Apparatus for and method of estimating dimensions of an object associated with a code in automatic response to reading the code

• US 9,396,554 B2
• Filed: 12/05/2014
• Issued: 07/19/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/05/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Symbol Technologies, LLC (Zebra Technologies Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Symbol Technologies, LLC (Zebra Technologies Corporation)
• Inventors: Williams, Jay J, Taskiran, Cuneyt M, O'Connell, Kevin J, Patel, Ankur R
• Primary Examiner(s): Mikels, Matthew
• Application Number:
  US14/561,329
• Publication Number:
  US 20160163067A1
• Time in Patent Office: 592 Days
• Field of Search: 235/435, 235/439, 235/454, 235/462
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 11/00 Measuring arrangements characterised by the use of optical techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 11/02 for measuring length, width or thickness G01B11/08 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10544 by scanning of the records by radiation in the optical part of the electromagnetic spectrum
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10722 Photodetector array or CCD scanning
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/1443 locating of the code in an image
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10028 Range image; Depth image; 3D point clouds
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/62 of area, perimeter, diameter or volume
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/64 Three-dimensional objects

Abstract

Dimensions of an object associated with an electro-optically readable code are estimated by aiming a handheld device at a scene containing the object supported on a base surface. A scanner on the device scans the scene over a field of view to obtain a position of a reference point of the code associated with the object, and reads the code. A dimensioning sensor on the device captures a three-dimensional (3D) point cloud of data points of the scene in automatic response to the reading of the code. A controller clusters the point cloud into data clusters, locates the reference point of the code in one of the data clusters, extracts from the point cloud the data points of the one data cluster belonging to the object, and processes the extracted data points belonging to the object to estimate the dimensions of the object.

Claims

1. An apparatus for estimating dimensions of an object associated with an electro-optically readable code, comprising:

a handheld device aimable at a scene containing the object supported on a base surface;

a scanner supported by the device and operative for scanning the scene over a field of view to obtain a position of a reference point of the code associated with the object, and for reading the code;

a dimensioning sensor supported by the device and operative, in automatic response to the reading of the code, for capturing a three-dimensional (3D) point cloud of data points of the scene;

a controller for clustering the point cloud into data clusters, for locating the reference point of the code in one of the data clusters, for extracting from the point cloud the data points of the one data cluster belonging to the object, and for processing the extracted data points belonging to the object to estimate the dimensions of the object; and

wherein the controller is operative for detecting a base plane indicative of the base surface from the point cloud, for processing the extracted data points belonging to the object to obtain a convex hull, and for fitting a bounding box of minimum volume to enclose the convex hull, the bounding box having a pair of mutually orthogonal planar faces, the controller being operative for orienting one of the faces to be generally perpendicular to the base plane, and for simultaneously orienting the other of the faces to be generally parallel to the base plane.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the handheld device has a handle for gripping by a user, and a trigger manually actuatable by the user for initiating the reading of the code.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the code is a barcode symbol, and wherein the scanner is an electro-optical reader for electro-optically reading the barcode symbol.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the dimensioning sensor captures each data point to include data indicative of a length, a width, and a depth of the object, and wherein the controller locates length and width coordinates of the reference point of the code.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller is operative for locating the reference point at a corner of the code.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller is operative for determining the base plane as the plane having the largest area in the field of view.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller is operative for determining the base plane by executing a random sampling consensus (RANSAC) algorithm.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller is operative for extracting the data points belonging to the object by removing the data points of the base plane from the point cloud.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the bounding box is a cuboid having three pairs of mutually orthogonal planar faces.

10. A method of estimating dimensions of an object associated with an electro-optically readable code, comprising:

aiming a handheld device at a scene containing the object supported on a base surface;

scanning the scene over a field of view of a scanner supported by the device to obtain a position of a reference point of the code associated with the object, and reading the code;

capturing, in automatic response to the reading of the code, a three-dimensional (3D) point cloud of data points of the scene with a dimensioning sensor supported by the device;

clustering the point cloud into data clusters;

locating the reference point of the code in one of the data clusters;

extracting from the point cloud the data points of the one data cluster belonging to the object

processing the extracted data points belonging to the object to estimate the dimensions of the object and

detecting a base plane indicative of the base surface from the point cloud, processing the extracted data points belonging to the object to obtain a convex hull, and fitting a bounding box of minimum volume to enclose the convex hull, the bounding box having a pair of mutually orthogonal planar faces; and

orienting one of the faces to be generally perpendicular to the base plane, and simultaneously orienting the other of the faces to be generally parallel to the base plane.

11. The method of claim 10, and gripping the handheld device by a handle, and manually actuating a trigger to initiate the reading of the code.

12. The method of claim 10, and configuring the code as a barcode symbol, and wherein the scanning is performed by electro-optically reading the barcode symbol.

13. The method of claim 10, and capturing each data point to include data indicative of a length, a width, and a depth of the object, and locating length and width coordinates of the reference point of the code.

14. The method of claim 10, and locating the reference point at a corner of the code.

15. The method of claim 10, and determining the base plane as the plane having the largest area in the field of view.

16. The method of claim 10, and determining the base plane by executing a random sampling consensus (RANSAC) algorithm.

17. The method of claim 10, and extracting the data points belonging to the object by removing the data points of the base plane.

18. The method of claim 10, and configuring the bounding box as a cuboid having three pairs of mutually orthogonal planar faces.