Volumetric measurement of a parcel using a CCD line scanner and height sensor

• US 5,719,678 A
• Filed: 11/29/1995
• Issued: 02/17/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 07/26/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Intermec IP Corporation (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Intermec Corporation (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Inventors: McDonald, William M., Newberry, Gregory J., Reynolds, Andrew E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Font, Frank G.
• Assistant Examiner(s): VIERRA EISENBERG, JASON D
• Application Number:
  US08/565,639
• Time in Patent Office: 811 Days
• Field of Search: 356/379-380, 356/383-384, 356/385, 356/386, 364/564, 364/562, 33/1 Y, 348/86, 348/89, 348/91, 348/135, 348/142, 382/141, 382/143, 382/100-102, 235/383
• US Class Current: 356/627
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 11/00 Measuring arrangements characterised by the use of optical techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 11/28 for measuring areas

Abstract

Apparatus is disclosed for automatically determining the volume of an object. The volume system includes a height sensor and a width sensor positioned in generally orthogonal relationship and each constructed to reflect light from a corresponding surface of the object. The height sensor and the width sensor each include a plurality of charge coupled devices for sensing light reflected from the object. The output from the height sensor and the width sensor are provided to a data processor for evaluating the data to determine a plurality of incremental volume of the object as the object is displayed in relation to the height and width sensors. The plurality of incremental volume are then added to determine the volume of the object.

Claims

1. Apparatus for determining a volume of an object comprising:

a conveyor having a conveyor frame wherein said conveyor frame is an elongated, substantially planar member having first and second edges and first and second ends, wherein said first edge is positioned opposite said second edge and said first and second edges are positioned intermediate said first and second ends, said conveyor including a conveyor belt movably supported upon said conveyor frame, said conveyor frame further including a topside and a bottomside wherein said conveyor belt extends around said conveyor frame covering a substantial portion of said topside and said bottomside, said topside of said conveyor being positioned and constructed to support said object, said conveyor further including motor means for rotating said conveyor belt around said conveyor frame so that said conveyor belt moves at a predetermined speed from said first end to said second end on said topside of said conveyor frame and from said second end to said first end on said bottom side of said conveyor frame;

a first light source positioned along said first edge of said conveyor for directing light generally toward said second edge of said conveyor;

a height sensor positioned along said second edge of said conveyor for determining a height profile of the object, said height sensor including a first plurality of light sensing devices organized in a linear array, said linear array extending upward from said topside of said conveyor and positioned to receive at least a portion of the light from said first light source that is transmitted past the object, each of said first plurality of light sensing devices being responsive to a sample signal for providing a first data signal having a value indicative of a magnitude of light received;

a second light source displaced from said topside of said conveyor and positioned for directing light generally toward said topside of said conveyor, said second light source being positioned so that at least a portion of the light directed toward said topside of said conveyor is reflected from the object;

a width sensor displaced from said topside of said conveyor for determining a two-dimensional image of the object depicting a width and a length of the object as well as additional image information from the object, said width sensor including a second plurality of light sensing devices organized in a linear array, said linear array detecting the object at any position located from said first edge to said second edge of said conveyor and positioned to receive at least a portion of the light reflected from the object, each of said second plurality of light sensing devices being responsive to the sample signal for providing a second data signal having a value indicative of the magnitude of light sensed, said additional image information in said two-dimensional image of the object including image information of a machine-readable symbol positioned on an upper surface of the object; and

data processing means including an image memory and coupled to receive said first and second data signals from said plurality of first and second light sensing devices, said data processing means being constructed to provide the sample signal at predetermined intervals and to receive first and second data signals for each sample signal provided and store at least the second data signals in the image memory, said data processing means being responsive to said first data signals received at each interval for determining an incremental height of the object when moving along said conveyor, said data processing means being further constructed for processing said second data signals stored in the image memory to distinguish light reflected from the object from light reflected from said topside of said conveyor and for determining an incremental width of the object when moving along said conveyor, said data processing means being further constructed to combine the incremental heights and widths determined over a plurality of intervals to determine the volume of the object and construct a substantially entire top image of the object from the incremental widths in the image memory, and determine the two-dimensional image, including the image information of the machine-readable symbol.

2. Apparatus for determining a volume of an object comprising:

a conveyor that supports and moves the object from a first position to a second position, said conveyor having first and second edges positioned in opposing relation intermediate said first and second positions thereby to define a two dimensional surface;

a height sensor positioned along said first and second edges of said conveyor that determines a height profile of the object, said height sensor including a first plurality of light sensing devices organized in a linear array, said linear array extending upward from said two dimensional surface so that said first plurality of light sensing devices sense light radiating generally from a direction of said second edge of said conveyor, each of said first plurality of light sensing devices being responsive to a sample signal for providing a first data signal having a value indicative of a magnitude of light sensed;

a width sensor displaced from said two dimensional surface for determining a two-dimensional image of the object depicting a width and a length of a side of the object as well as additional image information from the object, said width sensor including a second plurality of light sensing devices organized in a linear array, said linear array detecting the object at any position located from said first edge to said second edge of said conveyor and said linear array being positioned so that each of said plurality of light sensing devices sense at least a portion of light reflected from the object, each of said second plurality of light sensing devices being responsive to the sample signal for providing a second data signal having a value indicative of the magnitude of light sensed, said additional image information in said two-dimensional image of the object including image information of a machine-readable symbol positioned on an upper surface of the object; and

a single data processing device coupled to receive said first and second data signals from said plurality of first and second light sensing devices, said data processing device having a memory that stores the sampled second data signal as a substantially complete image of the side of the object and being constructed to provide a sample signal at predetermined intervals and to receive first and second data signals for each sample signal provided, said data processing device being responsive to said first and second data signals received at each interval for determining the volume of the object, and read the machine-readable symbol.

3. The apparatus as recited in claim 2 wherein said height sensor further includes:

a light source positioned along said first edge of said conveyor that directs light toward said second edge of said conveyor so that at least a portion of the light is transmitted past the object; and

light detector that detects at least a portion of the light transmitted past the object.

4. The apparatus as recited in claim 2 wherein said width sensor further includes:

a light source displaced from said two dimensional surface on which the object is supported and positioned for reflecting light from the object; and

light detector that detects at least a portion of the light reflected from the object.

5. The apparatus as recited in claim 4 wherein said data processing device further comprises a filter responsive to said light detector that distinguishes light reflected from the object from light reflected from said two dimensional surface.

6. Apparatus for determining a volume of an object comprising:

a first image sensor that provides first image data indicative of a two-dimensional image of a first surface of the object as viewed from a first direction;

a second image sensor that provides second image data indicative of an image of a second surface of the object as viewed from a second direction;

an image memory for storing at least the first image data of the first surface; and

a data processing device coupled to the image memory and responsive to the first and second image data for determining the volume of the object wherein said data processing device utilizes the two-dimensional image to acquire additional image information from the object including acquiring image information of a machine-readable symbol positioned on the first surface of the object.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein the memory stores a plurality of samples of the first image data, and wherein the data processing device retrieves and combines the plurality of samples of the first image data to form the two-dimensional image of the first surface of the object, including the image information of the machine-readable symbol.

8. The apparatus as recited in claim 6 wherein said first sensor comprises a light sensor that provides the first image data, said light sensor being constructed to receive at least a portion of light reflected from the object.

9. The apparatus as recited in claim 8 wherein said light sensor is responsive to a sample signal to provide a plurality of measurement data signals indicative of a magnitude of light reflected from a field of view wherein the field of view is a line displaced from said light sensing means in a view direction, wherein the plurality of measurement data signals combined are the first image data, said apparatus further comprising a displacement device that moves the object relative to said light sensor so that a plurality of portions of the object are positioned in the field of view, said light sensor being further constructed to determine the magnitude of light radiating from the field of view as the object is being displaced relative to said light sensor thereby to provide the plurality of measurement data signals.

10. The apparatus as recited in claim 8 wherein said light sensor is responsive to a sample signal to provide a measurement data signal indicative of a magnitude of light reflected from a field of view wherein the field of view is a line displaced from said light sensor in a view direction, said apparatus further comprising:

a displacement device that moves the object relative to said light sensor so that a plurality of portions of the object are positioned in the field of view, said data processing device being constructed to provide the sample signal in a repetitive fashion as the plurality of portions of the object are positioned in the field of view to receive a plurality of measurement data signals, said data processing device being responsive to the plurality of measurement data signals received from said light sensor in response to each sample signal to determine the image of the object.

11. The apparatus as recited in claim 10 wherein said data processing device further comprises filter means for distinguishing light reflected from the object from other light received by said light sensor.

12. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein the data processing device employs a single data processor.

13. A method for determining a volume of an object comprising the steps of:

reflecting a first light from the object in a first direction and transmitting a second light in a second direction generally orthogonal to the first direction of the first light reflected;

providing first and second data signals indicative of the light received from the first and second directions, respectively;

filtering the first data signals to distinguish light reflected from the object from other light received and providing first filtered data signals indicative of a two-dimensional image of the object;

obtaining and storing image information from the object using the first filtered data signals, the additional image information obtained from the object including image information of a first side of the object and of a machine-readable symbol positioned on the object; and

combining the first filtered data signals with the second data signals to provide the volume of the object.

14. The method as recited in claim 13 wherein said step of filtering the first data signals to distinguish light reflected from the object from other light received and providing first filtered data signals indicative of the light reflected from the object comprises the substep of comparing each first data signal to a predetermined threshold value and, if the first data signal is greater than the predetermined threshold value identifying the first data signal as a first filtered data signal.

15. The method as recited in claim 13 wherein said step of combining the first filtered data signals with the second data signals to provide the volume of the object comprises the substeps of:

combining respective ones of the first filtered data signals with the second data signals to provide a plurality of incremental volumes each representing a volume of an incremental portion of the object; and

combining the plurality of incremental volumes to provide the volume of the object.

16. The method as recited in claim 13 wherein the object has first and second surfaces, said step of reflecting light from the object in first and second generally orthogonal directions and receiving at least a portion of the light reflected comprising the substeps of:

directing a beam of light toward the object to illuminate a portion of the object so that at least a portion of the beam of light is reflected from the object and receiving at least a portion of the beam of light that is reflected; and

displacing the object with respect to the illuminating beam to reflect at least a portion of the beam of light from substantially all of the first surface of the object.

17. A method for determining a volume of an object wherein the object includes first and second surfaces, said method comprising the steps of:

directing first and second beams of light toward the object in first and second generally orthogonal directions to illuminate respective portions of the first and second surfaces of the object so that at least a portion of the beam of light is reflected from the object and receiving at least a portion of the first beam of light that was reflected and the second beam of light;

displacing the object with respect to the first and second beams of light to reflect at least a portion of the first beam of light from substantially all of the first surface of the object;

providing a plurality of first and second data signals indicative of the light received from the first and second directions, respectively, wherein each said first and second data signal is indicative of at least a portion of the first and second surfaces of the object, respectively;

comparing each first data signal to a predetermined threshold value to distinguish light reflected from the object from other light received, if the first data signal is greater than the predetermined threshold value, then identifying the first data signal as a first filtered data signal and providing first filtered data signals indicative of a two-dimensional image of the object;

storing a plurality of samples of the first filtered data signals;

using a portion of the plurality of first filtered data signals to acquire additional information regarding the object by combining a portion of the plurality of samples, the additional information including image information of a first side of the object and of a machine-readable symbol positioned on the first surface of the object;

combining respective ones of the first filtered data signals with the second data signals to provide a plurality of incremental volumes each representing the volume of an incremental portion of the object; and

combining the plurality of incremental volumes to provide the volume of the object.

18. Apparatus for determining information about an object comprising:

a first optical sensor that provides first image data indicative of a two-dimensional image of a first surface of the object as viewed from a first direction;

a second optical sensor that provides second image data indicative of an image of a second surface of the object as viewed from a second direction;

an image memory for storing at least the first image data of the first surface; and

a single data processing device coupled to the image memory and responsive to the first and second image data for determining the volume of the object and wherein said data processing device utilizes the two-dimensional image to acquire additional image information from the object including image information of a label positioned on the first surface of the object and read the image information of the label.

19. Apparatus for determining a volume of an object comprising:

a first sensor that provides first image data indicative of a two-dimensional image of a first surface of the object as viewed from a first direction;

a second sensor that provides second image data indicative of an image of a second surface of the object as viewed from a second direction;

an image memory for storing at least the first image data of the first surface; and

a data processor coupled to the image memory and responsive to the first and second image data for determining the volume of the object, and wherein said data processor utilizes the two-dimensional image to acquire additional image information from the object including acquiring image information of a bar code positioned on the first surface of the object.