# US 11,441,294 B2 · Measurement system, work machine, and measurement method

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- Number: US 11,441,294 B2
- Document ID: US11441294B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 16/332,829
- Filed: 2017-10-30
- Published: 2019-11-28
- Granted: 2022-09-13
- Earliest claimed: 2016-10-31
- Assignees: Komatsu Ltd.
- Applicants: Komatsu Ltd.
- Inventors: Shun Kawamoto; Hiroyoshi Yamaguchi; Taiki Sugawara
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11441294B2

## CPC

- E02F 9/24: Safety devices {, e.g. for preventing overload (E02F9/226 takes precedence)}
- E02F 9/264: {Sensors and their calibration for indicating the position of the work tool}
- G01B 11/24: for measuring contours or curvatures
- G01C 11/04: Interpretation of pictures
- G01S 5/163: {Determination of attitude (using inertial means G01C9/00; control of attitude G05D1/49)}
- G01S 19/14: specially adapted for specific applications
- G01S 19/485: {whereby the further system is an optical system or imaging system}
- G06T 7/593: from stereo images
- G06T 7/77: using statistical methods
- G06T 2207/10012: Stereo images
- G06T 2207/30164: Workpiece; Machine component
- E02F: DREDGING; SOIL-SHIFTING (winning peat E21C49/00)
- G01B: MEASURING LENGTH, THICKNESS OR SIMILAR LINEAR DIMENSIONS; MEASURING ANGLES; MEASURING AREAS; MEASURING IRREGULARITIES OF SURFACES OR CONTOURS
- 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)
- G01S: RADIO DIRECTION-FINDING; RADIO NAVIGATION; DETERMINING DISTANCE OR VELOCITY BY USE OF RADIO WAVES; LOCATING OR PRESENCE-DETECTING BY USE OF THE REFLECTION OR RERADIATION OF RADIO WAVES; ANALOGOUS ARRANGEMENTS USING OTHER WAVES
- G06T: IMAGE DATA PROCESSING OR GENERATION, IN GENERAL

## Abstract

A measurement system includes an imaging unit mounted to a swing body of a work machine to image a shape around the work machine, a position detection unit which determines a position of the swing body, an imaging unit position calculation unit which calculates a position of the imaging unit when the imaging unit performs imaging while the swing body swings, and a three-dimensional position calculation unit which determines a three-dimensional position around the work machine during the imaging, on the basis of a position of the imaging unit calculated by the imaging unit position calculation unit.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A measurement system comprising:
an imaging unit mounted to a swing body of a work machine to image a shape around the work machine;
a position detection unit implemented in an antenna for global navigation satellite systems (GNSS) and configured to determine a position of the swing body;
an imaging unit position calculation unit implemented in a processor and configured to calculate a position of the imaging unit when the imaging unit performs imaging during swinging operation of the swing body; and
a three-dimensional position calculation unit implemented in a processor and configured to determine a three-dimensional position around the work machine during the imaging, on the basis of the position of the imaging unit calculated by the imaging unit position calculation unit,
wherein the imaging unit position calculation unit calculates a swing angle of the swing body of the work machine during imaging performed by the imaging unit, and calculates the position of the imaging unit when the imaging unit performs imaging during swinging operation of the swing body based on the swing angle of the swing body,
the three-dimensional position calculation unit determines a three-dimensional position of the surrounding of the work machine by using the swing angle of the swing body during the imaging, a position of the work machine determined by the position detection unit while the swing body is at rest before swinging, and an attitude of the work machine determined while the swing body is at rest before swinging, and results captured by the imaging unit at a plurality of positions in a swinging direction of the swing body,
wherein the imaging unit position calculation unit calculates the position of the imaging unit on the bases of a plurality of common portions, between a plurality of two-dimensional images captured by the imaging unit during swinging operation of the work machine, by using a least squares method.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The measurement system according to claim 1, further comprising
a common portion extraction unit implemented in a processor and configured to determine the common portion between the plurality of two-dimensional images captured by the imaging unit during swinging operation of the work machine,
wherein the imaging unit position calculation unit calculates the position of the imaging unit when the imaging unit performs imaging.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The measurement system according to claim 1, wherein
the imaging unit position calculation unit uses the position of the swing body before swinging operation of the swing body or the position of the swing body after swinging operation of the swing body to correct the position of the imaging unit when the imaging unit performs imaging.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The measurement system according to claim 1, wherein
the imaging unit position calculation unit uses a swing angle of the swing body before swinging operation of the swing body and a swing angle of the swing body after swinging operation of the swing body to correct the swing angle of the swing body during swinging operation.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The measurement system according to claim 1, wherein
the three-dimensional position calculation unit combines a plurality of three-dimensional positions around the work machine obtained during swinging operation of the swing body.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

A work machine comprising the measurement system according to claim 1.

### Claim 7

A measurement method comprising:
providing an antenna for global navigation satellite systems (GNSS) for position detection;
calculating a position of an imaging unit during imaging performed by the imaging unit attached to a swing body mounted to a work machine during swinging operation of the swing body, wherein calculating a swing angle of the swing body of the work machine during imaging performed by the imaging device, and calculating a position of the imaging unit when the imaging unit performs imaging during swinging operation of the swing body based on the swing angle of the swing body; and
determining a three-dimensional position around the work machine during the imaging, on the basis of the calculated position of the imaging unit,
a three-dimensional position calculation unit determines a three-dimensional position of the surrounding of the work machine by using the swing angle of the swing body during the imaging, a position of the work machine determined by a position detection unit while the swing body is at rest before swinging, and an attitude of the work machine determined while the swing body is at rest before swinging, and results captured by the imaging unit at a plurality of positions in a swinging direction of the swing body,
wherein a imaging unit position calculation unit calculates the position of the imaging unit on the bases of a plurality of common portions, between a plurality of two-dimensional images captured by the imaging unit during swinging operation of the work machine, by using a least squares method.

### Claim 8 (depends on 3)

The measurement system according to claim 3, wherein
the imaging unit position calculation unit uses a swing angle of the swing body before swinging operation of the swing body and a swing angle of the swing body after swinging operation of the swing body to correct the swing angle of the swing body during swinging operation.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The measurement system according to claim 1, wherein the swing angle of the swing body between adjacent images is set to have a magnitude large enough to have an overlapping portion between adjacent images.

### Claim 10 (depends on 7)

The measurement system according to claim 7, wherein the swing angle of the swing body between adjacent images is set to have a magnitude large enough to have an overlapping portion between adjacent images.