General Electric Company

Gerald J Lozinski

Roy T Toutant

The method of inspecting and determining the status of a hole in a surface of a part comprising placing a robot at a stationary position, said robot being controlled by a programmable controller and having a movable arm with a fiber optic scanner device capable of sensing a reflective surface. The part to be inspected is placed in a stationary fixture spaced from the robot and the robot arm with the fiber optic scanner device is moved to a point spaced from the part surface. The robot arm with the fiber optic scanner is incrementally moved closer to the part surface until light reflection is detected from the part surface by the fiber optic scanner. A signal is sent to the robot controller upon detecting light reflection from the part surface to stop further incremental movement of the robot arm and fiber optic scanner closer to the part. The robot arm with the fiber optic scanner is then moved in response to a signal from the robot controller parallel to the part surface to a predetermined position representing where the approximate hole location should be and determining by reflective value the presence or absence of the hole and sending a corresponding signal to the robot controller.

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Louisville, KY, United States of America

Gerald J Lozinski