SENSOR SYSTEM PROCESSING ARCHITECTURE
First Claim
1. A system for imaging an area using a plurality of non-contact measurement optical sensors, said system comprising:
- a plurality of non-contact measurement optical sensors;
said sensors being networked with one another;
each of said sensors being substantially identical;
each of said sensors comprising a computer-readable medium having recorded thereon instructions that when executed cause the sensor to;
detect the presence of a connected network of like sensors;
accept an assignment of either of alternative roles as a managing sensor or a support sensor;
acquire images of respective portions of said area;
when said each sensor is assigned the role of a managing sensor, to combine image data from respective portions of said area that are respectively acquired by each sensor of said plurality of sensors; and
when said each sensor is assigned the role of a support sensor, to deliver to said managing sensor image data from said portion of said area that was acquired by said support sensor.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A system for imaging an area using a plurality of non-contact measurement optical sensors comprises a plurality of substantially identical sensors that detect the presence of a connected network of like sensors, accept the assignment of the role of a managing sensor or a support sensor and individually image a portion of said area. Each sensor may also individually derive image information from its image. The images or image information from each of the plurality of sensors are delivered to the managing sensor which combines them with its own image or image information and that acts as the exclusive client server for delivering the combined image or combined image information to the client.
24 Citations
59 Claims
-
1. A system for imaging an area using a plurality of non-contact measurement optical sensors, said system comprising:
-
a plurality of non-contact measurement optical sensors; said sensors being networked with one another; each of said sensors being substantially identical; each of said sensors comprising a computer-readable medium having recorded thereon instructions that when executed cause the sensor to; detect the presence of a connected network of like sensors; accept an assignment of either of alternative roles as a managing sensor or a support sensor; acquire images of respective portions of said area; when said each sensor is assigned the role of a managing sensor, to combine image data from respective portions of said area that are respectively acquired by each sensor of said plurality of sensors; and when said each sensor is assigned the role of a support sensor, to deliver to said managing sensor image data from said portion of said area that was acquired by said support sensor. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 10, 11, 12, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59)
-
-
7. A system for imaging an area using a plurality of non-contact measurement optical sensors, said system comprising:
-
a first non-contact measurement optical sensor; a second non-contact measurement optical sensor in networked communication with said first sensor; each of said first and second sensors being calibrated in relation to a common coordinate reference system; said first sensor being configured to; acquire images of a respective portion of said area; combine image content relating to respective portions of said area that is acquired by each of said first and second sensors and that is normalized to said common coordinate reference system by each of said first and second sensors; wherein said combining generates combined image content; act as a server for a client for interfacing with said client and for generating and outputting to said client user content relating to said combined image content; - View Dependent Claims (8, 9)
-
-
13. A method for imaging an area, said method comprising the steps of:
-
a first sensor being calibrated with a second sensor to operate in the same effective coordinate system; said first sensor creating a first age of a first part of said area; said second sensor creating a second image of a second part of said area; said second sensor transmitting said second image to said first sensor through a network connection between said first sensor and said second sensor; and said first sensor combining said first image and said second image to create a combined image of said area. - View Dependent Claims (14)
-
-
22. A method for imaging an area, said method comprising the steps of:
-
a first sensor being calibrated with each of one or more other sensors to operate a common effective coordinate system; said first sensor creating a first image of a first part of said area; each of said one or more other sensors creating a second image of another part of said area; each of said one or more other sensors transmitting said second image to said first sensor through a network connection between said first sensor and each of said one or more other sensors; and said first sensor combining said first image and said second images to create a combined image of said area. - View Dependent Claims (23)
-
-
24. A method for measuring a distance between a first edge and a second edge of an object, said method comprising the steps of:
-
a first sensor being placed spaced apart a known distance from a second sensor; said first sensor creating a first image of said first edge; said second sensor creating a second image of said second edge; said second sensor transmitting said second image to said first sensor through a network connection between said first sensor and said second sensor; and said first sensor calculating said distance based on said first image and said second image. - View Dependent Claims (25)
-
-
26. A method for measuring a change in an object during an interval of time, said method comprising the steps of:
-
a first sensor being placed spaced apart from a second sensor; said first sensor creating a first image of said object at a first time instance; said second sensor creating a second image of said object at a second time instance; said second sensor transmitting said second image to said first sensor through a network connection between said first sensor and said second sensor; and said first sensor determining said change in said object by subtracting said first image from said second image. - View Dependent Claims (27, 28)
-
-
29. A method for producing a differential profile of an object, said method comprising the steps of:
-
a first sensor being placed spaced apart, substantially 180 degrees opposite and in substantially an identical plane, to a second sensor, wherein said object is placed between said first sensor and said second sensor; said first sensor creating a first image of said object; said second sensor creating a second image of said object; said second sensor transmitting said second image to said first sensor through a network connection between said first sensor and said second sensor; and said first sensor combining said first image and said second image to create a differential profile of said object. - View Dependent Claims (30, 31)
-
-
32. A method for imaging an area, said method comprising the steps of:
-
networking a plurality of sensors with one another, wherein each of said plurality of sensors are substantially identical; detecting, by each of said plurality of sensors, the presence of a connected network of said sensors; accepting, by one of said plurality of sensors, an assignment of a role as a managing sensor; accepting, by remainder of said plurality of sensors, an assignment of a role as a support sensor; acquiring, by each of said plurality of sensors, an image of a respective portion of said area; transmitting, by each of said support sensors to said managing sensor, said images of said respective portions of said area; and combining, by said managing sensor, said images from said support sensors and said image by said managing sensor to create a combined image of said area. - View Dependent Claims (33)
-
Specification