An intelligent sensor for machined parts inspection

Abstract

This paper reports on the development of a sensor for measuring the location of the centre of mass and the mass of a machined part. The sensor consists of six components: power supply, solenoid, sensor body, signal measurement and conditioning system, interface system and personal computer (PC). The measurement results show that the sensor can determine the location of the centre of mass and the mass of a machined part. Defective parts can be identified by comparing the measured values with those of a standard part. Simply identifying defective parts is often not sufficient for an inspection system. A fuzzy defect identification system is developed and added to the sensor. It can use the deviations in the measured location of the centre of mass and the mass of a defective part to suggest possible defects that caused such deviations. © IMechE 2000.