DIGITAL MEASUREMENT OF SURFACE PROFILES BY AUTOMATED OPTICAL SECTIONING

A microprocessor-based electronic system has been designed to detect t he position of a black/white transition line viewed by a conventional closed circuit television monochrome camera. The system examines the v ideo signal for sharp changes in level, corresponding to sudden change s in brightness, and generates a digital output. The detection circuit ry works at video rates. The system has been used with the principle o f optical sectioning to profile a variety of surfaces, and some prelim inary results are presented.