Method and apparatus for using gestures to control a laser tracker

• US 9,383,189 B2
• Filed: 07/20/2015
• Issued: 07/05/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/01/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Faro Technologies Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Faro Technologies Incorporated
• Inventors: Bridges, Robert E., Parker, David H., Fletcher, Kelley
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, SANG H
• Application Number:
  US14/803,575
• Publication Number:
  US 20160010973A1
• Time in Patent Office: 351 Days
• Field of Search: 356614-625, 600/300, 340/286.07, 340/539.11
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 11/002 for measuring two or more coordinates
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 11/14 for measuring distance or clearance between spaced objects or spaced apertures G01B11/26 takes precedence; rangefinders G01C3/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 15/002 Active optical surveying means optical plumbing G01C15/105
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/66 Tracking systems using electromagnetic waves other than radio waves
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/86 Combinations of lidar systems with systems other than lidar, radar or sonar, e.g. with direction finders
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 3/786 the desired condition being maintained automatically
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/015 Input arrangements based on nervous system activity detection, e.g. brain waves [EEG] detection, electromyograms [EMG] detection, electrodermal response detection
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/017 Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10016 Video; Image sequence
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/20224 Image subtraction
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30196 Human being; Person
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/12 Edge-based segmentation
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/174 involving the use of two or more images
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/194 involving foreground-background segmentation
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/254 involving subtraction of images
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/30 Determination of transform parameters for the alignment of images, i.e. image registration
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/20 Movements or behaviour, e.g. gesture recognition recognition of facial expressions G06V40/16
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/28 Recognition of hand or arm movements, e.g. recognition of deaf sign language static hand signs G06V40/113

Abstract

A method and system are provided for controlling a laser tracker remotely from the laser tracker through gestures performed by a user. The method includes providing a rule of correspondence between each of a plurality of commands and each of a plurality of user gestures. A gesture is performed by the user with the user'"'"'s body that corresponds to one of the plurality of user gestures. The gesture performed by the user is detected. The gesture recognition engine determines a first command from one of the plurality of commands that correspond with the detected gesture. Then the first command is executed with the laser tracker.

Claims

1. A method for a user to control operation of a laser tracker with steps comprising:

providing the laser tracker having a structure rotatable about a first axis and a second axis, a first light source that launches a first light beam from the structure, a distance meter, a first angular encoder that measures a first angle of rotation about the first axis, a second angular encoder that measures a second angle of rotation about the second axis, and a processor;

providing a wearable device having a plurality of sensor nodes, wherein each sensor node further includes one or more Electromyography sensors;

providing a rule of correspondence between each of a plurality of commands and each of a plurality of gestures, each gesture from among the plurality of gestures corresponding to a muscle generated electrical signal from the one or more Electromyography sensors;

placing the wearable device on the user'"'"'s body;

performing by the user a first gesture from among the plurality of gestures, the first gesture corresponding to a first command;

measuring with the wearable device a first set of muscle generated electrical signals;

determining the first command based at least in part on processing the first set of muscle generated electrical signals according to the rule of correspondence; and

executing the first command with the laser tracker.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein in the step of determining the first command, the

first command is selected from the group consisting of measuring a comp off point, measuring a comp axis point, measuring a plane, measuring a 2D line, measuring a circle, measuring a cylinder, measuring a sphere, changing an SMR, resetting an interferometer, setting a distance mode, searching for a target, toggling between single point mode and scan mode, collecting a reading, moving to a home position, removing a reading, autoadjusting an ADM using an SMR, autoadjusting an ADM using an internal retroreflector, initializing a command tablet, setting an SMR, and acquiring an SMR.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of providing the laser tracker further includes providing a camera and an auxiliary light source proximate to the camera.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the step of executing the first command further includes illuminating the auxiliary light source to obtain a second light, reflecting the second light off a retroreflector, and capturing a portion of the second light with the camera to obtain a digital representation of the portion of the second light.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the step of executing the first command further includes rotating the structure about at least one of the first axis and the second axis to place the first light beam onto the retroreflector.