Apparatus and method for tracking a raised edge without shadow interference

Claim 2

Apparatus for tracking the raised edge of an object, said raised edge having an inner side facing inwardly of the object and an outer side facing outwardly of the object, comprising: means for supporting the object with the raised edge on a smooth surfaced member; tracking means mounted above said surfaced member for selected motion with respect thereto and operable to follow the edge of the object; means for determining the direction of motion of said tracking means during the edge following operation; and illuminating means capable of directing light from different positions toward either side of the raised edge and responsive to the direction determining means to selectively illuminate segments of the raised edge being followed from positions selected to direct light toward the outer side of the edge.

Claim 3

Apparatus according to claim 1 including means to record data defining said raised edge.

Claim 4

Apparatus according to claim 2 wherein said recording means includes a digital encoder.

Claim 5

Apparatus according to claim 2 wherein said tracking means is mounted for motion along orthogonal X and Y axes.

Claim 6

Apparatus according to claim 4 wherein said tracking means comprises an optical head having an optical axis which intersects a coordinate grid defined on the surfaced member by the orthogonal X and Y axes at the raised edge and which defines in the grid four conventional quadrants movable with the head.

Claim 7

Apparatus according to claim 5 wherein the illuminating means includes four light sources mounted for motion with said optical head, each of said light sources being located respectively above one of the four quadrants and oriented to direct a light beam toward the optical axis at the intersection with the raised edge of the object on said surfaced member.

Claim 8

Apparatus according to claim 6 wherein said light sources are oriented and directed so that their respective illumination zones against said supporting means lie principally in the quadrant above which the light source itself is located and extend beyond the optical axis so that the illumation zones overlap in an area in which said optical axis is located.

Claim 9

Apparatus according to claim 7 wherein said light sources comprise lights positioned remotely from said optical head and optical tubes extend between the lights and regions immediately above the respective quadrants.

Claim 10

Apparatus according to claim 8 wherein: the tracking means includes drive means and scanning means to determine the location of said raised edge and to provide signals to the drive means to cause motion of said scanning means selectively along said X and Y axes to thereby follow said raised edge; said means to determine the direction of motion determines the motion of said scanning means relative to said four quadrants; and said illuminating means includes means to turn on one of the light sources positioned over a quadrant on the exposed surface of the surfaced member adjacent the raised edge.

Claim 13

The method according to claim 10 and including the step of recording data defining the object edge so followed.

Claim 16

The method according to claim 12 and including the further step of recording data defining the object edge followed.

Claim 17

The method according to claim 12 wherein said Follower head is an optical head having an optical axis intersecting the object edge being followed during the edge following operation, and wherein the projected light is provided from light sources positioned above quadrants defined by the orthogonal axes at the intersection of the optical axis and the object edge being followed, and wherein the light sources are selectively directed to project light beams whose axes intersect the optical axis and the line portion or the object edge presently being scanned.

Claim 18

The method according to claim 12 wherein the step of projecting comprises projecting light inwardly toward the object edge portion from outside of the object.

Claim 19

Line follower apparatus for tracking lines adjacent the raised edge of an object comprising: means to support the raised edge object on a support surface; follower means mounted for motion along X and Y axes and having a reference axis orthogonal to the X and Y axes; means to translate said follower means along said line either in a clockwise or a counterclockwise direction about the object and with the reference axis intersecting the line and cooperating with the orthogonal axes to define four conventional quadrants moving with the follower means; means to establish the movement of said follower means with respect to the quadrants at each point along the line during the follower operation; and means to illuminate said line at each point tracked from a light source located away from the object and with light beams from the source directed toward the line without casting shadows from the raised edge of the object over the line and into one of the quadrants exposed on the support surface adjacent the object.

Claim 20

Line follower apparatus for tracking lines adjacent the raised edge of an object comprising: means to support the raised edge object on a support surface; follower means mounted for motion along X and Y axes and having a reference axis orthogonal to the X and Y axes; means to translate said follower means along said line either in a clockwise or a counterclockwise direction about the object and with the reference axis intersecting the line and cooperating with the orthogonal axes to define four conventional quadrants moving with the follower means; means to establish the movement of said follower means with respect to the quadrants at each point along the line during the follower operation; and means to illuminate said line at each point tracked from a light source located away from the object and with light beams from the source directed toward the line without casting shadows from the raised edge of the object over the line and into one of the quadrants exposed on the support surface adjacent the object.

Claim 21

Apparatus according to claim 16 wherein said follower means is an optical follower means and said referenced axis is an optical axis.

Claim 22

Apparatus according to claim 17 wherein the movement establishing means comprises apparatus to detect the direction in which said optical follower means is moving relative to said X and Y axes during the follower operation.

Claim 23

Apparatus according to claim 18 wherein said means to illuminate comprises four light sources positioned respectively above each of the four quadrants and oriented to direct a beam of light toward the optical axis at its point of intersection with the line.

Claim 24

Apparatus according to claim 19 wherein the axes of the beams of light form an angle less than 90* with said flat support surface.

Claim 25

Apparatus according to claim 19 further including means to record information defining the shape of the line in response to follower means motion therealong.

Claim 28

Apparatus to track the raised edge of an object comprising: means for supporting the object on a surfaced member; follower means mounted above said surfaced member for selected motion with respect thereto and operable to follow the edge of the supported object; means for determining the location of said follower means with respect to the object edge being followed during the edge following operation; and means responsive to follower means locations so determined to selectively illuminate the edge of the object at the portion being followed to elimInate shadows from the raised edge on the surfaced member.

Claim 29

Apparatus to track the raised edge of an object comprising: means for supporting the object on a surfaced member; follower means mounted above said surfaced member for selected motion with respect thereto and operable to follow the edge of the supported object; means for determining the location of said follower means with respect to the object edge being followed during the edge following operation; and means responsive to follower means locations so determined to selectively illuminate the edge of the object at the portion being followed to elimInate shadows from the raised edge on the surfaced member.

Claim 30

Apparatus according to claim 23 and including means to record data defining said object edge.

Claim 31

Apparatus according to claim 23 wherein said follower means is mounted for motion along orthogonal X and Y axes.

Claim 32

Apparatus according to claim 25 wherein said follower means is an optical follower having an optical axis which intersects axes parallel to said orthogonal X and Y axes at the point of intersection of the optical axis and object edge being followed to define four conventional right angled quadrants on the surfaced member centered at the intersection.

Claim 33

Apparatus according to claim 26 wherein the illuminating means includes four light sources mounted for motion with said optical follower, one of said light sources being located above one of said quadrants and oriented to direct a light beam toward the object edge such that the light beam axis intersects said optical axis generally at the intersection of said object edge being followed and said surfaced member.

Claim 34

Apparatus according to claim 27 wherein said one of the light sources is oriented and directed so that its illumination zone on the surfaced member lies principally in the quadrant above which the light source is located and extends beyond the optical axis.

Claim 35

Apparatus according to claim 28 wherein said one of the light sources includes a light member positioned remotely from said optical follower and an optical tube having one end adjacent the light member and an opposite end selectively positioned with respect to said optical follower and its optical axis to define said illumination zone.

Claim 36

Apparatus according to claim 29 including means to drive said follower means and wherein said follower means includes scanning means to determine the location of said object edge and to provide signals to the follower drive means to cause motion of said follower means selectively along said X and Y axes to thereby cause the follower means to follow said edge.