Method and apparatus for identifying the position in three dimensions of a movable object such as a sensor or a tool carried by a robot
First Claim
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1. A method of identifying the position in three dimensions of a movable object carried by a robot, the method comprising the steps of:
- swivel-mounting a photosensitive detector on the movable object so as to be capable of being swivelled about at least one axis on said object, the detector having an optical axis;
sighting with the detector targets disposed at predetermined known locations relative to a displacement zone of the movable object, the targets being sighted by swivelling the detector about said axis on the movable object without displacing the movable object from its position and the detector generating signals corresponding to images of the sighted targets;
detecting for each sighted target an angular position of the detector relative to the axis of the movable object;
determining from said signals and from said angular position the position of the optical axis of the detector for each sighted target;
and calculating the position and orientation of the movable object by triangulation from the positions of the optical axis of the detector.
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Abstract
A method and apparatus for identifying the position of an object that is movable in a determined three-dimensional zone by means of a video camera (20) or the like mounted on the movable object (14), the camera (20) being capable of being swivelled to sight targets (22) disposed around the movable object (14) and to enable the position and the orientation of said object to be determined accurately by triangulation. The invention is particularly applicable to accurately determining the position and the orientation of a sensor or a tool mounted on a robot.
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14 Claims
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1. A method of identifying the position in three dimensions of a movable object carried by a robot, the method comprising the steps of:
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swivel-mounting a photosensitive detector on the movable object so as to be capable of being swivelled about at least one axis on said object, the detector having an optical axis; sighting with the detector targets disposed at predetermined known locations relative to a displacement zone of the movable object, the targets being sighted by swivelling the detector about said axis on the movable object without displacing the movable object from its position and the detector generating signals corresponding to images of the sighted targets; detecting for each sighted target an angular position of the detector relative to the axis of the movable object; determining from said signals and from said angular position the position of the optical axis of the detector for each sighted target; and calculating the position and orientation of the movable object by triangulation from the positions of the optical axis of the detector. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
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- 7. An apparatus for identifying the position in three dimensions of a movable object carried by a robot, the apparatus comprising a photosensitive detector which has an optical axis and which is carried by the movable object, means for swivelling the detector on said object about at least one axis, means for determining the angular position of the detector about said axis, targets disposed at determined known locations relative to a displacement zone of the movable object, control means for swivelling the detector in different angular positions about said axis to sight different targets without displacing the movable object, and data processing means connected to the detector to receive therefrom signals corresponding to images of said targets sighted by the detector when the movable object is not displaced from its position, wherein the position and orientation of said movable object are determined by triangulation utilizing said positions of the optical axis of the detector.
Specification