LaserViewer™ Software

LTC's Laser MicroMap™ systems are supported by our proprietary LaserViewer™ software. This powerful and flexible software coordinates system control, data acquisition, analysis and reporting. In addition, custom analysis and reporting modules can be easily adder per customer specifications.

Each aspect of system control and analysis is configured independently, providing flexibility for a wide variety of applications. All of the modules for each system can be saved as a unique "workspace", making it possible for operators to switch between a number of pre-set configurations at the click of a button.

The functions LaserViewer™ controls include:

Motion Control

Data Acquisition

Data Display

Data Analysis

Custom Reporting and Operator Interfaces

Motion Control

LaserViewer™ can interface with a variety of motor control and encoder hardware from several manufacturers, including Galil, Compumotor, Mektronix and National Instruments. Each motion control configuration may include multiple motors controlled by one or more types of hardware. Operators can define parameters such as acceleration, speed, units of travel, and distance traveled per motor count independently for each motor. Each system configuration may be independently saved for regular use.

Key motion control features include:

Any combination of stepper or servo motors, running open- or closed-loop

Simultaneous motion on multiple axes, pre-programmed or controlled "on-the-fly"

Absolute or relative GOTO function for precision movement

"Watchdog" function to detect motor stalls

Hardware and software limit switches for system protection

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Data Acquisition

LaserViewer™ is capable of collecting data from multiple sources.  In addition to acquiring data from any of our sensors, LaserViewer™ can also collect data from other NDT sensors, such as eddy current or ultrasound.

Operators have the flexibility to define preset scan parameters, including the axes of motion, distance traveled, resolution, and data recorded. Each scan definition can be saved as a discrete "workspace," allowing operators to easily switch between several unique scan types.

Fully automated – "one-click" scanning for preset scans

Multi-axis and timed scanning available

Multiple scan area shapes: rectangular, trapezoidal, circular

Multiple motor coordination methods: raster, helical, continuous rotation

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Data Display

LaserViewer™ displays data in a number of formats, facilitating emphasis on specific important aspects of the data.

Color Plot for false-color imaging of 2-axis data

Fully adjustable dynamic color palette for highlighting important features

Line Plot extraction from Color Plot display

Cross-sections for tubular data – can be superimposed and quantitatively compared

Polar Plot for eddy current data

Multiple files and data types may be viewed simultaneously for comparison

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Data Analysis

LaserViewer™ offers several options for processing and analyzing data. Operators May apply multiple functions to each data set. In addition, standard functions can be combined into user-defined processors for repetitive analysis. Some of the most commonly used analysis functions are:

Apply Calibration Parameters – converts raw voltage data to calibrated distances for laser profilometry sensors

Remove Centering Offset – removes the centering offset for tubular data

Area Analysis – calculates maximum, minimum, average and RMS for a user-defined region of the scan

Ovality Analysis – calculates maximum, minimum and average diameters and maximum ovality for tubular data

Reference Subtraction – removes the effects of offsets between the surface and the sensor

1D and 2D Median and Average Filters – reduces the effects of high-frequency variations in the data

Rescale – rescales the color palette to a user-defined data range

Remove Undefineds – replaces skipped data points with an average of their nearest neighbors

In addition, data can be exported as tab-delimited text files or imported into other commercial analysis programs  for further analysis and display.

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Custom Reporting and OperatorInterfaces

The modular architecture of LaserViewer™ allows for the addition of customized modules. LTC provides custom analysis and reporting modules that are designed to our customer's specifications. In addition, custom operator interfaces can be provided to simplify operation for specific industrial applications.

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