Marker-free identification of components for bearing rings

在转让项目“轴承套圈部件的无标记识别”中，应用合作伙伴舍弗勒推广了其在自动识别领域的活动。通过使用组件固有标记，可以节省激光标记等昂贵的标记，避免表面改变和损伤，并且可以使用人眼不可见的隐藏识别标记。通过使用这项技术，舍弗勒将能够识别单个轴承环，而无需额外的标记过程，并在连续的制造步骤中收集、记录和分析组件相关数据。此外，无标记组件识别将补充应用合作伙伴的工业4.0活动。为此，以前在莱布尼茨Universität汉诺威<s:1>信息技术研究所（TNT）开发的单个部件识别方法将被用于轴承套圈的生产。使用这种正在申请专利的方法，机加工部件表面部分的相机图像将被分配一个“指纹”，该指纹与相应的ID一起存储在数据库中。通过仿真、实验和演示的形式，成功地评估了这种“指纹”方法的功能。转移项目的目的是进一步发展和采用现有算法，全自动识别不同直径的单个轴承套圈，范围从10mm到240mm。在这里，地面正面充当信息的载体区。为了在生产过程中的预期应用，需要进行一些修改。首先，在每个过程步骤中对整个指纹区域进行完整扫描太耗时。相反，整个扫描只在流程链开始时执行一次。在连续读出和识别站，仅对环形的一小部分进行成像以进行匹配。其次，将开发一种可扩展的搜索和匹配算法，该算法可以在数据库中进行实时操作，即使是在几个10万或10万的高数据块上。然后，改进的图像处理算法将在生产研磨线的原型安装中实施。最后，将对系统的鲁棒性和批量生产就绪性进行评估。

In the transfer project „Marker-free identification of components for bearing rings, the application partner Schaeffler promotes its activities in the field of Auto-ID. By using a component-inherent marker, expensive markers such as laser marking can be saved, surface alterations and impairments can be avoided and a hidden identification marker invisible to the human eye can be employed. By using this technology, Schaeffler will be enabled to identify individual bearing rings without additional marking process and to gather, record and analyze component-related data in consecutive manufacturing steps. In addition, marker-free component identification will complement the Industry 4.0 activities of the application partner.To this end, a method for individual component identification previously developed at the Institut für Informationsverarbeitung (TNT) at Leibniz Universität Hannover will be adopted to the production of bearing rings. Using this patent-pending method, a camera image of a surface portion of machined component will be assigned a “fingerprint”, which is stored in a database along with the corresponding ID. The functionality of this “fingerprinting” method was successfully evaluated by simulation, experiments and in the form of a demonstrator.The purpose of the transfer project is the further development and the adoption of existing algorithms for fully-automatic identification of individual bearing rings of different diameters, ranging from 10mm to 240mm. Here, the ground front face acts information-carrier area. For the intended application within the production process several modifications are necessary. First, a complete scan of the entire fingerprinting area in every process step is too time-consuming. Instead, only once at the start of the process chain the entire scan will be performed. At the consecutive read-out and identification stations, only a small sector of the circular ring will be imaged to perform the matching. Second, a scalable search- and matching algorithm will be developed, which is able to operate in real-time even on database with high numbers of pieces of several 10.000 or 100.000. The improved image processing algorithms then will implemented in a prototype installation in a productive grinding line. Finally, the system will be evaluated with respect to robustness and mass-production readiness.