MEASURING OBJECT DIMENSIONS USING MOBILE COMPUTER

• US 20140100813A1
• Filed: 01/25/2013
• Published: 04/10/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/04/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hand Held Products Incorporated (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hand Held Products Incorporated (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Inventors: Showering, Paul Edward
• Granted Patent: US 9,939,259 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 702/141
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 21/00 Measuring arrangements or details thereof, where the measuring technique is not covered by the other groups of this subclass, unspecified or not relevant
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 21/02 for measuring length, width, or thickness G01B21/10 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 15/00 Measuring acceleration; Measuring deceleration; Measuring shock, i.e. sudden change of acceleration
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 15/18 in two or more dimensions

Abstract

Devices, methods, and software are disclosed for determining dimensions of a physical object using a mobile computer equipped with a motion sensing device. In an illustrative embodiment, the mobile computer can comprise a microprocessor, a memory, a user interface, a motion sensing device, and a dimensioning program executable by the microprocessor. The processor can be in communicative connection with executable instructions for enabling the processor for various steps. One step includes initiating a trajectory tracking mode responsive to receiving a first user interface action. Another step includes tracking the mobile computer'"'"'s trajectory along a surface of a physical object by storing in the memory a plurality of motion sensing data items outputted by the motion sensing device. Another step includes exiting the trajectory tracking mode responsive to receiving a second user interface action. Another step includes calculating three dimensions of a minimum bounding box corresponding to the physical object.

Claims

1. A mobile computer comprising:

a microprocessor;

a memory;

a user interface;

a motion sensing device;

a dimensioning program executable by said microprocessor;

wherein said mobile computer running said dimensioning program is configured to initiate a trajectory tracking mode responsive to receiving a first user interface action;

wherein said mobile computer operating in said trajectory tracking mode is configured to track own trajectory along a surface of a physical object by storing in said memory a plurality of motion sensing data items outputted by said motion sensing device;

wherein said mobile computer running said dimensioning program is further configured to exit said trajectory tracking mode responsive to receiving a second user interface action; and

wherein said mobile computer running said dimensioning program is further configured to calculate at least one dimension of said physical object based on said plurality of motion sensing data items.

2. The mobile computer of claim 1, wherein said mobile computer running said dimensioning program is further configured to calculate three dimensions of at least one of:

a minimum perimeter bounding box corresponding to said physical object, a minimum surface bounding box corresponding to said physical object, a minimum volume bounding box corresponding to said physical object.

4. The mobile computer of claim 1, wherein said motion sensing device is provided by at least one accelerometer.

5. The mobile computer of claim 1, wherein said motion sensing device is provided by at least three accelerometers configured to measure proper acceleration values along at least three mutually-perpendicular directions.

6. The mobile computer of claim 1, wherein said motion sensing device is provided by a 9-DOF (degree of freedom) motion sensing unit containing a 3-axis accelerometer, a 3-axis magnetometer, and a 3-axis gyroscope.

7. The mobile computer of claim 1, wherein said motion sensing device comprises a gyroscope configured to determine orientation of said mobile computer.

8. The mobile computer of claim 1, wherein each motion sensing data item of said plurality of motion sensing data items is stored in memory along with a corresponding timestamp.

3. The mobile computer of claim A2, wherein said mobile computer running said dimensioning program is further configured to construct said minimum bounding box by cycling through all edges E_i connecting two points of a plurality of points defined by said plurality of motion sensing data items;

wherein said mobile computer running said dimensioning program is further configured, for each edge E_i, to construct a bounding box having an edge E collinear with said selected edge E_i, said bounding box further having and at least one corner coinciding with one ends of said selected edge E_i; and

wherein said mobile computer running said dimensioning program is further configured to select, among said constructed bounding boxes, one of;

a minimum perimeter bounding box corresponding to said physical object, a minimum surface bounding box corresponding to said physical object, a minimum volume bounding box corresponding to said physical object.

9. A method of estimating dimensions of a physical object by a mobile computer including a microprocessor, a memory, and a motion sensing device, said method comprising the steps of:

said mobile computer initiating a trajectory tracking mode responsive to receiving a first user interface action;

said mobile computer operating in said trajectory tracking mode tracking own trajectory along a surface of a physical object by storing in said memory a plurality of motion sensing data items outputted by said motion sensing device;

said mobile computer exiting said trajectory tracking mode responsive to receiving a second user interface action; and

said mobile computer calculating at least one dimension of said physical object based on said plurality of motion sensing data items.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein said step of calculating at least one dimension of said physical object comprises calculating three dimensions of at least one of:

a minimum perimeter bounding box corresponding to said physical object, a minimum surface bounding box corresponding to said physical object, a minimum volume bounding box corresponding to said physical object.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein said motion sensing device is provided by at least one accelerometer.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein said motion sensing device is provided by at least three accelerometers configured to measure proper acceleration values along at least three mutually-perpendicular directions.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein said motion sensing device is provided by a 9-DOF (degree of freedom) motion sensing unit containing a 3-axis accelerometer, a 3-axis magnetometer, and a 3-axis gyroscope.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein said motion sensing device comprises a gyroscope configured to determine orientation of said mobile computer.

16. The method of claim 9, wherein said step of storing in said memory a plurality of motion sensing data items comprises storing a timestamp corresponding to each motion sensing data item of said a plurality of motion sensing data items.

11. The method of claim B2, wherein said step of constructing said minimum bounding box comprises:

cycling through all edges E_i connecting two points of a plurality of points defined by said plurality of motion sensing data items;

for each edge E_i, constructing a bounding box having an edge E collinear with said selected edge E_i, said bounding box further having and at least one corner coinciding with one ends of said selected edge E_i; and

selecting, among said constructed bounding boxes, one of;

a minimum perimeter bounding box corresponding to said physical object, a minimum surface bounding box corresponding to said physical object, a minimum volume bounding box corresponding to said physical object.