comprises one or more regions that are monotonic with respect to an outward radial direction from the central element of the reference model;
• locate the feature on the planar shape within the height image by processing the planar shape with respect to the height image;
• convert the located feature in to the 3D space;
• and
• output the located feature relative to the curved surface within the 3D space.