Management of tracking for industrial AR setups

The accuracy of a real time tracking system for industrial AR (IAR) applications often needs to comply with production tolerances. Such a system typically incorporates different off-/online devices so that the overall precision and accuracy cannot be trivially stated. Additionally, tracking needs to be flexible to not interfere with existing working processes and it needs to be operated and maintained free of error by on-site personnel who typically have a quality management (QM) background. For the final validation of such a complex tracking setup, empiric testing alone is either too expensive or lacks generality. This paper demonstrates a new approach to define and verify, deploy and validate, as well as to operate and maintain an IAR tracking infrastructure. We develop our concepts on the basis of an IAR application in the field of QM in the aircraft production process. It integrates a qualitative visual comparison with accurate quantitative measurements of 3D coordinates using a metrological probe. The focus is on the verification, validation, and error free operation. Monte Carlo simulation predicts the error for arbitrary system states. Using a limited set of empiric measurements in the target environment allows us to validate the simulation and thereby validate the application. This combination assures compliance of the IAR application with the required production tolerances. We show that our simulation model yields realistic results, using an in-depth analysis of an optical IR tracking system and a high-precision coordinate measurement machine capable of densely sampling the entire tracking volume. Additionally, it allows for a straightforward derivation of run-time consistency checks for the automatic identification of possible system failures. Also, estimation of the system performance during the planning and definition phases becomes possible, using the elementary accuracy specifications of the involved sensor systems.