VOICE ACTUATED AND OPERATOR VOICE PROMPTED COORDINATE MEASURING SYSTEM

• US 20090306990A1
• Filed: 06/04/2008
• Published: 12/10/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/04/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Johnson, Daniel P., Brodie, Mike, Compton, Grant, Elly, Arthur III, Brooks, Hugh, Vandervoort, Doug
• Application Number:
  US12/132,679
• Publication Number:
  US 20090306990A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 704/275
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 11/03 by measuring coordinates of points
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 21/04 by measuring coordinates of points
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 5/008 using coordinate measuring machines
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 7/008 using coordinate measuring machines
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/26 Speech to text systems G10L15/08 takes precedence

Abstract

A vehicle coordinate measuring system and method including a coordinate measuring device operably connected to a computer, and a voice input device for receiving prompts from the computer and enabling an operator to transmit responses to the prompts to the computer, with the computer adapted to translate the responses to digital information. The coordinate measuring device may record and transmit point location data to the computer, and the computer may correlate the point location data from the coordinate measuring device with the digital information from the responses.

Claims

1. A vehicle coordinate measuring system comprising:

a coordinate measuring device operably connected to a computer; and

a voice input device for receiving prompts from said computer and enabling an operator to transmit responses to said prompts to said computer, said computer adapted to translate said responses to digital information,

wherein said coordinate measuring device records and transmits point location data to said computer, and said computer correlates said point location data from said coordinate measuring device with said digital information from said responses.

2. A vehicle coordinate measuring system according to claim 1, further comprising a voice output device which receives instructions from a pre-programmed scanning routine, translates said instructions into vocal commands or queries, and transmits said voice commands or queries from a speaker.

3. A vehicle coordinate measuring system according to claim 2, wherein said voice input and output devices wirelessly transmit to/from said computer.

4. A vehicle coordinate measuring system according to claim 2, wherein said voice input and output devices wirelessly transmit to/from said coordinate measuring device.

5. A vehicle coordinate measuring system according to claim 1, wherein said coordinate measuring device wirelessly transmits to/from said computer.

6. A vehicle coordinate measuring system according to claim 1, wherein said voice input device is a headset including a microphone and a radio frequency receiver/transmitter, said computer having a radio frequency receiver/transmitter.

7. A vehicle coordinate measuring system according to claim 1, wherein said voice input device is a microphone connected to said computer.

8. A vehicle coordinate measuring system according to claim 1, wherein said coordinate measuring device is a multi-axis measuring arm with a touchpoint tip for measuring tip location.

9. A vehicle coordinate measuring system according to claim 1, wherein said coordinate measuring device is a laser scanner.

10. A method of measuring coordinates, the method comprising:

programming a computer with coordinate measuring routines for known objects;

providing a coordinate measuring system including a coordinate measuring device, voice input and output devices, and a computer;

querying an operator, through voice queries generated by the programmed computer, for a type of object;

selecting a matching object from known objects;

querying the operator, through voice queries generated by the programmed computer, to measure at least one feature of the object;

measuring the at least one feature;

providing a voice command to the computer stating completion of the at least one feature measurement;

providing a voice command to the computer stating completion of the object measurement; and

storing measurement information by correlating measurement data from the coordinate measuring device with digital information from the voice command upon completion of the at least one feature measurement.

11. A method according to claim 10, wherein the voice input and output devices wirelessly transmit to/from the computer.

12. A method according to claim 10, wherein the voice input and output devices wirelessly transmit to/from the coordinate measuring device.

13. A method according to claim 10, wherein the coordinate measuring device wirelessly transmits to/from the computer.

14. A method of measuring coordinates, the method comprising:

providing a coordinate measuring system including a coordinate measuring device, voice input and output devices, and a computer;

querying an operator, through voice queries generated by the computer, for a type of an object to be measured;

querying the operator, through voice queries generated by the computer, to measure at least one feature of the object;

measuring the at least one feature;

providing a voice command to the computer stating completion of the at least one feature measurement;

providing a voice command to the computer stating completion of the object measurement; and

storing measurement information by correlating measurement data from the coordinate measuring device with digital information from the voice command upon completion of the at least one feature measurement.

15. A method according to claim 14, wherein the voice input and output devices wirelessly transmit to/from the computer.

16. A method according to claim 14, wherein the voice input and output devices wirelessly transmit to/from the coordinate measuring device.

17. A method according to claim 14, wherein the coordinate measuring device wirelessly transmits to/from the computer.