Laser-based dimensioning system
First Claim
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1. An apparatus for measuring an object, comprising:
- three light transducers, each having an emitter for emitting a light beam and a receiver offset from said emitter for receiving a reflection of said light beam associated therewith, said emitters being aimed in substantially mutually perpendicular relationship to define a three-dimensional volume of greater extent in each dimension than that of the largest object to be measured, said emitters being aimed across said volume to measure mutually perpendicular dimensions of said object;
said receivers each including a light sensor for generating a signal responsive to the angle of reflection of an associated light beam from said object; and
a processor for converting said light sensor signals to linear distances between said emitters and said object, and for computing the dimensions of said object therefrom.
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Abstract
A method and apparatus for measuring the dimensions and determining the three-dimensional, spatial volume of objects, particularly small objects. Reflected laser light sensors are employed. A stationary measurement embodiment of the apparatus may be employed to measure regular cuboidal objects. A dynamic or in-motion embodiment may be employed to measure the dimensions of cuboidal objects or a three-dimensional outline of objects of irregular configuration.
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Citations
42 Claims
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1. An apparatus for measuring an object, comprising:
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three light transducers, each having an emitter for emitting a light beam and a receiver offset from said emitter for receiving a reflection of said light beam associated therewith, said emitters being aimed in substantially mutually perpendicular relationship to define a three-dimensional volume of greater extent in each dimension than that of the largest object to be measured, said emitters being aimed across said volume to measure mutually perpendicular dimensions of said object; said receivers each including a light sensor for generating a signal responsive to the angle of reflection of an associated light beam from said object; and a processor for converting said light sensor signals to linear distances between said emitters and said object, and for computing the dimensions of said object therefrom. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. An apparatus for measuring the length and width of an object, comprising:
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at least one light transducer having an emitter for emitting a light beam and a receiver offset from said emitter for receiving a reflection of said light beam associated therewith, said emitter being oriented to emit said light beam in substantially mutually perpendicular relationship to and across the path of a linearly-moving object traveling at a constant rate so that said light beam impinges upon said object; said receiver including a light sensor for generating signals responsive to the angle of reflection of an associated light beam from said object; and a processor for converting said light sensor signals to linear distances between said emitter and said object, and for computing the length and width of said object from said linear distances and said rate of object movement. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
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22. A method of measuring the dimensions of a three-dimensional object, comprising:
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placing said object with respect to a reference point; emitting three mutually-perpendicular light beams against said object from remote locations and receiving said light beams after reflection from said object at cooperative locations displaced from each of said remote emission locations; and computing said object dimensions from the degree of displacement of said reflected light beams relative to said emitted light beams and the distances from each of said light beam emission locations to said reference point. - View Dependent Claims (23)
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24. A method of measuring at least two dimensions of a three-dimensional object, comprising:
moving said object linearly at a known rate along a path; emitting a first light beam from a first location on one side of said path against said object in substantially transverse orientation to movement of said object, and receiving said first light beam after reflection from said object as said object moves, at locations displaced from said first location; and computing said at least two dimensions from said known rate of object movement and said locations of receipt of said first light beam. - View Dependent Claims (25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30)
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31. An apparatus for measuring three substantially mutually orthogonal dimensions of a substantially rectangular object, the apparatus comprising:
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at least three measuring devices, each for measuring a different one of the dimensions of the object, at least one of the measuring devices comprising a light transducer having an emitter for emitting a light beam in line with the dimension it is to measure and a receiver offset from the emitter for receiving a reflection of the emitted light beam, the receiver including a light sensor for generating a signal responsive to the angle of reflection of the emitted light beam from the object; and a processor coupled to the light transducer for converting the signal generated by the transducer'"'"'s light sensor to a linear distance between the emitter and the object and for computing the dimension the transducer is to measure therefrom. - View Dependent Claims (32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37)
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38. A method of measuring a dimension of a substantially rectangular object, the method comprising:
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positioning the object with respect to a reference point; emitting a light beam against the object from a location remote from the reference point and in line with the dimension to be measured; receiving the emitted light beam after it reflects off the object at a location displaced from the emission location; and determining the dimension to be measured from the degree of displacement of the received reflected light beam relative to the emitted light beam and the distance between the emission location and the reference point.
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39. An apparatus for measuring two mutually orthogonal dimensions of a rectangular object moving at a known rate in a linear direction of travel, the object being oriented such that its two dimensions to be measured are askew with respect to its direction of travel, the apparatus consisting essentially of:
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a light transducer comprising; an emitter oriented to emit a light beam toward the moving object in substantially orthogonal relation to the object'"'"'s direction of travel; and a receiver offset from the emitter for receiving a reflection of the emitted light beam from the moving object, the receiver including a light sensor for generating signals indicative of the angle of the reflected light beam with respect to the emitted light beam; and a processor coupled to the light transducer for converting light sensor signals received from the light sensor over a period of time to a set of linear distances between the emitter and the moving object over the period of time and for calculating the two dimensions to be measured from the set of linear distances and the object'"'"'s known rate of travel. - View Dependent Claims (40, 41, 42)
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Specification