# US 11,029,152 B2 · Method and apparatus for generating positional sensor data of a coordinate measuring device > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,029,152 B2 - Document ID: US11029152B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/647,484 - Filed: 2017-07-12 - Published: 2018-01-18 - Granted: 2021-06-08 - Earliest claimed: 2016-07-12 - Assignees: Carl Zeiss Industrielle Messtechnik GmbH - Applicants: Carl Zeiss Industrielle Messtechnik GmbH - Inventors: Holger Sahlmann; Tobias Held - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11029152B2 ## CPC - G01C 7/02: of land surfaces - G01B 21/04: by measuring coordinates of points - G01B 21/06: specially adapted for measuring length or width of objects while moving - G01C 21/04: by terrestrial means (G01C21/24, G01C21/26 take precedence) - G01C 21/10: by using measurements of speed or acceleration (G01C21/24, G01C21/26 take precedence) - G01C 21/20: Instruments for performing navigational calculations (G01C21/24, G01C21/26 take precedence) - G01C: MEASURING DISTANCES, LEVELS OR BEARINGS; SURVEYING; NAVIGATION; GYROSCOPIC INSTRUMENTS; PHOTOGRAMMETRY OR VIDEOGRAMMETRY (measuring liquid level G01F; radio navigation, determining distance or velocity by use of propagation effects, e.g. Doppler effects, propagation time, of radio waves, analogous arrangements using other waves G01S) - G01B: MEASURING LENGTH, THICKNESS OR SIMILAR LINEAR DIMENSIONS; MEASURING ANGLES; MEASURING AREAS; MEASURING IRREGULARITIES OF SURFACES OR CONTOURS ## Abstract A method and an apparatus for generating positional sensor data of a coordinate measuring device are provided. A sensor generates sensor data points and a trigger signal with a trigger frequency. A sensor data record is generated which includes the sensor data points and a sensor data time. The trigger signal is transmitted to a device for determining a sensor position, a position data record is determined upon or after the reception of the trigger signal, the position data record includes at least one position data point and one position data time, an assignment of position data points to sensor data points is determined depending on the sensor data time and the position data time, and a positional sensor data record is generated which includes at least one sensor data point and a position data point assigned to this sensor data point. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method for generating positional sensor data of a coordinate measuring device, the method comprising: generating, by a sensor, sensor data points; generating a sensor data record, the sensor data record including at least one sensor data point and at least one sensor data time; generating, by the sensor, a trigger signal having a trigger frequency; transmitting the trigger signal to a device for determining a sensor position; generating a position data record upon or after receiving the trigger signal, the position data record including at least one position data point and at least one position data time; simultaneously capturing the at least one position data time and the at least one position data point; assigning the at least one position data point to the at least one sensor data point by matching the at least one sensor data time and the at least one position data time, wherein the at least one position data time and the at least one sensor data time are defined in a common time system; and generating a positional sensor data record, the positional sensor data record including at least one sensor data point and a position data point assigned to the at least one sensor data point. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein: the sensor data record includes a plurality of sensor data points, and the method further comprises: assigning a data-point-specific sensor data time to each of the plurality of sensor data points, or assigning a subset-specific sensor data time to a subset of the plurality of sensor data points. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, further comprising: determining a time-referenced sensor data record; assigning a reference time to each of the plurality of sensor data points; and determining values of the sensor data points of the time-referenced sensor data record depending on the reference time. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The method of claim 3, further comprising: determining a movement information item of the sensor, determining values of the sensor data points of the time-referenced sensor data record depending on the movement information item and a difference between the data-point-specific sensor data times and the reference time. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: assigning at least one quality factor to the positional sensor data record, the quality factor being determined depending on a quality of the assigning of the at least one position data point to the at least one sensor data point. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The method of claim 5, wherein the position data record includes the quality factor. ### Claim 7 (depends on 5) The method of claim 5, further comprising: determining a movement information item of the sensor; and determining the quality factor depending on the movement information item. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: determining an estimated position data point for a sensor data record to which no position data record is assignable, the positional sensor data record including the at least one sensor data point and the estimated position data point. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: detecting a missing position data record in a sequence of position data records; generating a replacement position data record; and inserting the replacement position data record into the sequence of position data records in place of the missing position data record. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9, further comprising: assigning a predefined quality factor to the replacement position data record, the predefined quality factor representing a low quality. ### Claim 11 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9, further comprising: determining an estimated position data point for the replacement position data record. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: modifying a sensor data record frequency; and maintaining the trigger frequency at a constant level. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: determining at least one of a constant component of a time difference and a change in the time difference between the at least one sensor data time and the at least one position data time; and compensating the at least one of the constant component of the time difference and the change in the time difference between the at least one sensor data time and the at least one position data time. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: determining a time offset between a time of generating sensor data and a time of generating the trigger signal; and compensating the time offset between the time of generating the sensor data and the time of generating the trigger signal. ### Claim 15 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: sequentially storing at least one of a plurality of sensor data records in a sensor data buffer and a plurality of position data records in a position data buffer. ### Claim 16 An apparatus for generating positional sensor data of a coordinate measuring device, the apparatus comprising: at least one sensor; at least one device configured to determine a position of the at least one sensor; at least one evaluation device; the at least one sensor being configured to generate sensor data points, at least one sensor data record, and trigger signals having a trigger frequency; the at least one sensor data record including at least one sensor data point and at least one sensor data time; the at least one position data time and the at least one position data point being simultaneously captured; the trigger signal being transmitted to the at least one device configured to determine the position of the at least one sensor; the at least one device configured to determine the position of the at least one sensor being configured to generate a position data record upon or after receiving the trigger signal; the position data record including at least one position data point and at least one position data time; and the evaluation device being configured to determine an assignment of the at least one position data point to the at least one sensor data point by matching the at least one sensor data time and the at least one position data time and to generate a positional sensor data record, the positional sensor data record including at least one sensor data point and a position data point assigned to the at least one sensor data point, wherein the at least one position data time and the at least one sensor data time are defined in a common time system. ### Claim 17 An apparatus for generating positional sensor data of a coordinate measuring device, the apparatus comprising: at least one sensor; at least one device configured to determine a position of the at least one sensor; at least one evaluation device; the at least one sensor being configured to generate sensor data points and trigger signals having a trigger frequency; a sensor evaluation device configured to generate at least one sensor data record; the at least one sensor data record including at least one sensor data point and at least one sensor data time; the at least one position data time and the at least one position data point being simultaneously captured; the trigger signal being transmitted to the at least one device configured to determine the position of the at least one sensor; the at least one device configured to determine the position of the at least one sensor being configured to generate a position data record upon or after receiving the trigger signal; the position data record including at least one position data point and at least one position data time; and the evaluation device being configured to determine an assignment of the at least one position data point to the at least one sensor data point depending onby matching the at least one sensor data time and the at least one position data time and to generate a positional sensor data record, the positional sensor data record including at least one sensor data point and a position data point assigned to the at least one sensor data point, wherein the at least one position data time and the at least one sensor data time are defined in a common time system.