Automated visual inspection of ship hull surfaces using the wavelet transform

A new online visual inspection technique is proposed, based on a wavelet reconstruction scheme over images obtained from the hull. This type of visual inspection to detect defects in hull surfaces is commonly carried out at shipyards by human inspectors before the hull repair task starts. We propose the use of Shannon entropy for automatic selection of the band for image reconstruction which provides a low decomposition level, thus avoiding excessive degradation of the image, allowing more precise defect segmentation. The proposed method here is capable of on-line assisting to a robotic system to perform grit blasting operations over damage areas of ship hulls. This solution allows a reliable and cost-effective operation for hull grit spot blasting. A prototype of the automated blasting system has been developed and tested in the Spanish NAVANTIA shipyards. © 2013 Carlos Fernández-Isla et al.