Retroreflective marker-tracking systems
AssigneeNorthern Digital Inc.
InventorsBradley J. McCloy, Georg Brunner
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A marker-tracking system includes an object, a marker illuminating device, a marker sensing device, and a computing device. The object includes a first retroreflective marker having a shape that is substantially defined by two spherical caps of different radii that are disposed substantially concentric in relation to one another. The marker illuminating device substantially illuminates the first retroreflective marker, the marker sensing device detects the illuminated first retroreflective marker and generates first data indicative of the location of the illuminated first retroreflective marker in space, and the computing device processes the first data generated by the marker sensing device to determine a position and/or orientation of the object in space.
Claims43
A system comprising:
- an object to be tracked including a first retroreflective marker having a substantially spherical shape comprising a first spherical cap having a first diameter and a second spherical cap having a second diameter greater than the first diameter, the first spherical cap and the second spherical cap being disposed substantially concentric in relation to one another, a split line defining a plane that intersects the caps, wherein the second spherical cap terminates at the split line,
- a portion of a surface of an outer edge of at least one of the first and second spherical caps having a reflective material, thereby providing retroreflection from the marker;
- a marker illuminating device configured to illuminate the first retroreflective marker;
- a marker sensing device configured to detect the illuminated first retroreflective marker and for generating first data indicative of the location of the illuminated first retroreflective marker in space;
- and
- a computing device configured to process the first data generated by the marker sensing device to determine a position of the object in space.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.