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US 11,326,879 B2Granted
Inclinometer-based surface profilometry
AssigneeAppareo Systems, LLC
InventorMarshall T. Bremer
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A profiling machine includes an inclinometer and a displacement sensor. The inclinometer is configured to sense an incline of the profiling machine on a surface relative to the acceleration vector of gravity. The displacement sensor is configured to sense the distance that profiling machine has traversed along the surface. The profiling machine is configured to calculate and generate a surface profile of the surface based on incline data from the inclinometer and displacement data from the displacement sensor.
Claims18
A surface profiling machine comprising:
- a body;
- a contact point configured to support the body on a surface;
- an inclinometer supported by the body, the inclinometer configured to sense an angular displacement relative to an acceleration vector of gravity;
- a displacement sensor supported by the body, the displacement sensor configured to sense displacement of the profiling machine relative to the surface;
- wherein the displacement sensor is an optical sensor comprising a camera and a light source, wherein each of the camera and light source is mounted to the surface profiling machine.
2 more elements
An ice resurfacing system comprising:
- an ice resurfacing machine;
- and
- a surface profiling machine comprising:
- a body;
- a contact point configured to support the body on a surface, the surface being an ice sheet;
- an inclinometer supported by the body, the inclinometer configured to sense an angular displacement relative to an acceleration vector of gravity;
- a displacement sensor supported by the body, the displacement sensor configured to sense displacement of the profiling machine relative to the surface;
- wherein the displacement sensor is an optical sensor comprising a camera and a light source, wherein each of the camera and light source is mounted to the surface profiling machine;
- wherein the inclinometer is configured to generate incline data and the displacement sensor is configured to generate displacement data;
- wherein surface profile information is generated based on the incline data generated by the inclinometer and based on the displacement data generated by the displacement sensor;
- wherein the ice resurfacing machine is configured to adjust at least one of a position of a blade and a volume of water sprayed based on the surface profile information.
8 more elements
A method comprising:
- traversing a surface with a profiling machine;
- sensing, by an inclinometer mounted on the profiling machine, an incline of the profiling machine relative to an acceleration vector of gravity, and sensing, by a displacement sensor, a displacement of the profiling machine relative to the surface, wherein the displacement sensor is an optical sensor comprising a camera and a light source, wherein each of the camera and light source is mounted to the surface profiling machine;
- and
- generating surface profile information based on the incline data and the displacement data.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.