Optimization of the measurement path for the car body parts inspection

Abstract The most evident characteristics of body components used in automotive industries are two overall dimensions with much higher values compared to a third one, as well as the relatively uniform apportion of functional elements on the surface of the workpiece. During the inspection process, these characteristics determine the active measuring element to pass greater distances between the measuring areas, in comparison to the distances required for the effective measurement. Heuristic and approximate methods for measuring path optimization have the advantage of finding a solution making fewer operations, and the found solution differs from the optimal solution with no more than 2–3%. In the present paper, optimization algorithms based on the matrix relaxation method and nearest neighbor method were imagined and applied. These algorithms have served as a basis for developing a software. This software allows the optimization of the measurement path for car body parts which characterized by areas where the inspection is carried out, relatively uniformly apportioned over the surface of the workpiece.