A hierarchical planning system is presented which uses heuristics for path planning in dimensional inspection using coordinate measuring machines (CMMs). The objective is to automate the planning of a collision-free inspection path. The system demonstrates that the inspection paths of geometrically complex real world parts with multiple features can automatically be generated with efficiency. This is made possible by appropriate CMM abstractions, genuine 3-D collision detection, and heuristic modifications of reasonably assumed default inspection paths. Automatic selection and modification of probe angle based on a local accessibility analysis of a given feature are also presented. The collision-free inspection path can then be simulated in a CAD environment before it is carried out by the real CMM.
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