analySIS®

ACT
Automatic
Caliper
Tool
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 ACT

$XWRPDWLF&DOLEHU7RRO Introduction 2

ACT-ELEMENTS .......................................................................4
IMAGE SCANNER PROPERTIES ............................................6
Position ................................................................................7
Filter .....................................................................................9
Extrema .............................................................................10
Signal .................................................................................14
EDIT EVALUATOR TOOL .......................................................16
EDIT GEOMETRY ...................................................................19
MEASUREMENT PROPERTIES ............................................21
THE DATA SHEET ..................................................................22

Menu description 23

NEW SEQUENCE ...................................................................23

EDIT SEQUENCE… ...............................................................23
RUN SEQUENCE… ................................................................26
SAVE SEQUENCE… ..............................................................26
CLOSE SEQUENCE… ...........................................................27
EXECUTE CURRENT SEQUENCE ........................................27
MEASUREMENT WIZARD… ..................................................27
ADD SCANNER… ...................................................................27
ADD MEASUREMENT ............................................................27
ADD GEOMETRY ...................................................................28
ADD EVALUATOR ..................................................................28
DELETE SELECTION .............................................................28
DEFINE PATTERN IMAGE .....................................................28
DELETE PATTERN IMAGE ....................................................28
SET ORIGIN ............................................................................28
IMPORT MEASUREMENT… ..................................................29

How to ACT 30
EACT0802

Planning & Scanning ..........................................................30

Evaluating ...........................................................................34
Constructing........................................................................36
Measuring ...........................................................................38
Organizing ..........................................................................40
ACT • Introduction

Introduction
Use the module ACT to automatically find structures in an image, describe them by using geometric terms
and perform geometrical measurements on them.

About this manual

This manual consists of two distinct parts. Part I contains the general
description and explanation of ACT, as well as reference information on all
elements of the module. Part II takes you on a tour through ACT. Using an
example image, the procedure of setting up a measurement is shown in a
step-by-step guide. We recommend to go through the step-by-step guide
after installing ACT (see p. 23).

What is ACT
Definition The Automatic Caliper Tool is a software add-in for the analySIS® imaging
analysis software. Target application for ACT is the geometric evaluation of
reoccurring objects on multiple images. Measurements of distance, length,
angle and absolute position are possible. ACT lets you create a recipe to use
for the evaluation of objects contained in images. These recipes (called
Measurement Sequences) after being created and stored, can be run, so
that the objects on the image are automatically evaluated. The results are
written into output data sheets.

How ACT works

ACT performs a measurement sequence on an image. The measurement
sequence contains the steps of the measurement(s) to be performed, as
well as information on what structures to be searched for in the image and
the number of repetitions of such structures to be expected. The
measurement sequence is developed interactively and stored in a file. A
measurement sequence may be loaded and run interactively, as well as
incorporated in a macro.
Pattern recognition ACT searches for a given pattern image in the active image. If the pattern is
found (indicated by a high enough correlation value), the measurement
sequence starts.
Flank detection ACT uses line scans to search for flanks in the intensity profile. The image
scanners used for this step are highly configurable. Any number of image
scanners can be used for a measurement sequence, each individually
configured. A scanner extracts a point cloud, which is handed to the next
element.
Evaluation The point clouds are further processed by evaluators, which extract
geometric objects (points or vectors). Any evaluator works on one image
scanner, but each image scanner can be used by multiple evaluators.
Construction Points and vectors delivered by the evaluators are used as elements of
geometric construction. A host of geometric functions allows sophisticated
constructions which are no more dependent on the raw image data. The
results of the construction steps are still geometric objects, points and
vectors.
Measurement Finally, geometric properties of these objects are measured and written to a
data sheet.
2
 Description of the workflow

Assumptions ‡ ACT needs a monochrome image as input.

‡ For measuring real-world values, the image has to be calibrated.
‡ ACT searches for flanks in horizontal and vertical intensity profiles and
uses them as indicators for edges. These edges are interpreted as
building the structure of geometrical entities.
‡ ACT assumes the orientation of those edges to be similar in each
image.

Description of the workflow

The program window with an image document and one measurement performed on this image. The nearly vertical
line on the right hand side is a regression line through the centers of gravity of the two point clouds describing the
edges of the bright objects. The nearly horizontal line in the center connects the center of gravity of the point cloud
describing the edge of the left object to this regression line. The length of this line is the distance from the center of
gravity to the regression line.

The first and most important step in working with ACT is the development of
the measuring sequence for a specific task. This involves both planning and
optimizing the measurement.

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ACT • ACT-elements

Planning a measurement
Several steps have to be performed for a measurement, from the detection
of edges in the image to the final output of the measured value. Planning a
measurement means to construct the desired output using geometric tools.
Measurement The final result of any single measurement performed with ACT is a scalar
value, representing a geometric entity. The possible entities are x- and y-
coordinates of points, distances between points, lengths of vectors or their
length difference, and the angles between vectors. Several such
measurements can be combined in a measurement sequence.
Geometry The points and vectors, whose properties are to be measured, can be
constructed using a many various geometric functions. The functions are
either derived from point clouds handed to them by evaluators or
constructed using other such functions. Thus, even very involved
measurements can be defined.
Evaluator The input for the geometrical functions is provided for by so called
evaluators. An evaluator prepares a point cloud delivered by a scanner for
further processing. The output of an evaluator can be, for example, a
regression line through the point cloud, its center of gravity or coordinates of
its extrema.
Image Scanner Starting point is the result of the scanners. Scanners analyze a rectangular
area of the image by making line scans on it. Based on the intensity profile
detected, the scanner tries to pick one point which fulfills the criteria set in
its definition. This is repeated for each scan line within the rectangular area,
resulting in a point cloud.

Constructing and optimizing the measurement

The input to be used by all other steps in ACT are the results of the
scanners. Therefore, the definition and optimization of the scanners is
extremely important for good measurement results. Expect to return
frequently to the scanner level.
The remaining steps of the project, i.e. definition of evaluators, construction
of geometries and designation of measurements, have probably already
been performed during the planning stage. To formulate these steps for ACT
is a simple process.

ACT-elements
All ACT-elements, image scanners, evaluators, geometries, and
measurements, which together provide the results, can be edited
individually. Select Properties… from an element’s context menu in the Edit
Measurement Sequence dialog box to open the appropriate dialog box.

Structure of a measurement sequence

The structure of a measurement sequence is displayed using a tree view.
The tree view is part of the Edit Measurement Sequence dialog box. For
each element of the sequence, all elements situated below it are ’visible’ and
may be referred to. Additionally, a geometry is available to other geometries
as well.
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4
 Point of origin and coordinate system

Select an element to manipulate it. Drag

and drop it to create a copy of the element
at any suitable place.
Select Properties… from an element’s
context menu to open a dialog box to edit
the element.
Image scanners are defined seperately.
The tree view of the measurement
sequence contains links to the scanners.
The following sections describe the dialog
boxes used to edit the elements.

Point of origin and coordinate system

The point of origin used for measurements is:
‡ the upper left corner of the image, if no pattern image is defined
‡ the upper left corner of the pattern image.
The point of origin is shown as a small red point in the overlay of the image.
The x-axis runs to the right, the y-axis to the bottom of the image.
The picture shows an image
with a pattern (black
rectangle). The detail shows
the point of origin and the
orientation of the axes

Use of the point of origin The positions of the image scanners and the measured coordinates of
points use the coordinate system.
Definition of a pattern When a pattern image is defined, all coordinates are transformed to the new
image system. This means that the scanner positions relative to the image remain
the same. The values of measured coordinates are transformed as well.
Set Origin Use the ACT > Set Origin command to move the origin to another point in
the image. The scanner positions within the coordinate system remain
constant. This means that the scanners move relative to the image.
The consequences for measured coordinates depend on the situation. The
scanners now work on other areas of the image, which leads to other point
clouds. The point clouds may dramatically change in this situation, which
influences all elements of the measurement sequence.

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5
ACT • ACT-elements

Image Scanner Properties

Image scanners are the most basic tools of a measurement sequence.

Image scanners extract the information from the image which is used in all
subsequent steps. Therefore, the quality and reliability of any measurement
performed with ACT depends on the quality and reliability of the image
scanners.
An image scanner scans a specific, rectangular area of the image in one of
four directions: horizontal from left to right or vice versa, or vertical from top
to bottom or vice versa. Each line of pixels in this area is scanned
seperately. The scanner searches for one point in each line. These points
form the result of the scanner, a point cloud, which is used as input for one
or more evaluators.
The image scanner searches for flanks in the profile. A flank is a section of
the profile where the pixel values become consecutively higher (Flank 1) or
lower (Flank 2). Preprocessing applied to the signal, the method of flank
detection and evaluation, and the positioning of the flank on the profile are
all parameters of an image scanner and described in this section.
The Image Scanner Properties dialog box has four tabs.

Common elements
Some elements are available on all tabs of the Image Scanner Properties
dialog box.
Ovl. Color… Click on the Ovl. Color… button to set the color for the scan results to be
displayed in.
Execute Click on the Execute button to perform the image scan with the current
configuration.
Set Default… Click on the Set Default… button to set the parameters of this scanner as
default for this measurement sequence. Any new scanner created for this
sequence uses these as default values.

6
 Position

Position
The Position tab controls position and orientation of the scan as well as general behavior.

Search Direction Select the orientation of the scan in the Search Direction group.
From Left Select the option From Left to scan along rows of pixels from left to right.
From Right Select the option From Right to scan along rows of pixels from right to left.
From Top Select the option From Top to scan along columns of pixels from top to
bottom.
From Bottom Select the option From Bottom to scan along columns of pixels from bottom
to top.
Position Set the position and size of the scan area in the Position group manually or
interactively by clicking the Position button.
The scan area is a rectangular area of the image with size and position
defined by the user.
Setting the scan area Click on the Position button to set the scan area interactively. The cursor
interactively changes to a double arrow with an attached rectangle and jumps into the
image. The rectangle shows the current scan area. Move the mouse to
change the position of the scan area. Move the mouse with the left key
depressed to change the size of the scan area. Rightclick to fix the scan
area. The resulting positions of the upper left and lower right corners of the
scan area are written to the coordinate fields of the Position group.
Setting the scan area Enter the desired coordinates of the upper left and lower right points of the
manually scan area into the coordinate fields of the position group. Click on the arrow
buttons for another method to change the coordinate values. Note that the

7
ACT • ACT-elements

coordinate values for any point are restrained by the values of the other point
(e.g. the X coordinate of the upper left point can be no higher than that of the
lower right point).
Display options Define the way the scanner is displayed in the Display options group.
Show line scan # times Enter the number of times the scan line is displayed on the screen in the
Show line scan # times field. This number can be any whole number from 0
to 100. Note that large numbers slow down the image scanner.
Show scan area Mark the Show scan area check box to display the scan area.
Note All output from image scanners, evaluators, geometries, and measurements
is written into the data layer of the overlay of the image. Single elements of
the overlay can be erased later on, but it is more convenient to clear the
Show scan area check box to avoid unnecessary clutter on screen.
Show line scan Mark the Show line scan check box to display the profile of the last line scan.
Manual line scan You can make a line scan manually with the Manual line scan group.
Orientation Select the orientation of the manual scan from the Orientation picklist.
Possible values are Horizontal, Vertical, and Arbitrary.
Profile Click on the Profile button to set the position of the manual line scan.
If the Orientation is Horizontal or Vertical, the cursor jumps into the image
and is attached to a horizontal or vertical line. Move the mouse to change
the position of the line. Leftclick to fix the line and start the scan. The scan
line is shown in red, the base line (i.e. the position of intensity = 0) in blue.
Leftclick again to do another scan. Rightclick to stop the manual scans and
return to the Image Scanner Properties dialog box.

The result of a manual line scan is shown in the image’s overlay.

The bright line shows the position of the scan, while the dark one shows Intensity = 0.

If the Orientation is Arbitrary, the cursor jumps into the image. Leftclick on
the start point of the manual line scan. Leftclick again on the end point of the
manual line scan. The result of the line scan is displayed above the scan
line.

8
 Filter

Filter
The Filter tab is used to preprocess the scans before searching for flanks.

Scanline Choose the processing done before the edge detection function tries to find
Preprocessing the flank in the Scanline Preprocessing group. Averaging will use
neighboring lines to average spikes out; this operation is done first. The
profile can then be left 'Original' meaning untreated, noise filtered, or
derivated (first or second) and noise filtered. The smoothing operation will
be applied last to the data; a mean envelope filter of the specified length will
be used for the scan line.
Despike Mark the Despike check box to remove small spikes from the profile.
Note The Despike check box is usually disabled. It is only available by clicking on
the Options… button of the Edit Evaluator Tool dialog box. Refer to the
section Edit Evaluator Tool for a description of this feature.
Averaging # lines Set the number of lines to be averaged in the Averaging # lines field. If
averaging over more than 1 line, the appropriate average value is taken
instead of the real pixel value on the scan line. When using averaging, the
border lines of the scan area will not be scanned. The values in the
Averaging # lines field may run from one (no averaging) to the total number
of lines in the scan area.
Profile Select the profile to be used for evaluation from the Profile picklist.
Original Select Original to use the raw data.

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ACT • ACT-elements

Noise filtered Select Noise filtered to have a Savitzky-Golay filter applied to the profile.
This method removes small peaks while leaving larger ones largely
unchanged.
Noise filtered and first Select Noise filtered and first derivative to use the first derivative of the noise
derivative filtered curve.
Noise filtered and Select Noise filtered and second derivative to use the second derivative of
second derivative the noise filtered curve.
Smoothing # Pixel Enter the number of pixels to be used for smoothing in the Smoothing # Pixel
field. If smoothing over more than 1 pixel, the appropriate average value
along the scanline is taken instead of the real pixel value. The values in the
Smoothing # Pixel field may run from 1 (no smoothing) to the total number
of pixels along the scan line.

Extrema
Use the Extrema tab to control flank detection and evaluation.

From the profiles delivered by the line scans, ACT extracts peaks and
flanks. This section details the terminology and methods used.

Peaks and Flanks

Visually, a peak looks like
this.

Flank The curve segment between EdgeL and ExtL is called the left flank of the
peak and the curve segment between ExtR and EdgeR is called the right
flank of the peak. Evidently the amplitudes decrease (increase) on the left
flank of the peak and increase (decrease) on its right flank for a min-peak
(max-peak).
Any peak is detected by moving from the current X-position to the right until
the peak defining conditions are fulfilled. These conditions depend on the
current method of peak detection which must be specified in the Flank
Detection group of the Extrema tab of the Image Scanner Properties dialog
box.

10
 Extrema

To analyze a flank and extract the resulting point, ACT first searches for
extrema in the profile. After an extremum has been found which fulfills the
criteria set in the Flank detection group, the flank is constructed starting from
this point. The method used in this step is selected in the Flank evaluation
group. Finally, a point from this flank is selected regarding the Position along
flank parameter.
Flank detection Select a method for flank detection in the Flank detection group.
Largest flank Select the option Largest flank to search for the flank leading to the highest
point (for a maximum peak) or the lowest point (for a minimum peak) of the
profile.
Flank is higher or lower The threshold-method works with a user defined upper and lower cut line
than threshold (threshold) and interprets curve segments above the upper cut line as
maximum-peaks and curve segments below the lower cut line as minimum-
peaks.
Using the threshold-method, you usually find two different extremes ExtL
and ExtR.

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ACT • ACT-elements

Flank is larger than a This method searches for peaks with flanks having a height greater than a
specified range user defined value. Thus it is a flank specific method. Because only the
height of the flanks are of interest but not the amplitudes at ExtL and ExtR,
the amplitude at ExtR might be lower than that at EdgeL.
First a left flank [EdgeL, ExtL] is searched, with a height greater than a user-
defined minimum height for the left flank. Then a right flank [ExtR, EdgeR]
is searched with a height greater than a user-defined minimum height for the
right flank and the peak is detected.

The minimum height for the flanks has to be specified as the percentage of
the difference between absolute minimum and maximum amplitude. 100%
is the height difference between the absolute maximum and absolute
minimum amplitude. A prudent adjustment of the critical height values is
particularly important because every single line scan usually finds different
flank heights. Therefore, the proper critical height must be smaller than the
minimum height of the flanks in all rows but still large enough, so that the
system does not run into problems with the background.
Flank evaluation Select a method to construct the flank starting from the extremum in the
Flank evaluation group.

12
 Extrema

Regression line The Regression line method fits a straight line to the flank [Ext*-Edge*].
through flank Additionally, the average background signal outside the peak is calculated.
This average also reflects the local background intensity for the peak. The
intersection point of the regression line with the line parallel to the X-axis
through the background level is calculated. Also the intersection point of the
regression line with a line parallel to the X-axis through the amplitude at Ext*
is calculated. The intersection Edge' with the background is taken as the
100% value, and the intersection Ext' with the maximum line corresponds to
0%. If t is the user defined threshold value, the point on the regression line
between Ext' and Edge' is computed where the amplitude has increased or
decreased by t%.

Curvature analysis The Curvature analysis method moves along the flank of the peak from Ext*
to Edge* and searches for the X-position, where the flank is the steepest.
This is usually also the point of inflection, where the flank goes from a
negative curvature to a positive curvature (or vice versa). Then the distance
between the starting point Ext* and the inflection point is doubled and the X-
coordinate p of that point is calculated. The slope method now shifts the
location of the real border from Ext* to p until the amplitude has increased
or decreased by more than t% where t is the selected threshold. Ext*
corresponds to 0%, but 100% corresponds to the intensity at p.

Position along flank Enter the position of the resulting point on the flank in the Position along
flank field. Position along flank is a relative value, given in percent. Note that
the flank is viewed from the extremum, thus 0% is the extremum, 100% is at
the edge of the flank.

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ACT • ACT-elements

Signal
The Signal tab is used to describe the structure of the profile, especially if the wanted flank is not the first
flank in the profile.

In order to pick a specific flank from a profile with multiple flanks or to spot a
falling flank instead of a rising one, the Signal tab offers a simple method to
describe the structure of the profile.
Profile description Set the number of extrema in the profile and their sequence in the Profile
description group.
Number of extrema in Enter the number of extrema to be expected in the profile in the Number of
profile extrema in profile group. The minimum number is 1, the maximum 13.
Peak type sequence The peak type sequence (i.e. the order of maximum and minimum peaks)
can be described using the Peak type sequence check boxes. The number
of active check boxes is equal to the Number of extrema in profile. Mark a
check box to designate the corresponding peak as maximum; a cleared
check box means a minimum peak.
Tip The term ’peak’ refers to peaks as defined on the Extrema tab of the Image
Scanner Properties dialog box. If a threshold or range is set for flank
detection, there may be extrema visible in the line scan which do not fulfill
the criteria for extrema and are not treated as such.
First flank incomplete Mark the First flank incomplete check box to indicate that the line scan starts
already on the flank of the first extremum.
Last flank incomplete Mark the Last flank incomplete check box to indicate that the line scan ends
on the flank of the last extremum.
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14
 Signal

Search for extrema Enter the number of the extremum searched in the Search extrema number
number field. The minimum number is 1, the maximum is equal to the Number of
extrema in profile. If this number is N, the first N-1 extrema are disregarded.
Find Select to search for rising or falling flanks in the Find group.
Flank 1 Select the option Flank 1 to search for the first flank of the extremum. This
is the rising flank of a maximum or the falling flank of a minimum
Flank 2 Select the option Flank 2 to search for the second flank of the extremum.
This is the falling flank of a maximum or the rising flank of a minimum.
The diagram at the bottom
of the dialog box
schematically shows the
profile. The white section of
the graph is the extremum,
which will be analyzed and
yield the point for this scan
line. The numbers
correspond to the Peak
type sequence check
boxes. The small peak
between 4 and 5 does not
count as an extremum.
This would be due to the
criteria set for extrema.
1 3 6

4 5

15
ACT • Edit Evaluator Tool

Edit Evaluator Tool

Evaluators analyze the point clouds delivered by the scanners. They act as interface between the data
extracted from the image and the geometric constructions which follow.

While scanners work on the image’s pixels, evaluators have only the points
found by the scanners to work with.

Evaluation method Select a method of evaluation from the Evaluation method list. The following
table describes the entries of this list.
Evaluation method Description
Regression line A straight line is fitted through the point cloud.
Refer to the section Regression line.
Center of gravity Center of gravity of the point cloud
Minimum X coordinate
Maximum X coordinate
Extreme coordinate found in the point cloud
Minimum Y coordinate
Maximum Y coordinate
Point with max distance from
regression line (nose)
Hill See below for an explanation of these
Valley evalutation methods.
Point cloud The point cloud is passed through to the
geometry
Hill/Valley The evaluation methods Hill and Valley perform a more advanced analysis
of the point cloud. First, the evaluator creates a profile through all points of
the cloud. This profile describes the border of the scanned structure. ACT
searches for a maximum peak (Hill) or minimum peak (Valley) in this profile.
The result is the length of the vector connecting the two points of the flank
which were determined.

16
 Edit Evaluator Tool

A demonstration of the
evaluation method Valley.
The top picture shows the
scanner used and the
resulting point cloud.
The middle picture shows a
section of the profile
constructed from the point
cloud. The width of the
scanner area is scaled to
use the whole width of the
image. The two vertical lines
show the points on the
flanks as detected from the
algorithm. Methods and
parameters used for flank
detection can be modified
using the Options…
command of the Evaluator
Tool dialog box.
The bottommost image
shows the result of this
evaluation. The output is the
vector running from one
flank of the structure to the
other.

Image Scanners Select an image scanner from the Image Scanners list. Each evaluator
works on exactly one image scanner. The Image Scanners list shows all
available (i.e. defined) scanners.
Add Click on the Add button to define an additional image scanner. The Image
Scanner Properties dialog box for the new scanner is opened.
Copy Click on the Copy button to create a copy of the currently selected image
scanner.
Edit Click on the Edit button to open the Image Scanner Properties dialog box for
the selected scanner.
Ovl. Color Click on the Ovl. Color button to change the color the output of the evaluator
is displayed in.
Execute Click on the Execute button to have the evaluator be executed with the
current parameters. The result is written into the image overlay. The
Execute button is not active for the evaluation method Point cloud.

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17
ACT • Edit Evaluator Tool

Options… Click on the Options… button to open the Image Scanner Properties dialog
box. Which tabs of the Image Scanner Properties dialog box are available,
depends on the evaluation method selected.
Point cloud For the evaluation method point cloud, the Options… button is disabled.
Regression line, Center For the evaluation methods Regression line, Center of gravity, and Point
of gravity, Point with max with max distance from regression line (nose), the Filter tab of the Image
distance from regression Scanner Properties dialog box is opened. Besides the usual elements, the
line (nose) Despike check box is enabled.
Despike Mark the Despike check box to remove small spikes from the profile.
Pixel window length Enter the length of the pixel window used for despiking in the Pixel window
length field.
The application calculates the mean value within the pixel window. Any point
within the pixel window, which deviates more than one standard deviation
from this mean value, is disregarded.
Hill, Valley For the evaluation methods Hill and Valley, the Extrema tab of the Image
Scanner Properties dialog box is provided as well. Refer to the section
Image Scanner Properties for a description of this tab.
Regression line For the evaluation methods Regression line and Point with max distance
from regression line (nose) the Regression line group is active.
Sigma filter Mark the check box Sigma filter to apply a sigma filter to the point cloud
when calculating the regression line.
X Enter the number of allowed number of standard deviations for points to
pass the sigma filter in the X field. The number can be from 0.1 to 2.0.

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Extrema 10
18
 Edit Geometry

Edit Geometry
A geometry translates the output of an evaluator into a geometric entity passed on to the measurement.

While evaluators generate their output based on one point cloud delivered
by one scanner, geometries can handle more than one input value. Apart
from that, the result of a geometry can be used as input by another
geometry. Using this principle, measurements based on geometric
constructs apart from the edges of the underlying image are possible.

19
ACT • Edit Geometry

Geometric Function Select the geometric function from the Geometric function list. The following
table gives an overview of the available functions and their input values.
Geometric function Result type Input parameters
Vertical offset between points DV PV, PV
Horizontal offset between points DV PV, PV
Intersection of lines PV DV, DV
Identity PV or DV PV or DV
Line-point distance DV DV, PV
Point-point distance DV PV, PV
Center of gravity in underlying point clouds PV PV … (point clouds)
Center of gravity PV PV … or DV …
Numerical input — —
Regression line DV PV … or DV …
Circle radius DV PV …
Circle through underlying point clouds DV PV … (point clouds)
(radius)
Shift point or vector PV or DV PV or DV
Nose in underlying point clouds PV PV … (point clouds)
Regression line through underlying point DV PV … (point clouds)
clouds
Vector’s start point (green) PV DV
Vector’s end point (red) PV DV
Long ellipsis half axis DV PV … (point clouds)
Short ellipsis half axis DV PV … (point clouds)
PV means a Position Vector or point, DV is a difference vector or vector between two points. (point clouds) refers to
underlying point clouds, which are directly used by the geometry. Ellipsis (…) means that you may select any number
of the input parameters offered.

Offset between points The offset between points is the difference of their respective coordinate
value.
Identity The geometric function Identity transfers the input of the geometry to the
measurement this geometry originates from.
Function argument Select the arguments for the geometric function from the Function argument
group. A list is displayed for each necessary sort of parameter. If the number
of arguments does not conform with the geometric function, an error
message is displayed when clicking on the OK or Execute buttons.
Available function arguments are all evaluators residing under a geometry
as well as all other geometries of the same measurement. Excluded are only
geometries which refer themselves to the geometry to be defined.
Ovl. Color Click on the Ovl. Color button to change the color the output of the geometry
is displayed in.
Execute Click on the Execute button to execute the geometric function with the
current arguments.

20
 Measurement Properties

Measurement Properties
The measurements finally extracts a measured value and writes it to a data sheet.

A measurement analyzes one or more geometries and extracts a geometric

value. This value, the coordinate of a point, the length of a vector, or the
angle between vectors, is written to a data sheet which collects all
measurements of a sequence.
The measurement calculates a number (scalar) from one or two vectors.
The arguments for the measurement are geometries. For each
measurement there is an expectant value and upper and lower tolerance
limits. If the result of the measurement lies inside the limits, the value is
printed into the sheet in green, otherwise in red.

Scalar function Select a measurement function from the Scalar function list. This is the
actual measurement performed. The available functions are listed in the
following table:
Measurement function Input parameters
X coordinate of point PV
Y coordinate of point PV
Difference angle of two vectors DV, DV
Distance between two points PV, PV
Length of vector DV
Length difference DV, DV
All Input Parameters of the measurement functions are either Point Vectors (PV) or Distance Vectors (DV)

Function arguments Select the geometry or geometries to be measured from the Function
arguments list.
Expectance Set the expectance and tolerance values of the measurement in the
Expectance group.
Expectance value Set the expected value of the measurement in the Expectance value field.

21
ACT • The Data Sheet

Tolerance up/down Set the highest and lowest value tolerated in the Tolerance up and
Tolerance down fields. Any result within the tolerances is written in green to
the data sheet, any value outside the tolerances is written in red.
Unit scale Select a scale from the Unit scale picklist. This scale is used for the output.
180° minus x Mark the 180° minus x check box to subtract the measured value from 180°.
This check box is only available if the scalar function Difference angle of two
vectors has been selected.
Ovl. Color Click on the Ovl. Color button to change the color the output of the
measurement is displayed in.
Execute Click on the Execute button to execute the measurement function with the
current arguments.
Set Expectant Click on the Set Expectant button to execute the measurement and set the
Expectance value to the result. The upper and lower tolerance values are
set to about 5% above and below the Expectant value. Expectant and
tolerance values can still be modified.

The Data Sheet

The final results of a measurement sequence are written to a data sheet.

The data sheet is opened as soon as a measurement is performed. It is

given the name of the measurement sequence.

For each measurement of the current measurement sequence one column

is used. The column header gives the name of the measurement. Under the
name, the measured value (X/Y coordinate, angle, length) and its unit is
given. The measurement results begin in row 2 of the data sheet. Each
single measurement is appended to its own column. If the measurement
sequence is executed after any of its measurements has been performed,
the results are written into different rows of the data sheet. Close the data
sheet before executing the whole sequence to avoid problems.

22
 Menu description

Menu description
After installing ACT, the new menu ACT is added to the menu bar of the
application.

How to If your current configuration doesn’t show the ACT menu, proceed as
follows:
 Select the Special > Add-In Manager....command.
" The Add-In Manager dialog box opens.
 Mark the check box in front of the Automatic Caliper Tool ACT entry in
the Available add-ins list.
 Click on the Close button.
 Close and restart the application.

New Sequence
Use the New Sequence command to create a new measurement sequence.

Select the New Sequence command to open the Edit Measurement

Sequence dialog box as well as the Image Scanner Properties dialog box.
The new sequence contains the elements Scanner1, Evaluator: 1,
Geometry: 1, and Measure: 1.
Edit Measurement The Edit Measurement Sequence dialog box is described in the section Edit
Sequence Sequence….
Image Scanner The Image Scanner Properties dialog box is described in the section Image
Properties Scanner Properties.

Edit Sequence…
Select the Edit Sequence command to load a measurement sequence from disk and modify it.

A measurement sequence consists of image scanners, evaluators,

geometries, and measurements, which are managed by a tree control.
Additional information concerning the procedure of the measurement, like a
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Edit Sequence… 23
Image Scanner Properties 6

23
ACT • Edit Sequence…

pattern image and the expected number of objects to be measured is

likewise part of the sequence. A measurement sequence can be stored to
disk to save it for future use and editing at any time.
Select the Edit Sequence… command to open the Edit Measurement
Sequence dialog box.

Save the Cur- Click on the Save the Current Sequence button to save the current
rent Sequence sequence to disk.
A standard I/O dialog box is opened. The filename extension for a
measurement sequence is .dat. The saved file contains all elements and
parameters as well as the pattern image.
Add New Click on the Add New Measurement button to create a new measurement.
Measurement The new measurement is appended to the list of already defined
measurements. The name ’Measure: #’ is proposed, where ’#’ is a running
number for this sequence.
Add New Click on the Add New Geometry button to add a new geometry. The new
Geometry geometry is added to the selected measurement. If any other element
(geometry, evaluator or scanner) of a measurement is selected, the new
geometry is added to the appropriate geometry
Add New Click on the Add New Evaluator button to add a new evaluator. The
Evaluator evaluator is added to the selected geometry. If an evaluator is selected, the
new evaluator is added to the same geometry. If a measurement is selected,
a new geometry and a new evaluator are created.
Add New Click on the Add New Scanner and Edit Settings button to create a new
Scanner and image scanner. The image scanner is added to the Scanner list; it has no
Edit Settings connection to other elements of the measurement sequence. When clicking
on this button, the Image Scanner Properties dialog box is opened.
Delete the Click on the Delete Selected Object button to delete the selected element.
Selected Elements can also be deleted by the Delete command in their context menu.
Object When deleting an element from a measurement sequence, all elements

24
 Edit Sequence…

below the selected element except scanners are deleted as well. Image
scanners can only be deleted by specifically selecting and deleting them in
the Scanner list.
Execute the Click on the Execute the Current Sequence button to execute the
Current measurement sequence with the current parameters. If a data sheet with the
Sequence name of the measurement sequence is already open, the results are written
to this sheet. Otherwise, a new sheet with the name of the sequence is
created.
Start the Click on the Start the Measurement Wizard button to start the Measurement
Measurement Wizard. The Measurement Wizard is described in the section Measurement
Wizard Wizard.
Measurement Click on the Measurement Sequence Properties button to open the
Sequence Measurement Sequence Properties dialog box. The properties of a
Properties measurement sequence control the actions performed for the sequence on
the real image.

Measurement Sequence Properties

Pattern Image The current pattern image is shown in the Pattern Image group. Click on the
Define Pattern Image button in the Edit Measurement Sequence dialog box
or select the Define Pattern Image… command to select a new pattern
image.
Comment… Click on the Comment… button to enter an arbitrary comment to the
measurement sequence. The Measurement Sequence Comment dialog
box is opened. It is not possible to format text in the Measurement Sequence
Comment dialog box.
Store Scanner Defaults Click on the Store Scanner Defaults button to save the default values of the
image scanners of the current measurement sequence as global default
values used in all measurement sequences.

25
ACT • Run Sequence…

Run Pat. Recognition Click on the Run Pat. Recognition button to start the pattern recognition on
the active image.
Correlation Threshold Enter a value in the Correlation Threshold field to set the correlation
threshold used for pattern recognition. Possible values run from 0 to 1. The
higher the correlation threshold, the better the pattern image and the
selected image area have to conform to each other. Note that the
measurement fails when no area with high enough correlation factor is found
in the image.
Object count Enter the number of expected objects in the image in the Object count field.
Any whole number from 1 to 50 is possible. Object count is the number of
instances, the measurement sequence is performed on one image. After
running the pattern recognition, ACT selects the objects with the best
correlation factors for measurement, as long as their correlation factors are
equal to or higher than the correlation threshold.
Correlation Zoom Enter a zoom factor for pattern recognition in the Correlation Zoom field.
This number is the relative zoom factor applied to pattern image and image
before starting the pattern recognition. The number runs from 0.1 to 1.0 in
0.05 steps. The lower the correlation zoom, the faster the pattern recognition
will run, even with inaccuracies due to loss of details.
Define Pattern Click on the Define Pattern Image button to select an image area as pattern
Image image for the measurement sequence. The cursor jumps into the image and
gets attached to a rectangle. Move the mouse to change the position of the
rectangle. Move the mouse with the left key depressed to change the size
of the rectangle. Rightclick to fix size and position of the pattern image.
The pattern image is stored with the measurement sequence.

Run Sequence…
The Run Sequence… command is used to execute a measurement sequence as stored on disk.

Select the Run Sequence… command to run a measurement sequence on

the active image. A standard I/O dialog box is opened. Select the
appropriate AutoCal file and confirm with Open. The measurement
sequence is loaded and the pattern recognition starts.
Pattern image not found If no image area fullfilling the conditions set in the Measurement Sequence
Properties dialog box is found, you are offered to change the correlation
parameters. Click OK to open the Measurement Sequence Properties dialog
box. If you do not change the correlation parameters, the measurement
sequence stops.
Pattern image found If an area of the image fulfills the conditions set in the Measurement
Sequence Properties dialog box, the measurement starts. The elements of
the measurement sequence are displayed in the image overlay. If an open
data sheet with the name of the measurement sequence exists, the
measurement results are appended. If no appropriate data sheet exists, a
new one is opened, to which the results are written.

Save Sequence…
Select the Save Sequence… command to save the active measurement
sequence to disk.
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Measurement Properties 21
26
 Close Sequence…

A standard I/O dialog box is opened. The filename extension for a

measurement sequence is .dat. The saved file contains all elements and
parameters as well as the pattern image.

Close Sequence…
Select the Close Sequence… command to close the active measurement
sequence. You will be asked wether you want to save the sequence before
closing it.

Execute Current Sequence

Select the Execute Current Sequence command to execute the
measurement sequence with the current parameters. If a data sheet with the
name of the measurement sequence is already open, the results are written
to this sheet. Otherwise, a new sheet with the name of the sequence is
created.

Measurement Wizard…
The Measurement Wizard provides you with step-by-step help to create a new measurement.

Available The Measurement Wizard… command is only available if there is an active

measurement sequence. Select the Edit Sequence… or New Sequence…
command to load or create an active sequence.
The Measurement Wizard is an interface used to set up a new measurement
within an existing measurement sequence.
Instructions for the use of the wizard are given in each dialog box. The
wizard opens dialog boxes, which are described in full in the previous
sections.

Add Scanner…
Select the Add Scanner… command to create a new image scanner to be
added to the Scanner list; it has no connection to other elements of the
measurement sequence. When clicking on this button, the Image Scanner
Properties dialog box is opened.

Add Measurement
Select the Add Measurement command to create a new measurement to be
appended to the list of already defined measurements. The name ’Measure:
#’ is proposed, where ’#’ is a running number for this sequence.

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Edit Sequence… 23
New Sequence 23
Image Scanner Properties 6
Measurement Properties 21

27
ACT • Add Geometry

Add Geometry
Select the Add Geometry command to add a new geometry to be appended
to the selected measurement. If any other element (geometry, evaluator or
scanner) of a measurement is selected, the new geometry added to the
appropriate geometry

Add Evaluator
Select the Add Evaluator command to add a new evaluator. to be added to
the selected geometry. If an evaluator is selected, the new evaluator is
added to the same geometry. If a measurement is selected, a new geometry
and a new evaluator are created.

Delete Selection
Select the Delete Selection command to delete the selected element.
Elements can also be deleted by the Delete command in their context menu.
When deleting an element from a measurement sequence, all elements
below the selected element except scanners are deleted as well. Image
scanners can only be deleted by selecting them in the Scanner list.

Define Pattern Image

Select the Define Pattern Image command to select an image area as
pattern image for the measurement sequence. The cursor jumps into the
image and gets attached to a rectangle. Move the mouse to change the
position of the rectangle. Move the mouse with the left key depressed to
change the size of the rectangle. Rightclick to fix size and position of the
pattern image.
The pattern image is stored with the measurement sequence.

Delete Pattern Image

Select the Delete Pattern Image command to delete the current pattern
image from the measurement sequence. The point of origin of the
coordinate system is reset to the upper left corner of the image. You can
define a new pattern image without deleting the old one.

Set Origin
Select the Set Origin command to define the origin of the coordinate system
used for the measurement sequence. The cursor jumps into the image to the
current point of origin. Move the mouse to change the position of the point
of origin.
Hint Note that all elements of the measurement sequence are defined relative to
the point of origin. Accordingly all elements are moved as well.

Click to set the point of origin to the current position of the cursor.

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Edit Geometry 19
Edit Evaluator Tool 16
28
 Import Measurement…

Import Measurement…
Use the Import Measurement… command to import a single measurement complete with all its
geometries, evaluators, and scanners into the current measurement.

Select the Import Measurement… command to open a standard I/O dialog

box. Select the measurement sequence to import a measurement from and
confirm with Open. The Import Measurement dialog box is opened, showing
the complete measurement sequence loaded.

Doubleclick on a measurement to copy it to the current sequence. The

imported measurement is added to the list of existing measurements. All
elements of the copied measurement are copied as well. The elements
retain their names with the exception of scanners. The name of imported
scanners is preceeded by the prefix ’Copy:’
Hint The position of a scanner relative to the origin of a measurement sequence
is stored with the scanner. This means that an imported scanner’s position
has to be checked and most likely corrected.
After importing, the imported measurement is a part of the current
measurement sequence. It can be modified in the same way as a
measurement defined within the sequence.

29
Triangle example
Defining the task
 Measure the heights of the triangle.
 The height h of a triangle is the vertical distance from one side to the op-
posing point. It can be measured as the length of a vector running through
the opposing point to the side, if this vector is perpendicular to the side.
 To construct this vector, one needs the triangle’s side and the opposing point.
 The side can be defined as a regression line through all points lying on the
side.
 The opposing point is the point of intersection of the triangle’s two other
sides.
The first step in measuring the heights is detecting the triangle’s sides.
Starting the set-up
 Select the ACT > New Sequence… command to define a new measuring se-
quence.
 The Edit Measurement Sequence dialog box opens and the program
starts defining a new scanner.
 Select From Top as Search Direction.
 Click on the Position button to place the scanner.
 Move the mouse to move the scanner to the top side of the triangle.
 Resize the scanner area by moving the mouse with the left key down until
its width is a bit smaller than the triangle’s side.
 Rightclick to accept the scanner position.
 Review the scanner results.
 Close the Image Scanner Properties dialog box and zoom the image to
get a detailed view of the scanner results.
 The scanner points are situated on the border of the bright area.
 If you want to work on the outer, dark edges of the triangle instead, mark
the scanner and select Properties… from its context menu.
 Select the Signal tab.
 Clear the check box in the Peak type sequence
group to have the image scanner look for a min-
imum flank.
 Click on OK to confirm the scanner parameters.
 The Image Scanner Properties dialog box disappears. The new scanner
appears as Scanner1 in the Scanner list of the Edit Measurement Se-
quence dialog box.
 Rename the scanner ’Baseline’.
 Select Scanner1 from the Scanner list in the Edit Measurement Se-
quence dialog box.
 Click on the entry again or press [F2].
 Enter the new name.

30
 Baseline Height 1 is the minimum distance between the
Baseline and the opposing point P 1.
He In this Step-by-Step guide we will construct all
igh t2
t3 ig h the heights, measure their lengths, and deter-
He mine the quality of the measurement.
A detailed explanation of the features of ACT
can be found in the reference part of this man-
Sid
e3
Height 1
ual.
e2
Sid
P1
The Edit Measurement Sequence dia-
log box. The names (Scanner1, Mea-
sure: 1, Geometry: 1, Evaluator: 1) are
predefined. To change a name, mark the
entry and click on it again, or mark it and
press [F2]. To change an entry’s proper-
ties, mark it and select Properties… from
its context menu.
A new measurement sequence auto-
matically contains a scanner, an evalu-
ator, a geometry, and a measurement.
The demo image with the first scanner de-
fined. Visible are the scan area (rectan-
gle), scan direction (arrow), and point
cloud. Note that the scanner can only
work in horizontal or vertical direction.
Edges not aligned with these directions
may be harder to analyze.
The Position tab of the Im-
age Scanner Properties di-
alog box for the above
scanner.
As this is an automatically
generated scanner, the
name is still Scanner1.
31
How to ACT
Planning & Scanning
Evaluating
Constructing
Measuring
Organizing
Measurements generate the final out-
put, the measured value. Only a few
measurement functions are necessary
(see page 20), because ACT allows to
construct points and vectors to repre-
sent the features you’re interested in.
Think of a measurement as putting a
ruler to the figure to measure the final
result, like a length or position.
Geometries are the core of the mea-
surement sequence. They are used to
construct the interesting features as
points and/or vectors. A geometry can
use information from the image by tak-
ing the output of evaluators as input, but
it can use the results of other geome-
tries, too. The geometric functions
available are described in the reference
part (see page 18). Think of geometries
as constructing entities using basic
tools like straightedge and compasses.
Evaluators translate the points gained
from the image into some basic geo-
metric entity, like a point or line. An
evaluator works on the point cloud de-
livered by a scanner and produces out-
put for geometries. The different
evaluation methods are described in
the reference part (see page 15). Think
of an evaluator as abstracting the infor-
mation from an image.
Scanners provide the following steps
with points to work with. A scanner is a
rectangular area, on which linescans
detect edges. Each line may yield one
point. Scanners are the only element
working directly on the image. Badly de-
fined scanners lead to wrong measure-
ments or make measurements
impossible. The parameters of the
scanners are described in the reference
section (see page 5). Think of a scan-
ner as looking on the image to detect its
interesting features.
Triangle example
Setting up more Scanners
 To properly define the triangle, its other two sides have to be found as well.
 Click on the Create Scanner and Edit Settings button to create a new scan-
ner.
 Select From Left as Search direction.
 Click on the Position button to place the scanner so that Side 2 of the triangle
runs through the scan area.
 Click on the Execute button to perform the scan and check the results.
 If you want to work on the outer edges of the triangle, clear the check box
in the Peak type sequence group on the Signal tab.
 Click on the OK button to close the Image Scanner Properties… dialog
box.
 Rename the scanner with a descriptive name.
 Select Scanner2 from the Scanner list of the Edit Measurement Se-
quence dialog box.
 Click once again on the Scanner2 entry or press [F2].
 Enter Side 2 as new name for this scanner.
 Click on the Create Scanner and Edit Settings button again to create the fi-
nal scanner.
 Select From Right as Search direction.
 Click on the Position button to place the scanner so that Side 3 of the triangle
runs through the scan area.
 Click on the Execute button to perform the scan and check the results.
 Rename the scanner with a descriptive name.
 Select Scanner3 from the Scanner list of the Edit Measurement Se-
quence dialog box.
 Click once again on the Scanner3 entry or press [F2].
 Enter Side 3 as new name for this scanner.
Evaluating scan results
 Select Properties… from the context menu of Evaluator: 1 in the Measure-
ments list.
 The Edit Evaluator Tool dialog box is opened.
 Select the scanner Baseline from the Image Scanners list.
 Select Regression line from the Evaluation method list.
 Click on the Execute button to execute the evaluator with the current param-
eters.
 Click on the OK button to save the evaluator.
 Rename the evaluator.
 Select Evaluator: 1 from the Measurements list.
 Click once again on Evaluator: 1 or press [F2].
 Enter Baseline as the new name for this evaluator.

32
 The demo image with all three scanners How to ACT
set up. The overlap between the scan ar-
eas has no consequences on the edge Planning & Scanning
detection. Evaluating
The sides of the triangle don’t fit inside Constructing
the scan areas. This is useful to avoid
border effects. Measuring
Organizing
Scanner tips:
• Make sure that all points detected are
relevant to the task. In most cases
this means making the scan area
smaller than the edge to be detected.
• Try to use several small scanners in-
The Edit Evaluator stead of a large one. The point clouds
Tool dialog box
showing the three delivered by the scanners can be
scanners defined in combined during the further steps.
the previous steps. With this method, one can analyze
The selected meth- structures without apparent edges,
od, Regression line,
needs one scanner e.g. circles.
as input. • Using several small scanners also al-
lows to disregard parts of the image
which may lead to wrong results.
• Scanners are powerful tools with lots
of parameters to tune them. Refer to
the reference part of this manual for
an explanation of the parameters.

The resulting Regression line for the base- • Evaluators link to the scanners; multi-
line of the triangle.
While working with the Edit Evaluator Tool,
the respective Image Scanner is shown.
About evaluators
• Each evaluator uses exactly one im-
age scanner as input source.
ple evaluators can use the same
scanner.
• The output of an evaluator can be a
point, a point cloud, or a vector be-
tween two points. This depends on
the evaluation method used (see be-
low).

33
Triangle example
Adding Evaluators
 Click on the Add New Evaluator button to add a new evaluator in the current
geometry.
 A new evaluator is added to the Measurements list.
 Enter Side 2 as name for the evaluator and press [Enter].
 Define the new evaluator as regression line through Side 2.
 Select Properties… from the context menu of the new evaluator in the
Measurements.
 Select Regression line as Evaluation method and Side 2 as Image
Scanner.
 Tune the regression line to run along the side of the triangle.
 The regression line does not represent Side 2, because of a defective edge
of the structure.
 Click on the Options… button to open the Filter options dialog box.
 Mark the Despike check box and enter 6 in the Pixel window length field.
Despike removes spikes from the point cloud when calculating the regres-
sion line. Using Despike, the resulting regression line is a good represen-
tation of Side 2.
 Click OK to accept this evaluator.
 Click on the Add New Evaluator button to add the next evaluator in the cur-
rent geometry.
 A new evaluator is added to the Measurements list.
 Enter Side 3 as name for the evaluator and press [Enter].
 Define the new evaluator as regression line through Side 3.
 Select Properties… from the context menu of the new evaluator in the
Measurements.
 Select Regression line as Evaluation method and Side 3 as Image
Scanner.
Constructing the Baseline
 Select Geometry: 1 in the Measurements list and rename it to Baseline.
 Select Properties… from the geometry’s context menu.
 The Edit Geometry dialog box is opened.
 Select Identity from the Geometric function list.
 The regression line as result of the evaluator is already a good representa-
tion of the triangle’s baseline.
 Select Baseline as Function argument from the Vectors and Points list.
 The list offers all available arguments of the correct type for the selected
function.
 All evaluators, which are defined within the geometry, as well as all other
geometries within the same measurement are available as arguments for
the geometry.
 Click the Execute button to check the result of the function.
 Click OK to accept the geometry.

34
The triangle with all three evaluators shown.
To avoid the display of the scan areas, re-
lease the check box Show scan area on the
Position tab of the Image Scanner Proper-
ties dialog box.
To have all scanners displayed at once, click
on the entry Geometry: 1 in the Edit Mea-
surement Sequence dialog box.
Use this view to check whether a good rep-
resentation of the geometrical object to be
measured is achieved.
the Edit Geometry dialog box with
Identity selected as Geometric
function.
The Vectors and Points list in the
Function argument group shows
all available evaluators in this geo-
metry as well as other geometries.
What arguments are offered in the
Function argument group de-
pends on the Geometric function
selected. Refer to the reference
section of this manual for an over-
view of the functions and their pa-
rameters.
35
How to ACT
Planning & Scanning
Evaluating
Constructing
Measuring
Organizing
Evaluation methods
Regression line: Out-
put is vector drawn
through the point cloud.
If the check box Sigma
filter is marked, points
deviating more than the X value given
are not used for calculation.
Center of Gravity:
Output is the point lying
in the center of gravity
of the point cloud.
Minimum/Maximum
X/Y coordinate: Out-
put is the point fulfilling
the selected condition;
Minimum X ( ), Maxi-
mum X ( ), Minimum Y
( ), and Maximum Y
( ). In the example, one point fulfills the
conditions for Minimum X and Minimum
Y coordinates.
Nose: Output is the
point with the maximum
distance from the re-
gression line.
Hill/Cloud: The evaluation methods
Hill and Cloud are described in detail in
the reference part of the manual.
Point Cloud: Output is the unmodified
point cloud delivered by the scanner.
Triangle example
Constructing point P1
 Click on the Add New Geometry button to add a new geometry to the same
measurement and name it Point 1.
 Copy the evaluators Side 2 and Side 3 to the new geometry.
 Select evaluator Side 2 and drag and drop it to the geometry Point 1.
 Select evaluator Side 3 and drag and drop it to the geometry Point 1.
 The copied elements retain their name, but are independent of the original
ones. Any changes to a copy have no effect on the original.
 The obsolete elements may be changed or deleted, but it’s a good idea to
keep them as backup, until the definition of the measuring sequence has
been completed.
 Select Properties… from the context menu of the new geometry.
 The Edit Geometry dialog box is opened.
 Construct point P1 using the evaluators.
 Select Intersection of lines from the Geometric function list.
 The Argument list offers all available vectors, i.e. Baseline, Side 2, and
Side 3. Note that Side 2 and Side 3 are evaluators, while Baseline is a ge-
ometry.
 Select Side 2 and Side 3 from the Argument list.
 Click the Execute button to check the result of the function.
 If the constructed point P1 is not in the correct place, check the evaluators.
At least one of them will not run along the triangle’s side. Check whether
the offending evaluator uses an incorrect Evaluation method or the wrong
Scanner.
 This being the case, correct the error.
 Select Properties… from the context menu of geometry Point 1 and exe-
cute it again.
 Click OK to accept the geometry.
Constructing Height 1
 Create a geometry Height 1.
 Click on the Add New Geometry button to add a new geometry to the
same measurement and name it Height 1.
 Select Properties… from the context menu of the new geometry.
 The Edit Geometry dialog box is opened.
 Construct the height using the available geometries.
 Select Line-point distance from the Geometric function list.
 The Function argument group shows two lists: Points and Vectors.
 Select Point 1 from the Points list and Baseline from the Vectors list.
 The result shown is a vector running from the triangle’s point (displayed in
green in the image overlay) to the baseline. The angle of incidence be-
tween this vector and the baseline is 90°.
This vector is Height 1.

36
 The Edit Geometry dialog box for How to ACT
constructing Point 1.
Planning & Scanning
Evaluating
Constructing
Measuring
Organizing
Geometric function:

ACT offers a large number of Geomet-

ric functions for the construction of
points and vectors. Most of the func-
tions are self-explanatory. Refer to the
reference part of this manual for addi-
tional information on the geometric
The construction of Point 1 using the evalu-
functions.
ators Side 2 and Side 3.
As result of a geometry, Point 1 can be used The term underlying point clouds re-
as input for further geometries of the same fers to the point clouds delivered by the
measurement. scanners. These functions use these
point clouds as input directly.

Input: A geometry can use any or all

The Edit Geometry dialog box de-
fining the Line-point distance.
The point selected from the Points
list is the starting point of a vector
running perpendicular to the line
selected from the Vectors list.
This vector is Height 1.
evaluators situated beneath it as input.
Other geometries of the same mea-
surement qualify as input as well, if they
do not refer back to the geometry in
question. Using these Geometric func-
tions in conjunction, objects can be con-
structed which do not directly rely on
edges, e.g. vectors connecting the cen-
ters of objects, etc.

Output: The output of a geometry con-

sists of either points with x-and y-coor-
dinates or of vectors with start and end
point.

Height 1 of the triangle as constructed with

ACT.
It is a vector with start point and end point. In
the image overlay, these points are color
coded. The start point (Point 1) is shown in
green, the end point (point of incidence on
the Baseline) in red.

37
Triangle example
Measuring Height 1
 Mark the entry Measurement: 1 in the Measurements list of the Edit Mea-
surement Sequence dialog box and click on it again to change the name to
Height 1.
 When selecting Measurement: 1, a new data sheet called New Sequence
is opened.
 Select Properties… from the measurement’s context menu.
 The Measurement Properties dialog box is opened.
 Select Length of vector(s) from the Scalar functions list.
 Select Height 1 from the Function arguments list.
 Click the Execute button to perform the measurement
 The first column of the sheet is labelled Height 3 (according to the name of
the measurement). It contains the measured value.
 Select an appropriate scale from the Unit scale list in the Expectance group.
 Information on measured value and unit used is written into row 1 of the
data sheet.
Creating the other heights
 Add two new measurements to the sequence.
 Click twice on the Add New Measurement button to create two measure-
ments and name them Height 2 and Height 3.
 Add three new geometries to each measurement.
 The structure of the geometries is very much the same as in the first mea-
surement: Side 2 (Side 3) for the corresponding sides of the triangle, Point
2 (Point 3) for the points, and Height 2 (Height 3) for the heights.
 Add new evaluators to the geometries.
 One evaluator is needed in the geometries Side 2 and Side 3. Call these
evaluators Side 2 and Side 3 as well.
 Two evaluators are used for the geometries Point 2 and Point 3. Call these
evaluators Side 1 and Side 3, and Side 1 and Side 2, respectively.
 Assign scanners to the evaluators.
 Each evaluator represents a side of the triangle. They are linked to the cor-
responding scanners and use Regression line as Evaluation method.
 Configure the geometries.
 Select Identity as Geometric function for the geometries Side 1 and Side
2.
 Select Intersection of lines as Geometric function for the geometries
Point 2 and Point 3.
 Select Line-point distance as Geometric function for the geometries
Height 2 and Height 3.
Performing the measurements
 Close the data sheet to remove unwanted data.
 Click on the Execute the Current Sequence button to execute the complete
measurement sequence.
 A new data sheet is opened. All three measurement results are written to
the data sheet.

38
 The Measurement Prop-
erties dialog box.
The Function arguments
list offers all elements avai-
lable to the measurement,
which are of the correct
type for the selected Sca-
lar function.
The Edit Measurement Sequence dia-
log box as it looks at this stage.
For each height, there is a single mea-
surement, which uses three geometries:
one for the side, one for the opposing
point, and one constructing the height.
Note that the whole sequence relies on
only three image scanners. The geome-
tries Height 1, Height 2, and Height 3
don’t have other elements situated below
them, as they use other geometries as in-
put.
39
How to ACT
Planning & Scanning
Evaluating
Constructing
Measuring
Organizing
About Measurements
• Measurements are the final steps of
the measurement sequence. A mea-
surement takes one or more geome-
tries as input, derives one value and
compares it to a criterion for the valid-
ity of the measurement.
Expectance
• The Expectance group gives you a
criterion to judge the measurement
results.
• All measurements are compared to
their respective expectance value.
• If the measurement result falls in the
range set by Expectant value, Toler-
ance up, and Tolerance down, the
measurement value is colored green
in the data sheet.
• If the measurement value falls out-
side this range, it is colored red in the
data sheet.
Click on the Set Expectant button to
transfer the value measured in the ac-
tive image to the Expectant value field.
The values for Tolerance up and Tol-
erance down are set to about 5%
above and below the Expectant value.
They may be changed manually.
Triangle example
Controlling the results
The heights of a triangle all run through one point. If this is not the case with the
heights constructed for the measurement, the distances of the three points of inter-
section between two heights are an indicator for the quality of the results achieved.
We can measure this distance by drawing a circle through the points of intersection
of two heights.
 Define a new measurement for this step.
 Click on the Add New Measurement button and name the measurement
Radius of Difference Circle.
 Create geometries for the construction of the circle.
 Click three times on the Create New Geometry button and call the new ge-
ometries Intersection 1-2, Intersection 2-3, and Intersection 1-3.
 Copy the geometries representing the heights to the new measurement.
 Drag and drop the geometry Height 1 to Intersection 1-2 and Intersection
1-3. Drag and drop Height 2 to Intersection 1-2 and Intersection 2-3.
Drag and drop Height 3 to Intersection 1-3 and Intersection 2-3.
The geometries are copied to the new measurement complete with other
geometries they depend upon.
 Construct the three points of intersection
 Select Intersection of lines as Geometric function from the Edit Geom-
etry dialog box of the geometry Intersection 1-2.
 Select Height 1 and Height 2 from the Vectors list.
 Repeat these steps for the geometries Intersection 2-3 and Intersection
1-3.
 Create a geometry for the circle.
 Click on the Create New Geometry button and call the new geometry Cir-
cle Radius.
 Construct the circle radius.
 Select Circle radius as Geometric function in the Edit Geometry dialog
box of the Circle Radius.
 Measure the radius of the circle.
 Select the measurement Radius of difference circle.
 Select Properties… from the context menu of this measurement.
 Select Length of vector(s) from the Scalar function picklist.
 Select Circle Radius as function argument.
Performing the measurements
 Close the data sheet to remove unwanted data.
 Click on the Execute the Current Sequence button to execute the complete
measurement sequence.
 A new data sheet is opened. All four measurement results are written to the
data sheet.
 Move the mouse to move the frame. Move the mouse with the left key de-
pressed to change the size of the frame.
 Rightclick to fix the frame.

40
 The figure shows a schematic view of the How to ACT

ht 1
Difference Circle. It is constructed as a
circle through the points of intersection of Planning & Scanning

Heig
two heights, each. Evaluating
Difference Constructing
Circle Measuring
Organizing

ig ht 2
He He
igh
t 3

The new section in the Edit Measure-

ment Sequence dialog box. Only the ge-
ometries Intersection 1-2, Intersection
2-3, Intersection 1-3, and Circle Radius
are new; all other geometries were cop-
ied when copying the heights.

The data sheet with all results from the height measurements as well as the measure-
ment of the circle radius.

41
Triangle example
Tying the measurement to the image
Up to now, our measurement sequence works on the image it has been developed
for. For any other image, ACT has to search for the proper area where the structures
to be measured are found. This is done via a pattern recognition routine.
 Define an area of the image which contains the relevant structures.
 Click on the Define Pattern Image button.
 The cursor jumps into the image and becomes attached to a frame.
 Move the mouse with the left key depressed to change the size of the
frame. Move the mouse to set the position of the frame. Do this until the
triangle and all scanner areas are well within the frame.
 Rightclick to fix the frame.
 Set the conditions for the pattern recognition.
 Click on the Measurement Sequence Properties button to open the Mea-
surement Sequence Properties dialog box.
 The bitmap defined in the previous step is shown.
 Set the Correlation Threshold to 0.8.
 Set the Correlation Zoom to 0.1.
Managing Sequences
 Click on the Save Measurement Sequence to write the measurement se-
quence to disk.
 Save the sequence under the name Triangle.dat.
 Now, the command ACT > Run Sequence becomes available.
 Run the saved sequence.
 Click on the Delete Overlay button in the standard button bar to delete the
overlay which contains elements from the measurement sequence.
 Select the Run Sequence command from the ACT menu.
 Select the data file triangle.dat.
 The sequence is loaded from disk and pattern recognition starts.
 The application selects the image area with the best correlation to the pat-
tern image and starts the measurement sequence on this area.
 As the image is the very same as the one the sequence was developed
with, the pattern recognition finds the same area with a correlation coeffi-
cient of 1.

42
 How to ACT
Planning & Scanning
Evaluating
Constructing
Measuring
Organizing
Measurement Sequence Properties

Object count
• The same or similar structures in one
image can be measured with the
same measurement sequence re-
peatedely. Enter the number of oc-
currences in the Object count field.

Correlation Zoom
• Pattern recognition is a time consum-
ing process. Reduce the Correlation
Zoom value to save time.
• When Correlation Zoom is lower
than 1, pattern image and image are
zoomed down before pattern recog-
nition starts. Note that the loss of de-
The Measurement Sequence Properties dialog box with a pattern image defined.
tail incurred by zooming may lead to
lower correlation coefficients.

ACTing on other images

The main purpose of ACT is to use the

measurement sequence on a whole set
of images. When a sequence is applied
to an image, the program searches for
the pattern image and sets the se-
quence to the image area with the best
correlation.

Tips for successful measurements

• Because ACT searches for edges
along horizontal and vertical lines, it
is very sensitive to rotation.
• Use lower Correlation Thresholds
to adapt a measurement sequence to
varying images, esp. structure with
varying defects.

43
Index

Filter 9
$ Position 7
Activate ACT 23 Properties 6
Add Evaluator 28 Signal 14
Add Geometry 28 Import Measurement 29
Add Measurement 27
Add Scanner 27
Assumptions 3 0
Measurement 21, 31, 39
Measurement Properties 21
& Measurement Results 22
Close Sequence 27 Measurement Sequence Properties 25
Coordinate system 5 Measurement Wizard 27
Menu description 23

'
1
Data Sheet 22
Define Pattern Image 28 New Sequence 23
Delete Pattern Image 28
Delete Selection 28
3
Pattern Image 25
( Peak 10
Edit Evaluator 16 Point of origin 5
Edit Geometry 19 Profile 8
Edit Sequence 23
Evaluation methods 35
Evaluator 16, 31, 33 5
Execute Current Sequence 27 Run Sequence 26
Execute Sequence 25

6
)
Save Sequence 24, 26
Flank 10 Scanner 31, 33
Flank evaluation 12 Set Origin 28
Step by Step Instruction
Add Evaluators 34
* Construct Baseline 34
Geometric function 37 Create new sequence 30
Geometry 19, 31 Define Geometries 36
Define Measurement 38
Define Pattern Image 42
Defining the task 30
, Save Measurement Sequence 42
Image Scanner Step by Step instruction
Extrema 10 Set up scanners 32

44
 Index

:
Workflow 3

45