METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR LOCALIZING AND MAPPING THE POSITION OF A SET OF POINTS ON A DIGITAL MODEL

• US 20080177411A1
• Filed: 01/23/2007
• Published: 07/24/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/23/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Freeman, Philip L., Riegel, Christopher G., Marsh, Joseph C.
• Granted Patent: US 7,627,447 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/110
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30164 Workpiece; Machine component
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/0006 using a design-rule based approach
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/75 involving models

Abstract

A computer implemented method, apparatus and computer usable program product for mapping a position of a physical point on a digital model. The method comprises receiving sensor data for the physical point from a sensor unit and correlating a position of the physical point to the digital model. The computer implemented method calculates an alignment probability for the correlated position and then compares the calculated value to a stored threshold value. If the alignment probability for the correlated position does exceed the predetermined threshold probability, an aligned position is formed. An aligned position of the physical point is stored relative to the digital model, responsive to a store map location command.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for locating defects, the computer implemented method comprising:

receiving sensor data for a defect on a manufactured object;

correlating a location of the defect on the manufactured object to a location on a digital model of the manufactured object; and

storing the sensor data for the defect in a database in association with the location on the digital model.

2. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the sensor data includes an image of the defect.

3. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the manufactured object is an airplane object.

4. A computer implemented method for mapping a set of physical points to a digital model, the computer implemented method comprising:

receiving sensor data for the set of physical points from a sensor unit to form received sensor data; and

aligning the received sensor data from the sensor unit to a set of place-identifiers in the digital model, wherein a position of the set of physical points is correlated to the digital model to form a correlated position.

5. The computer implemented method of claim 4, wherein if an alignment probability for the correlated position exceeds a predetermined threshold probability, an aligned position is formed, and wherein if the alignment probability for the correlated position does not exceed the predetermined threshold probability an unaligned position is formed.

6. The computer implemented method of claim 5 wherein, responsive to a store map location command, storing the aligned position of the set of physical points relative to the digital model.

7. The computer implemented method of claim 4 further comprising:

a simultaneous localization and mapping module.

8. The computer implemented method of claim 4, wherein the sensor unit is comprised of one or more of a laser triangulation system, an acoustical localizer, an accelerometer, or a set of video cameras.

9. The computer implemented method of claim 4, wherein the sensor unit is a compact device unit, in communication with a fixed data processing system.

10. The computer implemented method of claim 4, wherein the sensor unit includes a laser pointer.

11. The computer implemented method of claim 8, wherein the sensor unit is a compact device unit comprising a data processing system and an interactive display.

12. The computer implemented method of claim 4, wherein the sensor unit is one of remotely controlled or autonomously controlled.

13. A computer program product comprising:

a computer usable medium including computer usable program code for mapping a position of a physical point on a digital model, the computer program product including;

computer usable program code for receiving sensor data for the physical point from a sensor unit;

computer usable program code for correlating a position of the physical point to the digital model, wherein correlating the position of the physical point to the digital model is accomplished by aligning the sensor data from the sensor unit to place-identifiers in the digital model, thereby forming a correlated position;

computer usable program code for calculating an alignment probability for the correlated position;

computer usable program code for comparing the alignment probability for the correlated position to a predetermined threshold probability, wherein if the alignment probability for the correlated position exceeds the predetermined threshold probability, an aligned position of the physical point is formed, and wherein if the alignment probability for the correlated position does not exceed the predetermined threshold probability an unaligned position is formed; and

computer usable program code for storing the aligned position of the physical point relative to the digital model, responsive to a store map location command.

14. The computer program product of claim 13, further comprising:

a simultaneous localization and mapping module.

15. The computer program product of claim 13, further comprising:

computer usable program code, wherein the physical point is a defect and the digital model is of a manufactured object.

16. The computer program product of claim 13, further comprising:

computer usable program code, wherein the sensor unit is comprised of an image sensor and an accelerometer.

17. The computer program product of claim 13, further comprising:

computer usable program code, wherein the sensor unit is a compact device unit, in communication with a fixed data processing system.

18. The computer program product of claim 13, further comprising:

computer usable program code, wherein the sensor unit includes a laser pointer.

19. The computer program product of claim 13, further comprising:

a compact device unit comprising;

the sensor unit;

a data processing system; and

an interactive display.

20. The computer program product of claim 13, further comprising:

computer usable program code, wherein the sensor unit is remotely controlled.

21. An apparatus comprising:

a sensor unit, wherein the sensor unit comprises an image sensor and an accelerometer;

a digital model;

a bus system;

a communications system connected to the bus system;

a memory connected to the bus system, wherein the memory includes a set of instructions; and

a processing unit connected to the bus system, wherein the processing unit executes the set of instructions to receive sensor data for the physical point from the sensor unit, to correlate a position of the physical point to the digital model, wherein correlation of the position of the physical point to a digital model is accomplished by aligning sensor data from the sensor unit to place-identifiers in the digital model, thereby forming a correlated position, to calculate an alignment probability for the correlated position, to compare the alignment probability for the correlated position to a predetermined threshold probability, wherein if the alignment probability for the correlated position exceeds the predetermined threshold probability, an aligned position of the physical point is formed, and responsive to a save aligned position command, to store the aligned position of the physical point relative to the digital model.

22. The apparatus of claim 21, further comprising:

a simultaneous localization and mapping module.

23. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the physical point is a defect and the digital model is of a manufactured part.

24. The apparatus of claim 21, further comprising a compact device unit comprising:

the sensor unit;

a laser pointer;

a data processing system; and

an interactive display;

25. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the sensor unit is remotely controlled.