Elastic sensor mesh system for 3-dimensional measurement, mapping and kinematics applications

• US 6,640,202 B1
• Filed: 05/25/2000
• Issued: 10/28/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 05/25/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Malik, Nadeem, Dietz, Timothy Alan
• Primary Examiner(s): Barlow, John
• Assistant Examiner(s): Cherry, Stephen J.
• Application Number:
  US09/578,741
• Time in Patent Office: 1,251 Days
• Field of Search: 702/156, 702/161, 702/167, 342/118, 342/126, 342/146
• US Class Current: 702/167
• CPC Class Codes: A41H 1/02 Devices for taking measurements on the human body
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0261 Strain gauges
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/046 in a matrix array
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/103 Detecting, measuring or recording devices for testing the shape, pattern, colour, size or movement of the body or parts thereof, for diagnostic purposes A61B5/08 takes precedence; measuring aids for tailors A41H1/00; measuring instruments specially adapted for dentistry A61C19/04
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6805 Vests
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 21/20 for measuring contours or curvatures, e.g. determining profile

Abstract

An apparatus, method, and system for determining the shape of a three dimensional object. In a preferred embodiment, the apparatus includes an array of sensors and elastic connections between the sensors within the array. When placed over a three dimensional object, the array of sensors deforms to conform to the surface topology of the three dimensional object. The sensors are connected to a data processor in which the data from the sensors is taken to construct a three-dimensional representation of the actual physical three dimensional object.

Claims

1. A measurement apparatus for determining the shape of a three dimensional object, comprising:

an array of sensors capable of being placed over at least a portion of the surface of the three dimensional object;

elastic connections between each sensor of said array of sensors and at least another sensor of said array of sensors; and

a data processing system that generates a two dimensional representation of the three dimensional object based on information obtained from the array of sensors, wherein said array of sensors is capable of deformation to conform to the surface topology of a three dimensional object, and wherein the shape of the three dimensional object is determined based on a relative position of the sensors in the array of sensors after deformation of the array of sensors to conform to the surface topography of the three dimensional object, wherein each sensor of the array of sensors determines position information using electromagnetic transmissions from other sensors of the array of sensors.

2. The measurement apparatus as recited in claim 1, further comprising means for transmitting data collected by the sensors to a data processing system.

3. The measurement apparatus of claim 2, wherein the means for transmitting data is a universal serial bus interface.

4. The measurement apparatus of claim 2, wherein the means for transmitting data is a wireless communications interface.

5. The measurement apparatus of claim 2, wherein each sensor detects a location of an adjacent sensor by detecting a distance to the adjacent sensor.

6. The measurement apparatus of claim 1, wherein each sensor of said array of sensors determines a respective relative position and said respective relative position of each sensor of said array of sensors is transmitted to the data processing system.

7. The measurement apparatus of claim 6, wherein each sensor of said array of sensors broadcasts and receives a radio frequency signal, wherein each radio frequency signal identifies a respective sensor of said array of sensors and wherein each sensor of said array of sensors determines a relative location based on relative strengths of the radio frequency signals received from neighboring sensors in the array of sensors.

8. A measurement apparatus comprising:

a meshing, including;

a plurality of sensors, wherein each of the plurality of sensors detects a location of an adjacent sensor within the plurality of sensors and is capable of being placed over at least a portion of the surface of a three dimensional object;

a set of deformable connectors, wherein the set of deformable connectors interconnect the plurality of sensors to form the mesh, wherein the mesh is deformable to conform to a surface of the three dimensional object; and

an interface connected to the mesh, wherein interface provides a connection to output data generated by the mesh to a data processing system, and wherein the shape or the three dimensional object is determined based on a relative position of the sensors in the array of sensors after the deformation of the array of sensors to conform to the surface of the three dimensional object, wherein each sensor of the plurality of sensors determines position information using electromagnetic transmissions from other sensors of the plurality of sensors and the data processing system generates a two dimensional representation of the three dimensional object based on the position information from the plurality of sensors.

9. The measurement apparatus of claim 8, wherein the interface is a universal serial bus interface.

10. The measurement apparatus of claim 8, wherein the interface is a wireless communications interface.

11. The measurement apparatus of claim 8, wherein each sensor detects a location of an adjacent sensor by detecting a distance to the adjacent sensor.

12. The measurement apparatus of claim 8, wherein each sensor determines a respective relative position and said respective relative position of each sensor is transmitted to the data processing system.

13. The measurement apparatus of claim 12, wherein each sensor broadcasts and receives a radio frequency signal, wherein each radio frequency signal identifies a respective sensor and wherein each sensor determines a relative location based on relative strengths of the radio frequency signals received from neighboring sensors.

14. A system for determining the shape of a three dimensional object, comprising:

a measurement apparatus having a plurality of sensors capable of being placed over the three dimensional object and having means for conforming to the shape of the three dimensional object;

means for determining relative locations of each of the plurality of sensors with respect to others of the plurality of sensors; and

means for transmitting the relative locations to a data processing system, wherein each sensor of the plurality of sensors determines position information using electromagnetic transmissions from other sensors of the plurality of sensors, and wherein the data processing system generates a two dimensional representation of the three dimensional object based on the relative locations.

15. A method for determining the shape of a three dimensional object, the method comprising:

receiving position information from a plurality of sensors, said sensors encapsulating at least a portion of the three dimensional object; and

generating a two dimensional representation of the three dimensional object, wherein each sensor of the plurality of sensors determines position information using electromagnetic transmissions from other sensors of the plurality of sensors.

16. The method as recited in claim 15, further comprising:

displaying the two dimensional representation of the three dimensional object.

17. The method as recited in claim 15, wherein each of the plurality of sensors is connected to at least one other of the plurality of sensors by an elastic connection.

18. The method as recited in claim 15, wherein the position information comprises a change in distance and angle between each sensor of the plurality of sensors and a plurality of neighboring sensors to each sensor of the plurality of sensors and a predetermined undeformed position of each sensor of the plurality of sensors.

19. The method as recited in claim 15, wherein the position information comprises position information for different points in time and the two dimensional representation comprises a plurality of representation is at least one which corresponds to each point in time.

20. The method as recited in claim 19, wherein the plurality of representations may be presented to a user as an animated graphical display.

21. A method for determining the shape of a three dimensional object, the method comprising:

receiving position information from a plurality of sensors, said sensors encapsulating at least a portion of the three dimensional object; and

generating a two dimensional representation of the three dimensional object, wherein the relative position of each sensor of the plurality of sensors relative to a particular sensor of the plurality of sensors is determined by logic within each sensor of the plurality of sensors and the position information comprises the relative position.

22. A computer program product in computer readable media for use in a data processing system for determining the shape of a three dimensional object, the computer program product comprising:

first instructions for receiving position information from a plurality of sensors, said sensors encapsulating at least a portion of the three dimensional object; and

second instructions for generating a two dimensional representation of the three dimensional object, wherein each sensor of the plurality of sensors determines position information using electromagnetic transmissions from other sensors of the plurality of sensors.

23. The computer program product as recited in claim 22, further comprising:

third instructions for displaying the two dimensional representation of the three dimensional object.

24. The computer program product as recited in claim 22, wherein each of the plurality of sensors is connected to at least one other of the plurality of sensors by an elastic connection.

25. The computer program product as recited in claim 22, wherein the position information comprises a change in distance and angle between each sensor of the plurality of sensors and a plurality of neighboring sensors to each sensor of the plurality of sensors and a predetermined undeformed position of each sensor of the plurality of sensors.

26. The computer program product as recited in claim 22, wherein the position information comprises position information for different points in time and the two dimensional representation comprises a plurality of representations at least one of which corresponds to each point in time.

27. The computer program product as recited in claim 26, wherein the plurality of representations may be presented to a user as all animated graphical display.

28. A computer program product in computer readable media for use in a data processing system for determining the shape of a three dimensional object, the computer program product comprising:

first instructions for receiving position information from a plurality of sensors, said sensors encapsulating at least a portion of the three dimensional object; and

second instructions for generating a two dimensional representation of the three dimensional object, wherein the relative position of each sensor of the plurality of sensors relative to a particular sensor of the plurality of sensors is determined by logic within each sensor of the plurality of sensors and the position information comprises the relative position.