Methods and systems for position sensing

• US 7,774,083 B2
• Filed: 10/24/2007
• Issued: 08/10/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Dworschak, John R., Freeman, Philip L., Marsh, Joseph C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Jarrett; Ryan A
• Application Number:
  US11/923,209
• Publication Number:
  US 20080046109A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,021 Days
• Field of Search: 700/57, 700/59, 700/114, 700/192, 700/193
• US Class Current: 700/114
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/163 Determination of attitude using inertial means G01C9/00; control of attitude G05D1/49

Abstract

Methods and systems for position sensing are disclosed. In one embodiment, a method includes measuring at least three discrete point positions associated with a first component using at least one transmitter having a known position and orientation and in a line of sight with the three discrete point positions, the three discrete point positions having known distances relative to one another. The method computes a current position and orientation of the first component using data provided by the at least one transmitter and the three discrete point positions, along with position and orientation data from a last known location of the first component assuming that no sudden position changes since the first component has moved from the last known location. The first and second components may be a workpiece and a tool that performs a manufacturing operation on the workpiece.

Claims

1. A method of performing a manufacturing operation comprising:

measuring at least four discrete point positions associated with a first component by using at least one transmitter having a known position and orientation and in a line of sight with the at least four discrete point positions, the four discrete point positions having known distances relative to one another;

computing a current position and orientation of the first component calculating a best-fit solution based on the at least four discrete point positions as measured by the at least one transmitter, and the known distances of the four discrete point positions; and

performing the manufacturing operation using the computed current position and orientation of the first component, including using a tool to perform the manufacturing operation on the first component.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein measuring at least four discrete point positions associated with the first component by using at least one transmitter includes measuring additional discrete point positions associated with the first component apart from the at least four discrete point positions, and further wherein computing the current position and orientation is further based on data measured from the additional discrete point positions.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein measuring at least four discrete point positions associated with the first component includes measuring a discrete point position using at least one of a global positioning system, an infrared global positioning system, and a laser-based point tracking system.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

measuring at least four discrete point positions associated with the tool by using the at least one transmitter having a known position and orientation and in a second line of sight with the at least four discrete point positions, the four discrete point positions associated with the tool having known distances relative to one another;

computing a current position and orientation of the tool by calculating a best-fit solution based on the at least four discrete point positions associated with the tool and the known distances of the at least four discrete point positions associated with the tool;

comparing the computed position and orientation associated with at least one of the first component and the tool with a desired position information;

comparing the computed position and orientation associated with at least one of the first component and the tool with an ideal position; and

moving at least one of the first component and the tool.

5. A system for positioning a first component and a tool for performing a manufacturing operation, comprising:

a measurement system comprising a first transmitter with a known position to determine a measured position of at least three discrete point positions associated with at least one of the first component and the tool, the at least three discrete point positions having known relative distances to one another, the at least three discrete point positions being at least one of on and adjacent to the corresponding one of the first component and the tool, and the at least three discrete point positions in a first line of sight of the first transmitter;

a data management device operatively coupled to the measurement system, the data management device including a processor portion to;

receive the measured positions of the at least three discrete point positions,

compute a position and orientation of the at least one of the first component and the tool using the known relative distances of the at least three discrete point positions and further using the measured positions of the at least three discrete points on the at least one of the first component and the tool, the position and orientation of the at least one of the first component and the tool further computed based on assuming no sudden position changes by the at least one of the first component and the tool and a last known position and orientation of the at least one of the first component and the tool when the at least three discrete positions are no more than three discrete positions, the position and orientation of the at least one of the first component and the tool further computed using a best-fit calculation when the at least three discrete positions are more than three discrete positions.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the measurement system includes at least one of a global positioning system, an infrared global positioning system, and a laser-based point tracking system.

7. The system of claim 5, further comprising a second transmitter with a known position and orientation, the second transmitter to conduct measurements of additional discrete point positions on at least one of the first component and the tool, and further wherein the data management system utilizes the measurements made by the second transmitter in computing the position and orientation of the at least one of the first component and the tool.

8. The system of claim 5, wherein the measurement system comprising the first transmitter with a known position to determine a measured position of at least three discrete point positions associated with at least one of the first component and the tool further re-measures the at least three discrete point positions during a movement of the at least one of the first component and the tool.

9. The system of claim 5, wherein the measurement system further measures other discrete points apart from the at least three discrete points on at least one of the first component and the tool, the other discrete points not having distances known relative to the at least three discrete points, the measurement system to use the data from the other discrete points to improve data fidelity of the computed position and orientation of at least one of the first component and the tool.