Using digital filters

Best practice guide for measuring strategies for contact coordinate

metrology.

The individual components of a contour are referred to as roughness, waviness and form deviation.
Roughness: Grooves, scales, pores, structure, CMM influences

Waviness: Repeated periodic form deviation of which the distance is considerably greater than the
groove distance.

orm deviation: !traightness, roundness, profile, flatness deviation and others.
The recorded profile contains all types of form deviation. The recorded profile can be divided into different
components and evaluated separately with the help of filters. The separate evaluation of form deviation,
waviness and roughness is necessary because the different form deviations may have different causes in terms
of construction and manufacture and may have different effects on the function.

The transitions between the different form deviations are fluid. The evaluation window "fre#uency range$ is
determined by the selection of the filter to be used and its parameters. To obtain similar measuring results, a
determination of the filter types and parameters is obligatory.

Low-pass filter

%ow&pass filter "long&wave filter$: Components with long wavelength "low fre#uency$ pass with full amplitude'
components with short wavelength "high fre#uency$ are suppressed completely "see illustration below$. The
low&pass filter is used in metrology to separate the roughness. This filter is used most as it also suppresses the
virtual roughness of the CMM. (t must always be used if the circumscribed, inscribed or Chebyshev criterion is
applied as evaluation method.

Low-pass filter

Gauss filter

unctioning of the Gauss filter according to )*+,-M ./: *s you can see in the illustration, the Gauss filter
computes a mean value at each measuring point. 0ot only the probing point itself but also the ad1acent probing
points are considered. These are weighted according to the Gaussian bell curve. This means that probing
points which are farther away are not considered for the mean&value generation. 2epending on the assumed
width of the bell curve "which corresponds to the critical wavelength lc$, more or fewer ad1acent points are
included in the computation.

Recommended graduation of +3Rs 4 wavelengths:
Roundness measurement:
56, 756, 566 +3R.

!traightness measurement:
lc 6.85, 0.8 (default!), 8.5, 9.6 mm.
Conersion lc to U!"

(n the straightness measurement, the critical wavelengths are indicated in mm. (n the roundness measurement,
the critical wave numbers are indicated in +3R "waves on circumference$. Therefore, this indication does not
depend on the diameter of the wor:piece.
The critical wavelength lc "%amda cutoff$ or the ;+ndulations 3er Revolution< "+3R$ is the wavelength or the
wave number at which the input signal is attenuated to a defined ratio or transferred "formerly =5>, today
mostly 56>$.
Conversion of +3R into wavelength:
Critical wavelength lc ? 2 @ p 4 +3R.
"2 ? wor:piece diameter$

!hort critical wavelength, small filter:
%ong critical wavelength, large filter:
Gauss filter with weighting function (bell curve) and the corresponding filter center line in the case of different
critical wavelengths

#y$uist criterion

The number of recorded probing points depends on the critical wavelength of the selected filter. To avoid
eAcessive amplitude attenuation, at least = points per wave must be recorded.

Critical waelengt% !ro&ing points per mm 'tep widt%
B lc )mm/ 7 4 )mm/ )mm/
6,85 C 89 6,6.5=
6,96 C 9,=5 6,77D.
8,5 C 8,9 6,.5=
9 C 6,9=5 7,7D.
Recommended filter setting and number of measuring points for flatness and straightness measurements


(nly )orm

!tandard form measurement, e.g.
wear4pairing
*or+piece
diameter ,mm-
Critical wae
num&er ,U!"-
!ro&ing points.
circumference
+p to 9
75 C 765
C 9 bis 85
C 85 bis 96 56 C .56
C 96 bis 856 756 C 7656
C 856 566 C .566


)orm / wainess

orm including chatter mar:s, e.g. noise
*or+piece
diameter ,mm-
Critical wae
num&er ,U!"-
!ro&ing points.
circumference
bis 9
56 C .56
C 9 bis 85
C 85 bis 96 756 C 7656
C 96 bis 856 566 C .566
C 856 7566 C 76566


(nly wainess

periodic profile compontents, e.g. chatter
mar: siEe
*or+piece
diameter ,mm-
Critical wae
num&er ,U!"-
!ro&ing points.
circumference
bis 9
75&756 C .56
C 9 bis 85
C 85 bis 96
56&566 C 7656
C 96 bis 856
C 856 756&7566 C 76566
Table: SE recommended filter setting and number of measuring points for roundness measurements

'tarting &e%aior of Gauss filter

*s you can see in the illustration, the Gauss filter is not operating at the limits of the measuring range. The first
filtered point is available after half the critical wavelength. The last point is available half the critical wavelength
before the end of the measuring distance. These start and end ranges of the filter function are not included in
the evaluation.
Fdges represent the limits of a measuring distance. (n this case, too, the filtration with the Gauss filter leads to
a reduction of the evaluable measuring distance by the start and end range of the filter function, i.e. the total
width of the weighting function. Therefore, the filtered profile can only be evaluated at a distance greater than G
lc to the edge. The problems of the start and end range of the filter function do not eAist when using the Gauss
filtration for a full circle because the starting and end points are lin:ed by the measuring software.
The use of filters for the elimination of errors is only allowed if the type of errors is :nown and the function&
relevant parts of the primary profile are not concerned by the filtration. This must be guaranteed and
documented by carrying out suitable inspections "e.g. vibration measurement at the installation site of the
measuring machine$.

Practical tip

!ot until "ou have defined the filter# the measuring point distance
and the probing speed can "ou select the st"lus to be used$
Generall"# the st"lus used for the form inspection should be as
small as possible$ The wor%piece diameter# the wave filter and the
form deviation to be recorded are important for the ma&imum
admissible reference sphere diameter$ The use of a reference
sphere diameter which is too small ma" cause the measured form
deviation characteristic value to be too small$

0andling of outliers

-utliers have a disturbing effect during filtration because the filters may oscillate strongly at the 1ump
discontinuity points. This can be clearly seen with a high&pass, but distortions of the measuring values are also
possible with a low&pass. Therefore, outlier elimination should precede the filtration "this is called ;robust<
filtration$.
'igital filtration with outlier elimination

0ow, spline filters are also used in addition to Gauss filters. Compared to Gauss filters, they offer the following
advantages:
The calculation is carried out via polynomials of n
th
degree which can be 1ointed.

The spline filter shows a more positive behavior at the beginning and the end than the Gauss filter.

The spline filter does not oscillate in the case of outliers.

The calculation of the spline filter is faster than the calculation of the Gauss filter.

The spline filter is currently not standardiEed.
Starting and stopping behavior of the Gauss filter and the spline filter (source: '(!)*T+)