US5606534A
Expired / Lapsed
US
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Laser-based dimensioning system
Assignee: Quantronix Inc
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Filing: 1995-06-05
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Granted: 1997-02-25
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Expires: 2015-06-05
Abstract
Abstract A method and apparatus for measuring the dimensions and determining the three-dimensional, spatial volume of objects, particularly small objects. Reflected laser light sensors are employed. A stationary measurement embodiment of the apparatus may be employed to measure regular cuboidal objects. A dynamic or in-motion embodiment may be employed to measure the dimensions of cuboidal objects or a three-dimensional outline of objects of irregular configuration.
Inventors
- 👤 Bradley J. Stringer
- 👤 Michael K. Elwood
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-25 11:56
CPC Classifications
G; G01; G01B; G01B17/00; G01B11/00; G01B11/002; G01B11/02; G01B11/04; G07; G07B; G07B17/00; G07B17/00459; G07B17/00661; G07B2017/00685
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 49
Claim 1
Independent Claim
132 words
An apparatus for measuring an object, comprising: three light transducers, each having an emitter for emitting a light beam and a receiver offset from said emitter for receiving a reflection of said light beam associated therewith, said emitters being aimed in substantially mutually perpendicular relationship to define a three-dimensional volume of greater extent in each dimension than that of the largest object to be measured, said emitters being aimed across said volume to measure mutually perpendicular dimensions of said object; said receivers each including a light sensor for generating a signal responsive to the angle of reflection of an associated light beam from said object; and a processor for converting said light sensor signals to linear distances between said emitters and said object, and for computing the dimensions of said object therefrom.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
132 words
An apparatus for measuring an object, comprising: three light transducers, each having an emitter for emitting a light beam and a receiver offset from said emitter for receiving a reflection of said light beam associated therewith, said emitters being aimed in substantially mutually perpendicular relationship to define a three-dimensional volume of greater extent in each dimension than that of the largest object to be measured, said emitters being aimed across said volume to measure mutually perpendicular dimensions of said object; said receivers each including a light sensor for generating a signal responsive to the angle of reflection of an associated light beam from said object; and a processor for converting said light sensor signals to linear distances between said emitters and said object, and for computing the dimensions of said object therefrom.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
56 words
The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a transducer support assembly including a three-armed jig, each arm of said jig being substantially perpendicular to the other arms, and said arms joining at a common point, each light transducer being supported by one of said arms and aimed in substantially parallel relationship thereto toward said common point.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
21 words
The apparatus of claim 2, wherein two of said arms are substantially horizontally disposed and the third arm is vertically disposed.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
45 words
The apparatus of claim 3, further including a means for weighing said object including a horizontal object support platen disposed between said two horizontally disposed arms below said light transducers supported thereby, and supported by a load cell, said platen being isolated from said jig.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
24 words
The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said processor is adapted to compute the spatial volume of said object by multiplying said three measured dimensions.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
24 words
The apparatus of claim 1, further including a gain adjustment for adjusting intensity of said light beams responsive to the reflectivity of said object.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
13 words
The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said light transducers comprise laser light transducers.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
37 words
The apparatus of claim 7, wherein said emitters each comprise a laser diode, and said receivers each comprise a linear CCD array extending substantially transversely to the direction of said associated light beam emitted from said emitter.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
44 words
The apparatus of claim 8, wherein said emitters emit light beams of elliptical cross-section, and each of said emitters is oriented to emit its said light beam with the long axis of said ellipse substantially transverse to the direction of said linear CCD array.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
12 words
The apparatus of claim 7, wherein said laser light is visible light.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
18 words
The apparatus of claim 10, wherein said receiver further includes a light filter to filter out ambient light.
Claim 13
Independent Claim
140 words
An apparatus for measuring the length and width of an object, comprising: at least one light transducer having an emitter for emitting a light beam and a receiver offset from said emitter for receiving a reflection of said light beam associated therewith, said emitter being oriented to emit said light beam in substantially mutually perpendicular relationship to and across the path of a linearly-moving object traveling at a constant rate so that said light beam impinges upon said object; said receiver including a light sensor for generating signals responsive to the angle of reflection of an associated light beam from said object; and a processor for converting said light sensor signals to linear distances between said emitter and said object, and for computing the length and width of said object from said linear distances and said rate of object movement.
Claim 14
Independent Claim
140 words
An apparatus for measuring the length and width of an object, comprising: at least one light transducer having an emitter for emitting a light beam and a receiver offset from said emitter for receiving a reflection of said light beam associated therewith, said emitter being oriented to emit said light beam in substantially mutually perpendicular relationship to and across the path of a linearly-moving object traveling at a constant rate so that said light beam impinges upon said object; said receiver including a light sensor for generating signals responsive to the angle of reflection of an associated light beam from said object; and a processor for converting said light sensor signals to linear distances between said emitter and said object, and for computing the length and width of said object from said linear distances and said rate of object movement.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
114 words
The apparatus of claim 12, wherein said at least one light transducer comprises two light transducers, each having an emitter oriented to emit a light beam in substantially mutually perpendicular relationship to and across the path of said linearly-moving object so that said light beams impinge upon said object, said two light transducers being disposed on opposite sides of said path of said linearly-moving object; and wherein said processor is adapted to convert said light sensor signals from said receivers of said two light transducers to linear distances between said emitters and said object, and to compute the length and width of said object from said linear distances and said rate of object movement.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
95 words
The apparatus of claim 13, further including at least a third light transducer disposed above said path of said linearly-moving object with its emitter oriented downwardly to emit a light beam in substantially mutually perpendicular relationship to said object path so that said light beam impinges upon said object; and wherein said processor is adapted to convert said light sensor signals from the receiver of said third light transducer to linear distances between said emitter of said third light transducer and said object, and to compute the height of said object from said linear distances.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
44 words
The apparatus of claim 14, wherein said processor is adapted to convert said light sensor signals from said receivers of said light transducers to linear distances and, in combination with said rate of object movement, determine an outline of the configuration of said object.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
24 words
The apparatus of claim 12, further including a gain adjustment for adjusting intensity of said light beams responsive to the reflectivity of said object.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
17 words
The apparatus of claim 12, wherein said at least one light transducer comprises a laser light transducer.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
35 words
The apparatus of claim 17, wherein said emitter comprises a laser diode, and said receiver comprises a linear CCD array extending substantially transversely to the direction of said associated light beam emitted from said emitter.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
43 words
The apparatus of claim 18, wherein said emitter emits a light beam of elliptical cross-section, and said emitter is oriented to emit its said light beam with the long axis of said ellipse substantially transverse to the direction of said linear CCD array.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
12 words
The apparatus of claim 17, wherein said laser light is visible light.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
18 words
The apparatus of claim 20, wherein said receiver further includes a light filter to filter out ambient light.
Claim 24
Independent Claim
88 words
A method of measuring the dimensions of a three-dimensional object, comprising: placing said object with respect to a reference point; emitting three mutually-perpendicular light beams against said object from remote locations and receiving said light beams after reflection from said object at cooperative locations displaced from each of said remote emission locations; and computing said object dimensions from the degree of displacement of said reflected light beams relative to said emitted light beams and the distances from each of said light beam emission locations to said reference point.
Claim 25
Independent Claim
88 words
A method of measuring the dimensions of a three-dimensional object, comprising: placing said object with respect to a reference point; emitting three mutually-perpendicular light beams against said object from remote locations and receiving said light beams after reflection from said object at cooperative locations displaced from each of said remote emission locations; and computing said object dimensions from the degree of displacement of said reflected light beams relative to said emitted light beams and the distances from each of said light beam emission locations to said reference point.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
13 words
The method of claim 22, wherein said light beams comprise laser light beams.
Claim 27
Independent Claim
97 words
A method of measuring at least two dimensions of a three-dimensional object, comprising: moving said object linearly at a known rate along a path: emitting a first light beam from a first location on one side of said path against said object in substantially transverse orientation to movement of said object, and receiving said first light beam after reflection from said object as said object moves, at locations displaced from said first location; and computing said at least two dimensions from said known rate of object movement and said locations of receipt of said first light beam.
Claim 28
Independent Claim
97 words
A method of measuring at least two dimensions of a three-dimensional object, comprising: moving said object linearly at a known rate along a path: emitting a first light beam from a first location on one side of said path against said object in substantially transverse orientation to movement of said object, and receiving said first light beam after reflection from said object as said object moves, at locations displaced from said first location; and computing said at least two dimensions from said known rate of object movement and said locations of receipt of said first light beam.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
90 words
The method of claim 24, further comprising emitting a second light beam against said object from a second location in substantially transverse orientation to movement of said object on the opposite side of said path from said first light beam emission location, and receiving said second light beam after reflection from said object as said object moves, at locations displaced from said second location; and computing said at least two dimensions from said known rate of object movement and said locations of receipt of said first and second light beams.
Claim 30
Dependent Claim
84 words
The method of claim 25, further including determining the third dimension of said object, comprising emitting a third light beam against said object from a third location in substantially transverse orientation to movement of said object and above said path, and receiving said third light beam after reflection from said object as said object moves, at locations displaced from said third location; and computing said third dimension from said known rate of object movement and said locations of receipt of said third light beam.
Claim 31
Dependent Claim
32 words
The method of claim 26, further including determining the outline of said object from said locations of said first, second and third reflected light beams and said known rate of object movement.
Claim 32
Dependent Claim
13 words
The method of claim 24, wherein said first light beam comprises laser light.
Claim 33
Dependent Claim
13 words
The method of claim 25, wherein said second light beam comprises laser light.
Claim 34
Dependent Claim
13 words
The method of claim 26, wherein said third light beam comprises laser light.
Claim 35
Independent Claim
141 words
An apparatus for measuring three substantially mutually orthogonal dimensions of a substantially rectangular object, the apparatus comprising: at least three measuring devices, each for measuring a different one of the dimensions of the object, at least one of the measuring devices comprising a light transducer having an emitter for emitting a light beam in line with the dimension it is to measure and a receiver offset from the emitter for receiving a reflection of the emitted light beam, the receiver including a light sensor for generating a signal responsive to the angle of reflection of the emitted light beam from the object; and a processor coupled to the light transducer for converting the signal generated by the transducer's light sensor to a linear distance between the emitter and the object and for computing the dimension the transducer is to measure therefrom.
Claim 36
Independent Claim
141 words
An apparatus for measuring three substantially mutually orthogonal dimensions of a substantially rectangular object, the apparatus comprising: at least three measuring devices, each for measuring a different one of the dimensions of the object, at least one of the measuring devices comprising a light transducer having an emitter for emitting a light beam in line with the dimension it is to measure and a receiver offset from the emitter for receiving a reflection of the emitted light beam, the receiver including a light sensor for generating a signal responsive to the angle of reflection of the emitted light beam from the object; and a processor coupled to the light transducer for converting the signal generated by the transducer's light sensor to a linear distance between the emitter and the object and for computing the dimension the transducer is to measure therefrom.
Claim 37
Dependent Claim
16 words
The measuring apparatus of claim 31 wherein each of the measuring devices comprises a light transducer.
Claim 38
Dependent Claim
45 words
The measuring apparatus of claim 31 wherein each measuring device generates a signal indicative of the dimension it is to measure and wherein the processor is coupled to each measuring device to receive its signal and to compute the three dimensions of the object therefrom.
Claim 39
Dependent Claim
22 words
The measuring apparatus of claim 33 wherein the processor computes the spatial volume of the object by multiplying the three computed dimensions.
Claim 40
Dependent Claim
42 words
The measuring apparatus of claim 31 further comprising a gain adjuster coupled to the light transducer for adjusting the intensity of the light beam emitted by the emitter in response to the intensity of the light beam's reflection received by the receiver.
Claim 41
Dependent Claim
15 words
The measuring apparatus of claim 31 wherein the light transducer comprises a laser light transducer.
Claim 42
Dependent Claim
41 words
The measuring apparatus of claim 36 wherein the emitter comprises a laser diode and the receiver comprises a linear charge-coupled device array extending in a direction that is substantially orthogonal with respect to the light beam emitted by the laser diode.
Claim 43
Independent Claim
101 words
A method of measuring a dimension of a substantially rectangular object, the method comprising: positioning the object with respect to a reference point; emitting a light beam against the object from a location remote from the reference point and in line with the dimension to be measured; receiving the emitted light beam after it reflects off the object at a location displaced from the emission location; and determining the dimension to be measured from the degree of displacement of the received reflected light beam relative to the emitted light beam and the distance between the emission location and the reference point.
Claim 44
Independent Claim
101 words
A method of measuring a dimension of a substantially rectangular object, the method comprising: positioning the object with respect to a reference point; emitting a light beam against the object from a location remote from the reference point and in line with the dimension to be measured; receiving the emitted light beam after it reflects off the object at a location displaced from the emission location; and determining the dimension to be measured from the degree of displacement of the received reflected light beam relative to the emitted light beam and the distance between the emission location and the reference point.
Claim 45
Independent Claim
183 words
An apparatus for measuring two mutually orthogonal dimensions of a rectangular object moving at a known rate in a linear direction of travel, the object being oriented such that its two dimensions to be measured are askew with respect to its direction of travel, the apparatus consisting essentially of: a light transducer comprising: an emitter oriented to emit a light beam toward the moving object in substantially orthogonal relation to the object's direction of travel; and a receiver offset from the emitter for receiving a reflection of the emitted light beam from the moving object, the receiver including a light sensor for generating signals indicative of the angle of the reflected light beam with respect to the emitted light beam; and a processor coupled to the light transducer for converting light sensor signals received from the light sensor over a period of time to a set of linear distances between the emitter and the moving object over the period of time and for calculating the two dimensions to be measured from the set of linear distances and the object's known rate of travel.
Claim 46
Independent Claim
183 words
An apparatus for measuring two mutually orthogonal dimensions of a rectangular object moving at a known rate in a linear direction of travel, the object being oriented such that its two dimensions to be measured are askew with respect to its direction of travel, the apparatus consisting essentially of: a light transducer comprising: an emitter oriented to emit a light beam toward the moving object in substantially orthogonal relation to the object's direction of travel; and a receiver offset from the emitter for receiving a reflection of the emitted light beam from the moving object, the receiver including a light sensor for generating signals indicative of the angle of the reflected light beam with respect to the emitted light beam; and a processor coupled to the light transducer for converting light sensor signals received from the light sensor over a period of time to a set of linear distances between the emitter and the moving object over the period of time and for calculating the two dimensions to be measured from the set of linear distances and the object's known rate of travel.
Claim 47
Dependent Claim
45 words
The measuring apparatus of claim 39 wherein the height of the object is perpendicular to the object's direction of travel, the length and width of the object are askew with respect to the object's direction of travel, and the object's rate of travel is constant.
Claim 48
Dependent Claim
15 words
The measuring apparatus of claim 39 wherein the light transducer is a laser light transducer.
Claim 49
Dependent Claim
37 words
The measuring apparatus of claim 41 wherein the emitter comprises a laser diode and the receiver comprises a linear charge-coupled device array extending in a direction that is substantially orthogonal with respect to the emitted light beam.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2000-02-25 | 2000-08-26 | 2001-02-25 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2004-02-25 | 2004-08-26 | 2005-02-25 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2008-02-25 | 2008-08-26 | 2009-02-25 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |