Target based determination of robot and sensor alignment
AssigneeSensor Adaptive Machines, Inc.
InventorTimothy R. Pryor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Target based machine vision useful for alignment of sensors and other objects affixed to structures, robots and the like. While addressed particularly to alignment of machine vision systems relative to structures, the techniques disclosed are useful with a multitude of different sensors and objects.
Claims22
A method of aligning a member with an object, comprising the steps of:
- providing, in a computer, a data base of said object, said data base for providing a reference derived from the data base relating to a position of a surface portion of said object,
- positioning the member to be aligned in an approximate location with respect to the reference,
- providing an electro-optical means for determining a location of said member with respect to said reference,
- determining said location of said member with said electro-optical means, and
- using said location of said member and a location of said reference for generating instructions for a better alignment of the approximately aligned member.
A method for aligning an electro-optical means relative to a data base of an object, a surface portion of which object is to be subsequently measured with said sensor, comprising the steps of:
- mounting said sensor in an approximate position to measure the surface portion of said object,
- placing a reference discernable by said sensor at a known position of the surface portion relative to said data base of the object,
- measuring a location of a datum of the reference with said sensor, and
- aligning said sensor to the location of the datum.
Apparatus for aligning an electro-optical sensor relative to a data base of an object, a surface portion of which object is to be measured with said sensor, comprising:
- mounting means for positioning said sensor in an approximate position to measure the surface portion of said object,
- a datum discernable by said sensor,
- datum holding means for holding said datum at a known position of the surface portion relative to said data base,
- means for determining from a sensor output of said sensor, a location of said datum with respect to said sensor,
- computer means for combining said datum location as measured by said means for determining with the datum location of said data base of the object to provide a computer output indicative of a difference thereof, and
- means for generating alignment instructions from said computer output.
Apparatus for aligning a member with an object, comprising:
- an object data base in a computer,
- reference generating means for generating a reference derived from said data base indicative of a position of a surface portion of said object in said data base,
- positioning means for positioning a member to be aligned in an approximate location with respect to the reference,
- electro-optical means for determining a location of said member with respect to said reference, and
- computer means which uses said data base and the location of said member determined by said electro-optical means for generating instructions for a better aligning of the approximately aligned said member.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.