Three-dimensional data input apparatus

• US 6,507,406 B1
• Filed: 06/08/2000
• Issued: 01/14/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 06/09/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Minolta Corporation Limited (Konica Minolta Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Minolta Corporation Limited (Konica Minolta Inc.)
• Inventors: Kondo, Takashi, Kamon, Koichi, Ide, Eiichi, Yagi, Fumiya, Uchino, Hiroshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Pham, Hoa Q.
• Application Number:
  US09/589,516
• Time in Patent Office: 950 Days
• Field of Search: 356/601, 356/602, 356/603, 356/607, 356/608, 356/614, 356/623, 702/22, 702/150, 702/152, 702/159, 250/559.22, 250/559.23
• US Class Current: 356/602
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 11/06 by comparison of two or more pictures of the same area

Abstract

An object is to provide a three-dimensional data input apparatus that enables data currently required by the user to be easily extracted from the stored past three-dimensional data, shooting position data or shooting direction data. When the user provides the three-dimensional measuring device 1 with a measurement instruction, the portions operate through control by the central processing portion 17 to obtain the three-dimensional data SS and the two-dimensional image data SN of the object Q. The group of the three-dimensional data SS, the two-dimensional image data SN, the position data SP and the attitude data SA that are in the one-to-one correspondence with one another as described above are stored in the storage portion 18 every time the three-dimensional data of the object Q is measured. In a case where a fixed point observation of the object is repetitively performed by use of the three-dimensional measuring device 1, by extracting from the storage portion 18 three-dimensional data SSK and two-dimensional image data SNK obtained in the past and comparing them with the present three-dimensional data SSG and two-dimensional image data SNG, the change in the configuration of the object during that period can be found.

Claims

1. A three-dimensional data input apparatus for measuring three-dimensional data of an object to be measured, comprising:

a data input device for obtaining a measurement position data representing a measurement position at measurement;

a storage device for storing therein the measured three-dimensional data so as to be associated with the measurement position data; and

extraction means for extracting past measurement position data corresponding to a present measurement position by comparing present measurement position data with a plurality of past measurement position data.

2. A three-dimensional data input apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the data input device further obtains measurement direction data representing a measurement direction at measurement, wherein the storage device stores therein the measured three-dimensional data so as to be associated with the measurement position data and with the measurement direction data, and wherein the extraction means compares present measurement position data and present measurement direction data with a plurality of past measurement position data and a plurality of past measurement direction data respectively.

3. A three-dimensional data input apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein the extraction means extracts past measurement position data which has a difference less than a predetermined difference from present measurement position data or past measurement direction data which has a difference less than predetermined difference from present measurement direction data.

4. A three-dimensional data input apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein the extraction means extracts past measurement position data which has least difference from present measurement position data or past measurement direction data which has least difference from present measurement direction data.

5. A three-dimensional data input apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the extraction means extracts past measurement position data which has a difference less than a predetermined difference from present measurement position data.

6. A three-dimensional data input apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the extraction means extracts past measurement position data which has least difference from present measurement position data.

7. A three-dimensional data input apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the data input device includes a measuring position detection device for detecting measurement position.

8. A three-dimensional data input apparatus for measuring three-dimensional data of an object to be measured, comprising:

a measurement position data input device for obtaining a measurement position data representing a measurement position at time of measurement;

a storage device for storing therein the measured three-dimensional data so as to be associated with the measurement position data; and

a display device for displaying a difference between a present measurement position and a stored measurement position in a past measurement.

9. A three-dimensional data input apparatus as claimed in claim 8, wherein the display device displays the present measurement position and the stored measurement position in a past measurement on a display area.

10. A three-dimensional data input apparatus as claimed in claim 8, wherein the display device displays relative position relationship between a present measurement position and a stored measurement position in a past measurement.

11. A three-dimensional data input apparatus as claimed in claim 8, wherein the measurement position data input device includes a measuring position detection device for detecting measurement position.

12. A three-dimensional data input apparatus having measurement device for inputting three-dimensional data by measuring an object to be measured, comprising:

a measurement position input device for obtaining a measurement position data of the measurement device at the time of a measurement;

a measurement direction input device for obtaining a measurement direction data of the measurement device at the time of the measurement;

a two-dimensional image input device for inputting two-dimensional image data of the object to be measured;

storage device for storing therein the measurement position data, the measurement direction data and the two-dimensional image data so as to be associated with one another;

extraction means for extracting from the storage device past measurement position data corresponding to present measurement position data or past measurement direction data corresponding to present measurement direction data; and

a display device for displaying a past measurement position and a past measurement direction based on the extracted past measurement position data or past measurement direction data.

13. A three-dimensional data input apparatus as claimed in claim 12, wherein the display device displays the present measurement position overlapping with the stored measurement position in a past measurement and displays the present measurement direction overlapping with the stored measurement direction in a past measurement.

14. A three-dimensional data input apparatus as claimed in claim 12, further comprises a measurement direction controller for controlling a measurement direction of the measurement device automatically so that the present measurement direction coincide with the measurement direction in a past measurement.

15. A three-dimensional data processing apparatus for processing three-dimensional data of an object, comprising:

a measurement position input device for obtaining a measurement position data of a measurement device at the time of a measurement;

a storage device for storing therein measured three-dimensional data so as to be associated with the measurement position data; and

a display device for displaying a present measurement position and the stored measurement position in a past measurement simultaneously.