Patent EP0107820A2 successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
EP0107820A2
Expired / Lapsed
EP
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Robot vision system
Assignee: Hitachi Ltd
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Filing: 1983-10-05
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2003-10-05
Abstract
Abstract A method and an apparatus for detecting the position and posture of an object (5, 9, 10) are characterized by two planar light beams (3a, 3b) alternately projected on the object (5, 9, 10) to be handled and intersection lines (A, B) formed between the two planar light beams (3a, 3b) and the object (5, 9, 10) which are imaged by a single image pickup device (2) positioned between the two planar light beams (3a, 3b).A bright line occurring at a junction between an edge of the object and an intersection line is separated, extracted and transformed into an actual coordinate in a three dimensional coordinate system (x, y, z) by referring to corresponding relationships between the actual coordinate system (x, y, z) and a scanning coordinate system (i, j) so that the position and posture of the object (5, 9, 10) are detected in three dimensions.
Inventors
- 👤 Takanori Ninomiya
- 👤 Yasuo Nakagawa
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-25 14:38
CPC Classifications
G; G01; G01B; G01B11/00; B; B25; B25J; B25J19/00; B25J19/02; B25J19/021; B25J19/023; G01S; G01S17/00; G01S17/02; G01S17/06; G06; G06T; G06T1/00; G06T1/0014
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 30
Claim 1
Independent Claim
104 words
An apparatus for detecting the position and posture of an object, comprising: means (1a, 1b) for alternately projecting two intersecting planar light beams (3a, 3b) upon an object (5, 9, 10); means (2) positioned between the planar light beams, for forming two-dimensional images from intersection (A, B ) of said planar light beams and said object; means (14) coupled to said forming means, for extracting scanning coordinates of said intersections; and means (15, 16, 17) coupled to said extracting means, for computing three dimensional actual coordinates from said scanning coordinates whereby the position and posture of said object is described by said actual coordinates.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
104 words
An apparatus for detecting the position and posture of an object, comprising: means (1a, 1b) for alternately projecting two intersecting planar light beams (3a, 3b) upon an object (5, 9, 10); means (2) positioned between the planar light beams, for forming two-dimensional images from intersection (A, B ) of said planar light beams and said object; means (14) coupled to said forming means, for extracting scanning coordinates of said intersections; and means (15, 16, 17) coupled to said extracting means, for computing three dimensional actual coordinates from said scanning coordinates whereby the position and posture of said object is described by said actual coordinates.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
21 words
The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said forming means has a single image pickup device (2) for forming the two-dimensional images.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
16 words
The apparatus of claim 2, wherein said two intersecting planar light beams (3a, 3b) intersect orthogonally.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
33 words
The apparatus of claim 3, wherein said forming means has a detection portion having an optical axis positioned on a plane equally dividing an angle included between the planar light bearms (3a, 3b).
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
16 words
The apparatus of claim 4, wherein said detection portion has an areal solid-state image sensor (19).
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
18 words
The apparatus of claim 5, wherein said projecting means (1a,lb ) has a plurality of light emitting diodes.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
26 words
The apparatus of claim 2, further comprising: means (20) for transmitting said three dimensional actual coordinates to a controller (22) of a device supporting said apparatus.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
35 words
The apparatus of claim 7,wherein a straight line formed by the intersection of said planar light beams is in co-axial alignment with an axis of rotation (12) of a rotatable member (18) of the device.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
14 words
The apparatus of claim 8, wherein said two intersecting planar light beams intersect orthogonally.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
30 words
The apparatus of/claim 9, wherein said forming means has a detection portion having an optical axis positioned on a plane equally dividing an angle including between the planar light beams.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
16 words
The apparatus of claim 10, wherein said direction portion has an areal solid-state image sensor (19).
Claim 13
Independent Claim
203 words
An apparatus for detecting the position and posture of an object, comprising: a first light source (1a) to project a first planar light beam (3a) toward an object (5, 9, 10); a second light source (1b) to project toward said object a second planar light beam (3b) intersecting the first planar light beam; an image pickup device (2) positioned between the planes of said light beams to form in a two dimensional coordinate system images of intersection lines projected upon said object (5, 9, 10) by said light beams (3a, 3b); means (13) for alternately energizing said first and second light sources; a light segment extracting circuit (14) coupled to said pickup device (2) to scan said images and detect scanning coordinates of edges of said object '(5, 9, 10) along the intersection lines; a memory device (16) to store corresponding relationships between said two dimensional coordinate system and a three dimensional actual coordinate system; and a computing device (15) using the corresponding relationships to determine from said scanning coordinates actual coordinates of said edges in said three dimensional coordinate system and thereby provide an indication of the position and posture of said object (5, 9, 10) in said three dimensional coordinate system.
Claim 14
Independent Claim
203 words
An apparatus for detecting the position and posture of an object, comprising: a first light source (1a) to project a first planar light beam (3a) toward an object (5, 9, 10); a second light source (1b) to project toward said object a second planar light beam (3b) intersecting the first planar light beam; an image pickup device (2) positioned between the planes of said light beams to form in a two dimensional coordinate system images of intersection lines projected upon said object (5, 9, 10) by said light beams (3a, 3b); means (13) for alternately energizing said first and second light sources; a light segment extracting circuit (14) coupled to said pickup device (2) to scan said images and detect scanning coordinates of edges of said object '(5, 9, 10) along the intersection lines; a memory device (16) to store corresponding relationships between said two dimensional coordinate system and a three dimensional actual coordinate system; and a computing device (15) using the corresponding relationships to determine from said scanning coordinates actual coordinates of said edges in said three dimensional coordinate system and thereby provide an indication of the position and posture of said object (5, 9, 10) in said three dimensional coordinate system.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
25 words
The apparatus of claim 12, wherein said scanning coordinates are provided to said computing device (15) solely by said single light segment extracting circuit (14).
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
21 words
The apparatus of claim 13, wherein said first planar light beam (3a) and said second planar light beam (3b) intersect orthogonally.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
39 words
The apparatus of claim 14, wherein said image pickup device (2) has an optical axis (8c) positioned on a plane equally dividing an angle included between said first planar light beam (3a) and said second planar light beam (3b).
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
17 words
The apparatus of claim 15, wherein said image pickup device (2) has an areal solid-state image sensor.(19)
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
29 words
The apparatus fo claim 16, wherein said first and second light sources (1a 1b) contain a plurality of light emitting diodes generating said first and second planar light beams.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
24 words
The apparatus of claim 13, further comprising: means (20) for transmitting said actual coordinates to a controller (22) of a device supporting said apparatus.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
43 words
The apparatus of claim 18, wherein a straight line formed by the intersection of said first planar light beam and said second planar light beam is in co-axial alignment with an axis of rotation (12) of a rotatable member (18) of the device.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
19 words
The apparatus of claim 19, wherein said first planar light beam and said second planar light beam intersect orthogonally.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
37 words
The apparatus of claim 20, wherein said image pickup device (2) has an optical axis (8c) positioned on a plane equally dividing an angle included between said first planar light beam and said second planar light beam.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
17 words
The apparatus of claim 21, wherein said image pickup device has an areal solid-state image sensor (19).
Claim 25
Independent Claim
110 words
A method of detecting the position and posture of an object, comprising the steps of: alternately projecting toward an object a first planar light beam and a second planar light beam inter- . secting the plane of said first light beam; producing in a two dimensional coordinate system images of intersection lines formed on said object by said light beams; extracting sets of scanning coordinates of edges of said object from sail images of said intersection lines; and computing in a three dimensional coordinate system actual coordinates of said object from the sets of said scanning coordinates by using corresponding relationships between said two dimensional and three dimensional coordinate systems.
Claim 26
Independent Claim
110 words
A method of detecting the position and posture of an object, comprising the steps of: alternately projecting toward an object a first planar light beam and a second planar light beam inter- . secting the plane of said first light beam; producing in a two dimensional coordinate system images of intersection lines formed on said object by said light beams; extracting sets of scanning coordinates of edges of said object from sail images of said intersection lines; and computing in a three dimensional coordinate system actual coordinates of said object from the sets of said scanning coordinates by using corresponding relationships between said two dimensional and three dimensional coordinate systems.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
14 words
The method of Claim 23, wherein said images are produced by a single photo-responsive.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
27 words
The method of Claim 24, further comprising: storing the corresponding relationships in a memory; and reading said corresponding relationships from said memory while computing said actual coordinates.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
39 words
The method of Claim 25, wherein said step of projecting includes a step of alternately energizing a first light source which projects the first planar light beam and a second light source which projects the second planar light beam.
Claim 30
Dependent Claim
85 words
The method of Claim 25, wherein said step of computing includes: a step of computing an approximate central position of the object and an inclination of the object in an.x-direction; a step of computing an approximate central position of the object an an inclination of the object in a y-direction; and a'step of computing a central position of the object and- a distance from the apparatus to the central position of the object by using the approximate central positions and the inclination of the object.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
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