Profile Edge

The Profile Edge tool finds an edge on a profile, searching from left to right. The tool's settings help fit the edge point when multiple potential edges are in the profile. You can configure the tool to locate a step or a corner (that is, for cases where there is no clear step in the profile but instead a smooth slope), as well as rising or falling steps.

Step height of a step

After the tool locates an edge, it returns the position (X and Z) of the edge. For steps, it also returns the step height.

The tool can also generate a point geometric feature corresponding to the center of the step that Feature tools can take as input for measurement. For more information on Feature tools, see Feature Measurement.

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.

To use a measurement as an anchor, it must be enabled and properly configured in the tool providing the anchor. For more information on anchoring, see Measurement Anchoring.

Inputs
Name	Description
Enable Batching	When Enable Batching is checked, the tool takes an array as input and processes each profile in the array individually. There is no limit to the size of the array, other than processing limitations of the sensor. For more information on arrays, batching, and aggregating, see Arrays, Batching, and Aggregation.
Profile Input	The data the tool applies measurements to or processes.
Anchor X or Anchor Z	The X or Z measurement of another tool that this tool uses as a positional anchor. Positional anchors are optional.

Parameters

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

Parameters
Parameter	Description
Enable Batching	When Enable Batching is checked, the tool takes an array as input and processes each profile in the array individually. There is no limit to the size of the array, other than processing limitations of the sensor. For more information on arrays, batching, and aggregating, see Arrays, Batching, and Aggregation.
Use Region	When enabled, displays Region parameters (see below). When disabled, the tool uses all data.
Region	The region to which the tool's measurements will apply. For more information, see Regions.
Edge Detection Mode	One of the following: Step or Corner. Step: Searches for steps on each path profile. When the edge detection mode is set to Step, you must set several additional parameters. For more information, see Step Edge Detection Mode Parameters. Corner: Searches for slopes on each path profile. When the edge detection mode is set to Corner, you must set the Corner Type parameter. For more information, see Corner Edge Detection Mode Parameters.
Show Detail	When the parameter is enable, the tool displays a line joining the points used to calculate the edge. This can be useful when viewing the edge's center point on a step. Note that enabling this parameter can have an effect on processing. For high frequency scanning, be sure to disable it.
External ID	The external ID of the tool that appears in GoHMI Designer. For more information, see GoHMI and GoHMI Designer.

Step Edge Detection Mode Parameters

Parameter

Description

Selection Type

Determines which step the tool uses when there are multiple steps in the profile. An edge point is placed on the chosen step. Steps must satisfy the tool's Step Threshold and Step Direction settings.

Best: Selects the greatest step on the profile.

First: Selects the first step on the profile.

Last: Selects the last step on the profile.

Step Direction

Determines whether the expected step rises or falls, moving from left to right along the profile. Either Rising, Falling, or Rising or Falling.

Step Threshold

The minimum step accepted as an edge candidate. Steps on the profile are treated as absolute values when compared to this setting.

In the following profile, with Step Threshold set to 1.2 (and Selection Type set to First), the tool accepts the rising step to the left, with a step of 1.525 mm, because it is the first above the step threshold.

In the following, when Step Threshold is increased to 2.7, the tool excludes the rising step to the left, because it is no longer above the step threshold, and instead uses the step to the right.

Step Smoothing

The size of the (moving) window along the profile used to calculate averages for the data points used to calculate the step. The setting is useful for averaging out noise.

If Step Smoothing is set to 0, no averaging is performed.

Step Width

The distance, along a profile, separating the points the tool uses to find steps on a profile.

In the following, a step width of 2 mm causes the tool to consider profile points that distance apart as steps. The curved portion of the profile is not used to measure the step.

The setting is useful when you must detect a slope as an edge, rather than a sharply defined edge: setting Step Width to a value greater than the width of the slope ensures that the tool measures the height difference between the flat regions on either side of the slope. As a result, the height of the step is accurately measured, and the edge is correctly located.

Setting Step Width wider than necessary can reduce the accuracy of edge location.

Max Gap

Fills in regions of missing data caused by an occlusion near the desired edge. Use this setting when continuity on the target is expected. When Max Gap is set to a non-zero value, the tool holds and extends the last data point on the low side next to an edge across a gap of null points, up to the distance specified in Max Gap.

The tool uses data points "filled in" by Max Gap before data points filled in by Null Fill Value (see below).

Include Null Edges

Indicates whether null points (points where no height value is available, due to dropouts or regions outside of the measurement range) are filled with the value in Null Fill Value as a general “background level.”

To find an edges next null points, you must use either this option and an appropriate value in Null Fill Value or Max Gap. Otherwise, only edges within areas of contiguous data will be detected.

Null Fill Value

The height value (in mm) used to replace null points when Include Null Edges is enabled.

If both Null Fill Value and Max Gap fill in null points at the same position, the tool uses the value extended by Max Gap, regardless of the value of Null Fill Value.

Corner Edge Detection Mode Parameters
Parameter	Description
Corner Type	Determines the corner type the tool searches for. One of the following: Best: Selects the greatest step in the profile data. Left: Selects the left-most step in the profile data. Right: Selects the right-most step in the profile data. Top: Selects the step that is the highest in the profile data. Bottom: Selects the step that is lowest in the profile.

Outputs

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

Outputs section with a measurement expanded to show user-configurable decision min/max fields and an external ID

You configure the Min and Max parameters by expanding the measurement in the Outputs section. In order for a measurement to return a Pass decision, the measurement must be between maximum and minimum values; the range is inclusive.

Measurements
Measurement
X Z These measurements return the X and Z position of the edge point, respectively. The edge point is located half-way between the upper and lower data points of the step.
Step Height Returns the height of the step on the profile. Only available if Edge Detection Mode is set to Step.

Features
Type	Description
Edge Center Point	The edge point.

For more information on geometric features, see Geometric Features.