Apparatus and methods utilizing emissive patterns to determine positional information

Abstract

Absolute, non-juxtaposed position encoders (i.e., position-determining systems) for up to six degrees-of-freedom are described. Each of these apparatus includes a display, an observation device, display circuitry, and logic circuitry. The display includes a plurality of pixels. In addition, the observation device is capable of observing light emitted from a region of the display. The display circuitry is able to cause one or more emissive patterns to be displayed on the display. The logic circuitry is able to determine a position of the observation device relative to the display at least in part from the light observed by the observation device. The observation device is capable of being moved in relation to the display, or vice versa. Aspects of the invention are suitable for use in a diverse set of applications such as: autonomously-piloted vehicles, multi-axis robotic arms, three-dimensional (3D) printers, computer-numerical-control (CNC) machine tools, and cranes.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.