Spatially-Aware Tool System

• US 20200134877A1
• Filed: 11/13/2019
• Published: 04/30/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Milwaukee Electric Tool Corporation (Techtronic Industries Company Limited)
• Original Assignee: Milwaukee Electric Tool Corporation (Techtronic Industries Company Limited)
• Inventors: Gould, Samuel A., Carey, Kellen, Caelwaerts, Michael John, Mueckl, Gareth J., Hoppe, Christopher S., Jones, Benjamin T.
• Granted Patent: US 11,170,538 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/13 Architectural design, e.g. computer-aided architectural design [CAAD] related to design of buildings, bridges, landscapes, production plants or roads
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/00 2D [Two Dimensional] image generation
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 19/006 Mixed reality object pose determination, tracking or camera calibration for mixed reality G06T7/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30244 Camera pose
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2210/04 Architectural design, interior design
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/70 Determining position or orientation of objects or cameras camera calibration G06T7/80
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/73 using feature-based methods
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/3179 Video signal processing therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/3194 including sensor feedback

Abstract

The systems described in this disclosure can be used in construction settings to facilitate the tasks being performed. The location of projectors and augmented reality headsets can be calculated and used to determine what images to display to a worker, based on a map of work to be performed, such as a construction plan. Workers can use spatially-aware tools to make different locations be plumb, level, or equidistant with other locations. Power to tools can be disabled if they are near protected objects.

Claims

1. A method of displaying information from a construction plan comprising:

electronically tracking a location and an orientation of an object;

calculating a spatial relationship between a construction plan and the location and the orientation of the object;

generating augmentation data based on the spatial relationship between the construction plan and the location and the orientation of the object; and

displaying an image that is representative of the augmentation data.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the image includes a representative image of a construction object within the construction plan, and wherein the construction object is selected from a group consisting of a door, a window, an appliance, and an electrical outlet.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the representative image is selected from a group consisting of a generic image of the construction object and a schematic representation of the construction object.

4. The method of claim 3 further comprising:

receiving a command to toggle between displaying the generic image of the construction object and displaying the schematic representation of the construction object.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein displaying the image comprises projecting the representative image of the construction object on a physical location that indicates an intended location of the construction object according to the construction plan.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

identifying physical locations that correspond to a landscape that the image is projected on; and

calculating relationships between the construction plan and the physical locations that correspond to the landscape;

wherein generating the augmentation data is further based on the relationships between the construction plan and the physical locations that correspond to the landscape.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

transmitting a signal to disable a function of the object based on the spatial relationship between the construction plan and the location and the orientation the object.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the object comprises a first object, the method further comprising:

receiving information that is representative of a location of a physical object;

comparing the information that is representative of the location of the physical object to the location and the orientation of the first object; and

as a result of the comparing, transmitting a signal to disable a function of the first object.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the object is handled by a first user, and wherein the augmentation data is provided to a second user located remotely relative to the first user.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the object comprises a handheld projector, and wherein displaying the image comprises the handheld projector projecting the image representative of the augmentation data, and wherein the handheld projector alters the image as a result of detecting a change in at least one of the location of the handheld projector and the orientation of the handheld projector.

11. A method of tracking a construction tool within a frame of reference comprising:

receiving a first indication to calculate a first location of a construction tool;

calculating the first location of the construction tool as a result of receiving the first indication;

receiving a second indication to calculate a second location of the construction tool;

calculating the second location of the construction tool as a result of receiving the second indication;

generating a positional frame of reference based on the first location and the second location of the construction tool;

tracking a third location and an orientation of the construction tool within the positional frame of reference;

comparing the third location and the orientation of the construction tool relative to the positional frame of reference;

calculating relative characteristics of the construction tool based on the comparing;

generating augmentation data based on the relative characteristics; and

providing the augmentation data to a user.

12. The method of claim 11, the method further comprising:

calibrating the construction tool before calculating the first location and the second location.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein providing the augmentation data comprises a headset displaying an image that includes an augmented image based on the augmented data.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein providing the augmentation data comprises projecting an augmented image based on the augmented data.

15. The method of claim 11 further comprising:

receiving a plurality of indications to mark a plurality of locations of the construction tool;

generating supplemental augmentation data based on the plurality of locations; and

providing the supplemental augmentation data to the user.

16. A method of displaying information from a construction plan comprising:

tracking a location and an orientation of a first object;

tracking a location and an orientation of a second object;

calculating a location and an orientation of a third object based on the location and the orientation of the first object and the location and the orientation of the second object;

calculating a relationship between a construction plan and the location and the orientation of the third object;

generating augmentation data based on the relationship between the construction plan and the location and the orientation of the third object; and

displaying an image that is representative of the augmentation data.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein displaying the image comprises projecting an augmented image.

18. The method of claim 16 comprising:

calculating a location and an orientation of a fourth object based on the location and the orientation of the third object;

calculating a second relationship between the construction plan and the location and the orientation of the fourth object;

generating augmentation data based on the second relationship between the construction plan and the location and the orientation of the fourth object; and

displaying the augmentation data to a user.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the image includes a representative image of an construction object within the construction plan, wherein the construction object is selected from a group consisting of a door, a window, an appliance, and an electrical outlet.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein the third object comprises a projector that projects the image that is representative of the augmentation data, the method further comprising:

calculating a location and an orientation of a fourth object based on the location and the orientation of the first object and the location and the orientation of the second object;

calculating a second relationship between the construction plan and the location and the orientation of the fourth object;

generating second augmentation data based on the second relationship between the construction plan and the location and the orientation of the fourth object; and

displaying a second image representative of the second augmentation data.