Applications of computer vision on tile alignment inspection

Subjective visual inspection is the main quality measure for tile alignment acceptance because of a lack of standard operation procedures in Taiwan. Without quantitative specifications for tile alignment, inspectors can easily manipulate the outcome; therefore, fine craftsmanship is not valued, resulting in considerable quality variation in tile installation works. This paper proposes an automated tile installation quality assurance prototype system that uses computer vision technologies. The system receives digital images of finished tile installation and has the images processed and analyzed to capture the geometric characteristics of the finished tile surface. The geometric characteristics are subsequently evaluated to determine the quality level of the tiling work. Application of the proposed automated system can effectively improve the tile alignment inspection practice and simultaneously reduce improper manipulation during acceptance procedures. (C) 2013 Published by Elsevier B.V.