Surface Part Detection

The Surface Part Detection tool identifies discrete objects in Surface data and then outputs them as Surface data. Surface measurements can then be performed on each object.

You can isolate and then measure parts using Surface Blob and Surface Segmentation tools (for more information on these tools, see Surface Blob and Surface Segmentation). For a comparison of part detection and these tools, see Isolating Parts from Surface Data.

For information on adding, managing, and removing tools, as well as detailed descriptions of settings common to most tools, see Tool Configuration.

Inputs

You configure the tool's inputs in the expandable Inputs section.

Inputs
Name	Description
Surface Input	The source of data for the tool.

Parameters

You configure the tool's parameters in the expandable Parameters section.

Parameters
Parameter	Description
Frame of Reference	Determines the coordinate reference for surface measurements. Sensor When Frame of Reference is set to Sensor, the sensor's frame of reference is used. Part When Frame of Reference is set to Part, all measurements are relative to the center of the bounding box of the part. For Bounding Box X and Y, the measurement values are always relative to the sensor frame of reference (see Surface Bounding Box).
Height Threshold	Determines the height threshold for part detection. The setting for Threshold Direction (see below) determines if parts should be detected above or below the value in Height Threshold. Above is typically used to prevent the belt surface from being detected as a part when scanning objects on a conveyor.
Threshold Direction	Determines if parts should be detected above or below the height threshold.
Gap Width Gap Length	Gap Width and Gap Length determine the minimum separation between objects on the X and the Y axis, respectively. If parts are closer than the gap interval, they will be merged into a single Surface output.
Pad Width Pad Length	These parameters are useful when processing part data with third-party software such as HexSight, Halcon, etc. Pad Width and Pad Length control the amount of additional scan data output in the X and Y directions, respectively. The padding can contain data points that were outside the height threshold and excluded from the initial part detection.
Min Area	Determines the minimum area for a detected part. Set this value to a reasonable minimum in order to filter out small objects or noise.
Max Length	Determines the maximum length of the part object. When the object exceeds the maximum length, it is automatically separated into two parts. This is useful to break a long object into multiple sections and perform measurements on each section.
Edge Filter	When Edge Filter is enabled, an Edge Filter expanding section is displayed that contains the settings described below. Part scans sometimes contain noise around the edges of the target. This noise is usually caused by the sensor’s light being reflected off almost vertical sides, rounded corners, etc. Edge filtering helps reduce edge noise in order to produce more accurate and repeatable volume and area measurements, as well as to improve positioning of relative measurement regions. (The following screenshots are from a G2 sensor.) Edge Filter disabled (scan shows reflection noise) Edge Filter enabled (reflection noise eliminated or reduced) Edge Filter enabled, Keep Interior enabled
External ID	The external ID of the tool that appears in GoHMI Designer. For more information, see GoHMI and GoHMI Designer.

Outputs

Most tools provide measurements, geometric features, or data as outputs.

Measurements
Measurement
Part Count The number of parts the engine detects.

Data
Type	Description
Part Count	The number of parts detected.
Part Surface	The Surface data of the detected part.