Device, Program Product and Computer Implemented Method for Touchless Metrology Using an Inertial Navigation System and Laser

• US 20110040425A1
• Filed: 08/13/2010
• Published: 02/17/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/14/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ipoz Systems, LLC
• Original Assignee: Ipoz Systems, LLC
• Inventors: Tink, Charles William
• Granted Patent: US 8,380,375 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/2
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/06 involving measuring of drift angle; involving correction for drift
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/1652 with ranging devices, e.g. LIDAR or RADAR
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/1656 with passive imaging devices, e.g. cameras

Abstract

A metrology device, computer program product and computer-implemented method generating survey data without having the device touch subsea objects being surveyed. The metrology device may be used with an underwater vehicle or diving personnel, and may comprise an inertial navigation system having gyroscopes to detect angular velocity and accelerometers for the detection of linear velocity and transported by an underwater robotic apparatus or diver, the inertial navigation system outputting position and orientation data of the device for storage; an aiding device for collecting image data of the subsea objects, the aiding device being positioned so that the distance and orientation between the optical scanner and the inertial navigation system is known; and a computer for using the position information and image data between a successively visited known point to determine the drift of the metrology device and to use the drift of the metrology device to correct measurements of same.

Claims

1. A metrology device for use with an underwater vehicle or diving personnel, wherein said metrology device comprises:

an inertial navigation system having gyroscopes to detect angular velocity and accelerometers for the detection of linear velocity, transported by an underwater robotic apparatus or diver, said inertial navigation system outputting position and orientation data for storage;

an aiding device for recording image data, the aiding device being configured so that the distance and orientation between the aiding device and the inertial navigation system is known;

a controller having a microprocessor and non-transitory memory, said controller receiving and storing the position and orientation data from the INS and the ranging and orientation data from the laser or similar aiding device together with time tag data indicating when the data was output from the inertial navigation system before storage and when the data was output from the aiding device, before storage;

an interface for connecting to a control center, said interface outputting the INS data and the aiding device data from the memory when such output is requested by the remote control center either in near real time, or after the survey;

a computer defining a control center computer, the control center computer having a processor and a non-transitory control memory, the control memory having computer readable instructions stored thereon that when executed cause the control center to execute the instructions of;

measuring, responsive to collecting a first subsea object data from the controller, the first subsea data including data from the INS and aiding device including first object position, range and orientation data and image data;

a second subsea object data from the controller, the second subsea data including data from the INS and aiding device including second object position, range and orientation data and image data; and

a navigated first subsea object data from the controller, the navigated first subsea object data including data from the INS and aiding device including navigated first object position, range and orientation data and image data, a difference in the position of the navigated first object position and the first object position;

calculating a drift correction for the INS using the difference between the first subsea object position and the navigated first subsea object position;

editing the position, orientation and image data for the first subsea object and the second subsea object using the drift correction; and

computing, responsive to editing the position, orientation and image data, the exact distance between the first subsea object and the second subsea object, and the difference in depth between the first subsea object and second subsea object, and the relative orientations of the first subsea object and the second subsea object.

2. A metrology device of claim 1, wherein the aiding device comprises a laser camera such as a flash laser cameras.

3. A metrology device of claim 1, wherein the aiding device comprises a laser positioned in a relationship with an optical scanner so that when a light is emitted from the laser, the scanner is in a position to determine a characteristic of a reflective light from the laser for the purpose of measuring distance and orientation to points of reflection.

4. A metrology device of claim 1, wherein the metrology device is integrated into an ROV, and the control center computer further performs the operation of:

navigating the ROV to the first subsea object, second subsea object and back to first subsea object.

5. A metrology device of claim 1, wherein the control center computer further performs the operation of:

calibrating the aiding device by measuring the exact linear and angular fixed offsets of the INS and aiding device.

6. A computer program product operable on a computer defining a control center computer, the control center computer having a processor and a non-transitory control memory, the computer program product performing a process of determining a drift of a metrology device used in surveying a plurality of subsea objects and a process of using correcting a measured position of the plurality of subsea objects using the drift, the computer program product comprising the instructions of:

measuring, responsive to collecting a first subsea object data from a metrology device controller, the first subsea data including data from an INS and an aiding device including first object position, range and orientation data and image data;

a second subsea object data from the metrology device controller, the second subsea data including data from the INS and aiding device including second object position, range and orientation data and image data; and

a navigated first subsea object data from the metrology device controller, the navigated first subsea object data including data from the INS and aiding device including navigated first object position, range and orientation data and image data, a difference in the position of the navigated first object position and the first object position;

calculating a drift correction for the INS using the difference between the first subsea object position and the navigated first subsea object position;

editing the position, orientation and image data for the first subsea object and the second subsea object using the drift correction; and

computing, responsive to editing the position, orientation and image data, the exact distance between the first subsea object and the second subsea object, and the difference in depth between the first subsea object and second subsea object, and the relative orientations of the first subsea object and the second subsea object.

7. A computer program product of claim 6, wherein the aiding device comprises a laser camera such as a flash laser cameras.

8. A computer program product of claim 6, wherein the aiding device comprises a laser positioned in a relationship with an optical scanner so that when a light is emitted from the laser, the scanner is in a position to determine a characteristic of a reflective light from the laser for the purpose of measuring distance and orientation to points of reflection.

9. A computer program product of claim 6, wherein the metrology device is integrated into an ROV, and the computer program product performs the operation of:

navigating the ROV to the first subsea object, second subsea object and back to the first subsea object.

10. A computer program product of claim 6, wherein the computer program product further performs the operation of:

calibrating the aiding device by measuring the exact linear and angular fixed offsets of the INS and aiding device.

11. A computer-implemented method for performing a process of determining a drift of a metrology device used in surveying a plurality of subsea objects and a process of using correcting a measured position of the plurality of subsea objects using the drift, the computer implemented method comprising the instructions of:

measuring, responsive to collecting a first subsea object data from a metrology device controller, the first subsea object data including data from an INS and an aiding device including first object position, range and orientation data and image data;

a second subsea object data from the metrology device controller, the second subsea data including data from the INS and aiding device including second object position, range and orientation data and image data; and

a navigated first subsea object data from the metrology device controller, the navigated first subsea object data including data from the INS and aiding device including navigated first object position, range and orientation data and image data, a difference in the position of the navigated first object position and the first object position;

calculating a drift correction for the INS using the difference between the first subsea object position and the navigated first subsea object position;

editing the position, orientation and image data for the first subsea object and the second subsea object using the drift correction; and

computing, responsive to editing the position, orientation and image data, the exact distance between the first subsea object and the second subsea object, and the difference in depth between the first subsea object and second subsea object, and the relative orientations of the first subsea object and the second subsea object.

12. A computer-implemented method of claim 11, wherein the aiding device comprises a laser camera such as a flash laser cameras.

13. A computer-implemented method of claim 11, wherein the aiding device comprises a laser positioned in a relationship with an optical scanner so that when a light is emitted from the laser, the scanner is in a position to determine a characteristic of a reflective light from the laser for the purpose of measuring distance and orientation to points of reflection.

14. A computer-implemented method of claim 11, wherein the metrology device is integrated into an ROV, and the computer-implemented method performs the operation of:

navigating the ROV to the first subsea object, second subsea object and target.

15. A computer-implemented method of claim 11, wherein the computer-implemented method further performs the operation of:

calibrating the aiding device by measuring the exact linear and angular fixed offsets of the INS and aiding device.