Data integrity in an IGES description of turned part geometry

There is a growing interest in converting manually drawn engineering drawings into computer databases in a Computer Aided Design (CAD) format such as Initial Graphics Exchange Specification (IGES). This conversion is done by a high resolution scanning device. CAD drawings resulting from the scan-conversion process often contain discontinuities. A draftman using manual drafting equipment may adjust and reposition the ink pen for ease of drawing. This could cause breaks in the drawing, which, though unnoticeable to the human eye, are identified as discontinuities in the electronic scanning process. The subsequent CAD representation may then have broken geometries in place of continuous ones. The work presented here is aimed at verifying the IGES file representing a scan-converted drawing. If any discontinuities are detected in the lines and arcs in the drawing, the breaks are mended. Algorithms are developed to identify and correct errors in the IGES files. The algorithms are coded in Common LISP. The program runs on a VAX VMS system and can handle drawings of turned parts. This research is part of a larger project dealing with feature recognition of turned parts. Extension of the procedure to other geometries is straightforward. The program has been tested on some test drawings obtained from a scanning company. The results are very promising.