Method and system for determining surface profile information
First Claim
1. A system for determining profile information from the surface of an object, comprising:
- an optical beam source for generating an optical beam for application to the surface;
means for receiving a reflected optical beam from the surface;
means for splitting said received reflected optical beam into a first portion and a second portion;
optical detecting means for producing a first signal and a second signal in response to the magnitude of said first portion and said second portion, respectively; and
processing means for determining the profile of said surface in response to the respective magnitudes of successive first and second signals wherein said processing means divides a difference of the first and second signals by the sum of the first and second signals to derive a beam position signal.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A system determines the surface profile of an object. Systems of this kind are used in industrial robots, such as automatic welders. The severe operating environment requires a vision system with noise immunity along with accuracy. A beam splitter enables the use of discrete optical detectors which eliminate many problems inherent with previously used detectors, such as diode arrays and TV cameras. Additionally, an automatic gain control alters the intensity of a generated optical beam in response to the reflectivity of the surface. These features increase the accuracy and noise immunity of an optical vision system for use in sever industrial applications.
36 Citations
29 Claims
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1. A system for determining profile information from the surface of an object, comprising:
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an optical beam source for generating an optical beam for application to the surface; means for receiving a reflected optical beam from the surface; means for splitting said received reflected optical beam into a first portion and a second portion; optical detecting means for producing a first signal and a second signal in response to the magnitude of said first portion and said second portion, respectively; and processing means for determining the profile of said surface in response to the respective magnitudes of successive first and second signals wherein said processing means divides a difference of the first and second signals by the sum of the first and second signals to derive a beam position signal. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. A system for determining profile information from the surface of an object, comprising:
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an optical beam source for generating an optical beam for application to the surface; means for receiving a reflected optical beam from the surface, and applying the reflected optical beam onto an image plane; a variable beam splitter being adapted to receive the reflected optical beam from the image plane and pass a first portion of said beam and reflect a second portion of said beam; optical detecting means for producing a first signal and a second signal in response to the magnitude of said first portion and said second portion, respectively; and processing means for determining the position of said reflected optical beam on said variable beam splitter in response to said first and second signals wherein said processing means divides a difference of the first and second signals by the sum of the first and second signals to derive a beam position signal. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29)
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Specification