SURFACE DATA ACQUISITION, STORAGE, AND ASSESSMENT SYSTEM

• US 20170227942A1
• Filed: 01/27/2017
• Published: 08/10/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/16/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ectoscan Systems , LLC
• Original Assignee: Ectoscan Systems , LLC
• Inventors: Thomson, Paul, Gerlach, Adam R., Walker, Bruce
• Granted Patent: US 11,281,176 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 11/24 for measuring contours or curvatures
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 21/20 for measuring contours or curvatures, e.g. determining profile
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/0426 Programming the control sequence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/32217 Finish defect surfaces on workpiece
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30004 Biomedical image processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/00 Image analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/75 involving models

Abstract

A surface data acquisition, storage, and assessment system for detecting and quantifying similarities or differences between stored data and data collected from a scan. The system operates to scan features of an object and weighs various parameters and utilizing fuzzy logic makes a recommendation.

Claims

1. A surface data acquisition, storage, and assessment system for analyzing certain features of the object, said system comprising:

one or more sensing components that operates to scan one or more features of the object and takes one or more measurements of said one or more features, wherein said features consist of color, temperature, texture, size, spatial dimensions, contour, curvature, softness, roughness, shininess/gloss, infrared signature, electrical vectors/flux, magnetic field strength/vector/flux, dynamic rebound, flexibility, spatial phase characteristics; and

a data analysis software module having software that operates to identify and weigh one or more parameters for each said one or more features and make a comparison of said one or more measurements of said one or more features to stored reference data and uses said comparison and said weighted one or more parameters to make a recommendation relating to the object.

2. The surface data acquisition, storage, and assessment system of claim 1 wherein said one or more sensing components operate to scan a surface of the object and wherein said data analysis software module operates to align the surface with said stored reference data.

3. The surface data acquisition, storage, and assessment system of claim 1 wherein said comparison is a point to point comparison with said stored reference data.

4. The surface data acquisition, storage, and assessment system of claim 1 wherein said data analysis module operates to calculate said recommendation using fuzzy logic for the condition or operation of the object.

5. The surface data acquisition, storage, and assessment system of claim 1 wherein said one or more measurements are surface measurements of surface features selected from the list consisting of color, temperature, texture, size, shape, spatial dimensions, contour, curvature, softness, roughness, shininess/gloss, infrared signature, electrical vectors/flux, magnetic field strength/vector/flux, dynamic rebound, spatial phase characteristics, measurements derived from spatial phase characteristics, and flexibility.

6. The surface data acquisition, storage, and assessment system of claim 1 wherein said recommendation identifies said object.

7. The surface data acquisition, storage, and assessment system of claim 1 wherein said reference data is obtained from one or more scans of the object using one or more sensing devices.

8. The surface data acquisition, storage, and assessment system of claim 1 wherein the object is a mechanical object performing a mechanical operation.

9. The surface data acquisition, storage, and assessment system of claim 1 wherein the object is a biological object.

10. The surface data acquisition, storage, and assessment system of claim 1 wherein the object is a medical condition.

11. The surface data acquisition, storage, and assessment system of claim 1 wherein the object is an artifact, a geographical object, or an agricultural object.

12. The surface data acquisition, storage, and assessment system of claim 1 wherein said system operates in conjunction with a robotic manufacturing system such that said recommendation operates to modify the operation of the robotic manufacturing system.

13. The surface data acquisition, storage, and assessment system of claim 1 wherein said sensing components comprise one or more scanning devices selected from the list consisting of visible light cameras, infrared cameras, infrared detectors, ultraviolet cameras, ultraviolet detectors, x-ray detectors, high-energy detectors, radio wave detectors, microwave detectors, structured light detectors, glossmeters, colorimeters, radiation dosimeters, reflectometers, microphomes, sound capturing devices, calipers, sensing wires, sensing probes, laser distance measuring devices, contour measuring devices, and strain gages.

14. The surface data acquisition, storage, and assessment system of claim 1 wherein said recommendation identifies the likely creator of the object or authenticates the creator of the object.

15. The surface data acquisition, storage, and assessment system of claim 1 wherein said recommendation identifies measurements of features that are outside allowable tolerances.

16. The surface data acquisition, storage, and assessment system of claim 1 wherein said recommendation operates to direct a mechanical operation to place the object in proper orientation for an assembly.

17. A surface data acquisition, storage, and assessment system for analyzing certain features of the object, said system comprising:

one or more sensing components that operates to scan a surface of the object and take one or more measurements of one or more features of the surface, wherein said features consist of color, temperature, texture, size, spatial dimensions, contour, curvature, softness, roughness, shininess/gloss, infrared signature, electrical vectors/flux, magnetic field strength/vector/flux, dynamic rebound, flexibility, spatial phase characteristics; and

a data analysis software module having software that operates to align the surface with reference data and comparing said one or more measurements of said one or more features of the surface with one or more reference parameters and uses said comparison to make a recommendation relating to the object.

18. The surface data acquisition, storage, and assessment system of claim 17 wherein said data analysis software module using said comparison utilizes fuzzy logic to make said recommendation.

19. The surface data acquisition, storage, and assessment system of claim 17 wherein said recommendation is used in assessing a medical condition.

20. The surface data acquisition, storage, and assessment system of claim 17 wherein said recommendation is used in assessing a manufacturing operation.

21. The surface data acquisition, storage, and assessment system of claim 17 wherein said data analysis software module operates to make a three dimensional image of the surface showing said one or more features of the surface and a three dimensional image using said reference data and makes a recommendation using differences between, said three dimensional image of the surface and said three dimensional image created with said reference data.