Textures from stereo-based IR imaging for industrial tire inspection

A conceptual system to produce 3D thermal models of tires for tire inspection and defect characterization is proposed. The system uses registered range and thermal information to build highly detailed 3D models using either a volumetric or mech-based approach. To achieve this goal, two narrow bandpass filters are used in conjunction with two IR cameras to obtain the true temperature of the target body. The thermal information is then translated to texture data and mapped as an overlay onto a 3D model. The textures are realizable through the use of three-component texture maps that include rgb values to specify the texture coordinates in the plane. The objective is to generate a movie loop depicting a tire endurance test so that an operator may analyze potential tire defects through texture characteristics that appear as a thermal signature changing dynamically with time.