US5362970A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Method and apparatus for electro-optically determining the dimension, location and attitude of objects
Assignee: LMI Technologies Inc
•
Filing: 1993-09-21
•
Granted: 1994-11-08
•
Expires: 2013-09-21
Abstract
Abstract This invention discloses method and apparatus for optically determining the dimension of part surfaces. Particular embodiments describe optical triangulation based coordinate measurement machines capable of accurate measurement of complex surfaces, such as gear teeth and turbine blades. Other embodiments provide highly useful sensors for robot guidance and related purposes. Up to 5 axis sensing capability is provided on surfaces of widely varying form.
Inventors
- 👤 Timothy R. Pryor
- 👤 Bernard S. Hockley
- 👤 Nick Liptay-Wagner
- 👤 Omer L. Hageniers
- 👤 W. J. Pastorius
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-09 18:51
CPC Classifications
G; G01; G01S; G01S17/00; G01S17/02; G01S17/06; G01S17/46; G01S17/48; G01B; G01B11/00; G01B11/002; G01B11/24; G01B11/2416; G01B11/245; G01S17/87; G01S17/88; G01S17/89; G01S7/00; G01S7/48; G01S7/481; G01S7/4811; G01S7/4813; G01S7/491
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 89
Claim 1
Independent Claim
101 words
A sensor for determining range to the surface of an object comprising: a light source comprising a laser diode; focusing means for focussing radiation from said laser diode to a zone on said surface; means for detecting light reflected from the object surface, said detecting means comprising a plurality of light detecting elements; means for exposing said detecting means to the reflected light for a preselected exposure time; means for reading the data from the detector means caused by exposure of the detector means to said light; and means for processing the data to determine the range to said object surface.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
101 words
A sensor for determining range to the surface of an object comprising: a light source comprising a laser diode; focusing means for focussing radiation from said laser diode to a zone on said surface; means for detecting light reflected from the object surface, said detecting means comprising a plurality of light detecting elements; means for exposing said detecting means to the reflected light for a preselected exposure time; means for reading the data from the detector means caused by exposure of the detector means to said light; and means for processing the data to determine the range to said object surface.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
21 words
A sensor as recited in claim 1, further comprising imaging means for imaging light from said surface onto said detecting elements.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
29 words
A sensor as recited in claim 1, further comprising means for varying said predetermined exposure time as a function of light detected by said detecting elements from said surface.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
22 words
A sensor as recited in claim 1, wherein said exposing means includes means for controlling the integration time of said detecting elements.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
18 words
A sensor as recited in claim 1, further comprising means for controlling the intensity of said light source.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
20 words
A sensor as recited in claim 5, said controlling means capable of varying light intensity over a range of 1000:1.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
18 words
A sensor as recited in claim 4, further comprising means for controlling the intensity of said light source.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
30 words
A sensor as recited in claim 7, wherein said controlling means and said exposing means accommodate variations in light reflected from surface over range of up to 10 5 :1.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
18 words
A sensor as recited in claim 1, wherein said exposing means maximizes the reading rate of said sensor.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
17 words
A sensor as recited in claim 1, wherein said light detecting elements are arranged in a line.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
17 words
A sensor as recited in claim 1, wherein said light detecting elements are arranged in a circle.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
21 words
A sensor as recited in claim 1, wherein said detecting means comprise a matrix of parallel lines of said detecting elements.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
28 words
A sensor as recited in claim 1, wherein a plurality of sensor heads are used to determine range to said object surface at multiple points on said surface.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
28 words
A sensor as recited in claim 2, wherein the centroid of said zone imaged on said detecting means is resolved finer than the spacing of said detecting elements.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
21 words
A sensor as recited in claim 1, wherein said data from said detecting elements is stored in a temporary data storage.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
34 words
A sensor as recited in claim 15, wherein said data in said temporary data storage is read out and processed to provide feedback to said exposing means of variations in light from said surface.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
13 words
A sensor as recited in claim 1, wherein said zone is a spot.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
13 words
A sensor as recited in claim 1, wherein said zone is a line.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
26 words
A sensor as recited in claim 1, wherein said focusing means focuses said light to a zone having a width less than or equal to 0.005".
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
27 words
A sensor as recited in claim 2, wherein said detecting elements are in a plane which is at an angle to the axis of said imaging means.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
18 words
A sensor as recited in claim 1, further comprising means for linearizing the output of said processing means.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
20 words
A sensor as recited in claim 1, further comprising means for averaging the value of multiple readings of said surface.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
21 words
A sensor as recited in claim 1, further comprising means for eliminating readings of said surface outside of a predetermined range.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
16 words
A sensor as recited in claim 1, further comprising a microcomputer to control said exposure time.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
19 words
A sensor as recited in claim 1, further comprising means for controlling the integration time of said detecting elements.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
27 words
A sensor as recited in claim 1, wherein said detecting elements are scanned in sequence, and including means for controlling the scan rate of said detecting elements.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
26 words
A sensor as recited in claim 26, said controlling means further comprising software to control the scan rate of said detecting elements within an individual scan.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
26 words
A sensor as recited in claim 24, further comprising means for controlling light energy delivered to said zone by said light source during said exposure time.
Claim 30
Dependent Claim
17 words
A sensor as recited in claim 28, wherein said light energy controlling means optimizes detector response speed.
Claim 31
Dependent Claim
40 words
A sensor as recited in claim 28, wherein said light energy controlling means detects light from said zone on said surface and said amount detected is used to control said light on subsequent exposures of said plurality of detecting elements.
Claim 32
Dependent Claim
26 words
A sensor as recited in claim 28, wherein said light energy controlling means includes an additional detector to detect light from said zone on said surface.
Claim 33
Dependent Claim
24 words
A sensor as recited in claim 1, wherein said processing means further comprises means for smoothing the signal produced by scanning said detecting elements.
Claim 34
Dependent Claim
28 words
A sensor as recited in claim 1, wherein said processing means further comprises means for determining the centroid of light in said zone reflected to said detecting elements.
Claim 35
Dependent Claim
30 words
A sensor as recited in claim 1, further comprising means for comparing said data from said detecting means with a threshold to determine if said data is acceptable for processing.
Claim 36
Dependent Claim
21 words
A sensor as recited in claim 1, wherein the clock rate of the readout of said detecting elements is held constant.
Claim 37
Dependent Claim
32 words
A sensor as recited in claim 2, wherein said zone imaged from said surface onto said detecting means is sufficiently small that it does not fall upon all of said detecting elements.
Claim 38
Dependent Claim
18 words
A sensor as recited in claim 2, wherein the magnification of said imaging means is at least 2:1.
Claim 39
Dependent Claim
33 words
A sensor as recited in claim 1, further comprising means for determining the location of the center of light falling on said detecting means by less than the width of a detecting element.
Claim 40
Dependent Claim
130 words
Sensor for determining range to the surface of an object comprising: a light source comprising a laser diode; focusing means for focussing radiation from said laser diode to a zone on said surface; means for imaging light reflected by said surface from said zone; detecting means for detecting light in said image reflected from the object surface; output means for providing an output from said detecting means indicative of the location of said image of said zone; means for controlling said laser diode and said detecting means to enable operation over a wide range of surface conditions; means for reading the data from said detection means; processing means for processing the data to determine the range to the object surface; and means for linearizing the output of said processing means.
Claim 41
Dependent Claim
130 words
Sensor for determining range to the surface of an object comprising: a light source comprising a laser diode; focusing means for focussing radiation from said laser diode to a zone on said surface; means for imaging light reflected by said surface from said zone; detecting means for detecting light in said image reflected from the object surface; output means for providing an output from said detecting means indicative of the location of said image of said zone; means for controlling said laser diode and said detecting means to enable operation over a wide range of surface conditions; means for reading the data from said detection means; processing means for processing the data to determine the range to the object surface; and means for linearizing the output of said processing means.
Claim 42
Dependent Claim
19 words
A sensor as recited in claim 39, further comprising means for controlling light intensity output by said light source.
Claim 43
Dependent Claim
17 words
A sensor as recited in claim 40, wherein said light intensity controlling means optimizes detector response speed.
Claim 44
Dependent Claim
41 words
A sensor as recited in claim 40, wherein said light intensity controlling means detects light from said zone on said surface and the amount of detected light is used to control said light intensity on subsequent readings of said detecting means.
Claim 45
Dependent Claim
27 words
A sensor as recited in claim 40, wherein said light intensity controlling means further comprises an additional means for detecting light from said zone on said surface.
Claim 46
Dependent Claim
30 words
A sensor as recited in claim 39, further comprising means for comparing said data from said detector means with a threshold to determine if said data is acceptable for processing.
Claim 47
Dependent Claim
29 words
A sensor as recited in claim 40, wherein said zone imaged by said imaging means is sufficiently small that it does not fall upon all of said detecting elements.
Claim 48
Dependent Claim
18 words
A sensor as recited in claim 39, wherein the magnification of said imaging means is at least 2:1.
Claim 49
Dependent Claim
25 words
A sensor as recited in claim 40, wherein a plurality of sensor heads are used to determine range to said object surface at multiple points.
Claim 50
Dependent Claim
21 words
A sensor as recited in claim 40, wherein said data from said detecting means is stored in a temporary data storage.
Claim 51
Dependent Claim
31 words
A sensor as recited in claim 40, wherein said data in said temporary data storage is read out and processed to further deal with variations in light reflected from said surface.
Claim 52
Dependent Claim
19 words
A sensor as recited in claim 40, wherein said light source and said detecting means are within a housing.
Claim 53
Dependent Claim
16 words
A sensor as recited in claim 47, further comprising a microcomputer to control said range sensor.
Claim 54
Dependent Claim
26 words
A sensor as recited in claim 51, wherein said microcomputer accommodates variations in light reflected from said surface over range of up to 10 5 :1.
Claim 55
Dependent Claim
23 words
A sensor as recited in claim 51, said microcomputer capable of varying light intensity of said light source over a range of 1000:1.
Claim 56
Dependent Claim
18 words
A sensor as recited in claim 39, wherein said focusing means focuses said light to 0.005" or less.
Claim 57
Dependent Claim
27 words
A sensor as recited in claim 39, wherein said detecting means is in a plane which is at an angle to the axis of said imaging means.
Claim 58
Dependent Claim
23 words
A sensor as recited in claim 39, further comprising means for averaging the value of multiple readings from a location on said surface.
Claim 59
Dependent Claim
18 words
A sensor as recited in claim 39, further comprising means for eliminating data outside of a predetermined range.
Claim 60
Dependent Claim
20 words
A sensor as recited in claim 39, further comprising means for controlling the light gathering time of said detecting means.
Claim 61
Dependent Claim
116 words
A sensor for determining range to the surface of an object comprising: laser light source means for projecting a zone of light onto an object surface; imaging means for imaging said zone on said surface onto a detection means, said means comprising a plurality of light detecting elements in an array, said image occupying less than the number of elements in said array; means for controlling the light gathered by said detection means from said zone image; means for reading the data from said detection means; means for processing data from said detection means to determine the range to said object surface; and means for linearizing the output of said processing means over the sensor range.
Claim 62
Dependent Claim
116 words
A sensor for determining range to the surface of an object comprising: laser light source means for projecting a zone of light onto an object surface; imaging means for imaging said zone on said surface onto a detection means, said means comprising a plurality of light detecting elements in an array, said image occupying less than the number of elements in said array; means for controlling the light gathered by said detection means from said zone image; means for reading the data from said detection means; means for processing data from said detection means to determine the range to said object surface; and means for linearizing the output of said processing means over the sensor range.
Claim 63
Dependent Claim
72 words
A high resolution triangulation sensor for measuring range to a surface comprising: a laser; means for focussing said laser light to a small zone on said surface; means for imaging said zone on said surface onto a zone image position sensing detector; smoothing and averaging means to obviate speckle and other surface roughness effects in said image; and means for determining from the output of said detector, the range to said surface.
Claim 64
Dependent Claim
72 words
A high resolution triangulation sensor for measuring range to a surface comprising: a laser; means for focussing said laser light to a small zone on said surface; means for imaging said zone on said surface onto a zone image position sensing detector; smoothing and averaging means to obviate speckle and other surface roughness effects in said image; and means for determining from the output of said detector, the range to said surface.
Claim 65
Dependent Claim
15 words
A sensor as recited in claim 60, wherein said imaged zone is less than 0.005".
Claim 66
Dependent Claim
20 words
A sensor as recited in claim 60, wherein said smoothing and averaging means includes a wide image position sensing detector.
Claim 67
Dependent Claim
16 words
A sensor as recited in claim 60, wherein said detector is of width greater than 0.01".
Claim 68
Dependent Claim
31 words
A sensor as recited in claim 60, wherein said detector is a photodetector array and said smoothing and averaging means includes a filter to filter the video signal from said array.
Claim 69
Dependent Claim
23 words
A sensor as recited in claim 60, wherein said smoothing and averaging means is employed with an imaging means having a large aperture.
Claim 70
Dependent Claim
23 words
A sensor as recited in claim 64, wherein said determination is made to a resolution finer than one element of said photodetector array.
Claim 71
Dependent Claim
25 words
A sensor as recited in claim 60, further comprising a microcomputer to control the operation of said sensor and linearize the data from said detector.
Claim 72
Dependent Claim
72 words
A high resolution triangulation sensor for measuring range to a surface comprising: a laser light source; means for focussing said laser light to a small zone on said surface; means for imaging said zone on said surface onto a zone image position sensing detector; means for determining, from the output of said detector, the range to said surface; and means for linearizing the output of said sensor over its range of operation.
Claim 73
Dependent Claim
72 words
A high resolution triangulation sensor for measuring range to a surface comprising: a laser light source; means for focussing said laser light to a small zone on said surface; means for imaging said zone on said surface onto a zone image position sensing detector; means for determining, from the output of said detector, the range to said surface; and means for linearizing the output of said sensor over its range of operation.
Claim 74
Dependent Claim
15 words
A sensor as recited in claim 68, wherein said imaged zone is less than 0.005".
Claim 75
Dependent Claim
14 words
A sensor as recited in claim 68, wherein said detector is a photodetector array.
Claim 76
Dependent Claim
23 words
A sensor as recited in claim 70, wherein said range is determined to a resolution finer than one element of said photodetector array.
Claim 77
Dependent Claim
16 words
A sensor as recited in claim 68, wherein said laser light source is a diode laser.
Claim 78
Dependent Claim
111 words
A high resolution triangulation sensor for measuring range to a surface comprising: a laser light source; means for focussing said laser light to a small zone on said surface; means for imaging, at a magnification of at least 2:1, said zone on said surface onto a photodetector array, said array being in a plane at an angle with respect to the axis of said imaging means; means for determining, from the output of said detector array, the position of said image of said zone to a resolution finer than an element of said photodetector array; and processing means for determining, from said position of said zone, the range to said surface.
Claim 79
Dependent Claim
111 words
A high resolution triangulation sensor for measuring range to a surface comprising: a laser light source; means for focussing said laser light to a small zone on said surface; means for imaging, at a magnification of at least 2:1, said zone on said surface onto a photodetector array, said array being in a plane at an angle with respect to the axis of said imaging means; means for determining, from the output of said detector array, the position of said image of said zone to a resolution finer than an element of said photodetector array; and processing means for determining, from said position of said zone, the range to said surface.
Claim 80
Dependent Claim
15 words
A sensor as recited in claim 73, wherein said zone is focused to under 0.005".
Claim 81
Dependent Claim
22 words
A sensor as recited in claim 73, further comprising means for linearizing the output of said sensor over its range of operation.
Claim 82
Dependent Claim
13 words
A sensor as recited in claim 73, wherein said angle is between 30°-50°.
Claim 83
Dependent Claim
96 words
A high resolution triangulation sensor for measuring range to a surface comprising: a laser light source; means for focussing said laser to a small zone on said surface; means for imaging said zone on said surface onto a photodetector array, said array operating with a variable integration time; means for filtering the output of said array; processing means for determining, from said filtered output, the position of said zone to a resolution finer than an element of said photodetector array; and means for determining, from the output of said processing means, the range to said surface.
Claim 84
Dependent Claim
96 words
A high resolution triangulation sensor for measuring range to a surface comprising: a laser light source; means for focussing said laser to a small zone on said surface; means for imaging said zone on said surface onto a photodetector array, said array operating with a variable integration time; means for filtering the output of said array; processing means for determining, from said filtered output, the position of said zone to a resolution finer than an element of said photodetector array; and means for determining, from the output of said processing means, the range to said surface.
Claim 85
Dependent Claim
15 words
A sensor as recited in claim 77, wherein said zone is focused less than 0.005".
Claim 86
Dependent Claim
22 words
A sensor as recited in claim 77, further comprising means for linearizing the output of said sensor over its range of operation.
Claim 87
Dependent Claim
19 words
A sensor as recited in claim 77, wherein the angular spacing of projection and imaging axes is between 30°-50°.
Claim 88
Dependent Claim
121 words
A sensor for determining a range to the surface of an object comprising: a light source comprising a laser diode; focusing means for focussing radiation from said laser diode to a zone on said surface; means for imaging light reflected by said surface from said zone; detecting means for detecting light in said image reflected from said surface; means for providing an output from said detecting means indicative of the location of said image of said zone; means for reading the data from the detecting means; processing means for processing the data to determine the range to the object surface; and output means for providing a trigger signal when the object surface is in a predetermined position relative to said sensor.
Claim 89
Dependent Claim
121 words
A sensor for determining a range to the surface of an object comprising: a light source comprising a laser diode; focusing means for focussing radiation from said laser diode to a zone on said surface; means for imaging light reflected by said surface from said zone; detecting means for detecting light in said image reflected from said surface; means for providing an output from said detecting means indicative of the location of said image of said zone; means for reading the data from the detecting means; processing means for processing the data to determine the range to the object surface; and output means for providing a trigger signal when the object surface is in a predetermined position relative to said sensor.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1997-11-07 | 1998-05-09 | 1998-11-08 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2001-11-07 | 2002-05-09 | 2002-11-08 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2005-11-07 | 2006-05-09 | 2006-11-08 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |