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US 6,550,151 B2Granted
Contour measuring device and method
OwnerDonald R. Airey, Herman Servatiusinventors
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Abstract
The disclosed invention is an improvement on the traditional measuring wheel. When the odometry information is combined with two robust attitude sensors and an on-board computer, the instrument is able to perform useful measurements such as the calculation of an area or the description of a non-linear contour, as well as the traditional distance measurements and other uses.
Claims27
A measuring device for measuring contours to scale for the description of a landscape, the device comprising
- only one measurement wheel;
- an array of three orthogonally placed attitude sensors having sensitive axes wherein said sensors measure the orientation of said device in three-dimensional space;
- a computer;
- and
- a digital odometer,
- wherein said array of attitude sensors report said orientation electronically to said computer, and wherein said digital odometer measures the distance traveled by said measurement wheel relative to an arbitrary starting point.
3 more elements
A method for measuring contours to scale for the description of a landscape, the method comprising
- providing a measuring device comprising
- only one measurement wheel;
- an array of three orthogonally placed attitude sensors having sensitive axes, wherein said sensors measure the orientation of said device in three-dimensional space;
- a computer having a sensor log;
- and
- a digital odometer, wherein said digital odometer measures the distance traveled by said measurement wheel relative to an arbitrary starting point,
- guiding said measuring device over a landscape;
- collecting sensory information data from said array of attitude sensors and said digital odometer;
- storing said sensory information in said sensor log;
- and
- transforming stored information to yield a discrete record of the locations through which said device has traveled,
- thereby measuring contours to scale for the description of a landscape.
9 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.