Systems and methods for enhancing dimensioning

• US 9,784,566 B2
• Filed: 07/09/2015
• Issued: 10/10/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/13/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intermec IP Corporation (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Intermec IP Corporation (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Inventors: Laffargue, Franck
• Primary Examiner(s): Owens, Tsion B
• Application Number:
  US14/795,332
• Publication Number:
  US 20150308816A1
• Time in Patent Office: 824 Days
• 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: G06T 7/521 from laser ranging, e.g. using interferometry; from the projection of structured light
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/60 Analysis of geometric attributes
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/757 Matching configurations of points or features
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 2201/06 Recognition of objects for industrial automation
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 2201/121 using special illumination
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/20 Image signal generators

Abstract

A dimensioning system can include stored data indicative of coordinate locations of each reference element in a reference image containing a pseudorandom pattern of elements. Data indicative of the coordinates of elements appearing in an acquired image of a three-dimensional space including an object can be compared to the stored data indicative of coordinate locations of each reference element. After the elements in the acquired image corresponding to the reference elements in the reference image are identified, a spatial correlation between the acquired image and the reference image can be determined. Such a numerical comparison of coordinate data reduces the computing resource requirements of graphical comparison technologies.

Claims

1. A portable structured light dimensioning system to determine a volume dimension of an object, comprising:

an image acquisition device to acquire image data representative of an element pattern projected into a three-dimensional space that includes an object;

a processor communicably coupled to the image acquisition device; and

a non-transitory storage medium communicably coupled to the processor and having stored therein machine executable instructions that when executed by the processor cause the processor to;

determine coordinate data associated with element locations in a portion of the element pattern present in the acquired image data;

generate a number of coordinate data lists, each including coordinate data associated with at least three element locations in the acquired image data;

for each coordinate data list;

compare the coordinate data associated with each of the at least three element locations in the acquired image data with a reference data list including reference coordinate data associated with reference element locations in a reference element pattern; and

select for each of the at least three element locations, a corresponding reference element location in the reference element pattern;

determine a spatial shift between the coordinate data associated with each of the at least three element locations in the acquired image data and the coordinate data associated with the respective corresponding reference element location in the reference element pattern; and

sort the coordinate data using a defined sort pattern to provide a respective ordered coordinate data list;

generate an ordered coordinate data list about each of a number of points of interest in the acquired image data to provide the number of ordered coordinate data lists, each ordered coordinate data list including coordinate data associated with each of at least three element locations about each respective point of interest; and

accept a number of user inputs, each of the user inputs corresponding to one of the number of points of interest in the acquired image data.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the machine executable instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to:

for each coordinate data list, compare the coordinate data associated with each of the at least three element locations in the acquired image data with a reference data list by performing for the coordinate data associated with each of the at least three element locations, at least one of;

a top-to-bottom search, or, a bottom-to-top search of the reference data list to compare the coordinate data associated with the respective element location with coordinate data associated with each reference element location in the reference data list.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the machine executable instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to:

for each ordered coordinate data list, convert the coordinate data associated with the at least three element locations in the acquired image data to a second, locally-referenced coordinate system that relates the coordinate data associated a first of the at least three elements included the respective ordered coordinate data list to the coordinate data associated with each of the other of the at least three elements included in the respective ordered coordinate data list to provide a respective ordered, locally referenced, coordinate data list.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the machine executable instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to:

determine a center of intensity of element locations in a portion of the element pattern present in the acquired image data; and

determine coordinate data corresponding to the determined center of intensity of the element locations in a portion of the element pattern present in the acquired image data.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the machine executable instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to:

determine a center of intensity of element locations in a portion of the element pattern present in the acquired image data using grayscale values associated with each of the respective element locations.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the machine executable instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to:

determine a respective distance between the image acquisition device and each of the elements in a portion of the pattern of elements incident upon the object positioned in the three-dimensional space; and

determine a respective volume dimension associated with the object using the determined respective distances between the image acquisition device and each of the elements in a portion of the pattern of elements incident upon the object positioned in the three-dimensional space.

7. A portable structured light dimensioning system to determine a volume dimension of an object, comprising:

an image acquisition device to acquire image data representative of an element pattern projected into a three-dimensional space that includes an object;

a processor communicably coupled to the image acquisition device; and

a non-transitory storage medium communicably coupled to the processor and having stored therein machine executable instructions that when executed by the processor cause the processor to;

determine coordinate data associated with element locations in a portion of the element pattern present in the acquired image data;

generate a number of coordinate data lists, each including coordinate data associated with at least three element locations in the acquired image data;

for each coordinate data list;

compare the coordinate data associated with each of the at least three element locations in the acquired image data with a reference data list including reference coordinate data associated with reference element locations in a reference element pattern; and

select for each of the at least three element locations, a corresponding reference element location in the reference element pattern;

determine a spatial shift between the coordinate data associated with each of the at least three element locations in the acquired image data and the coordinate data associated with the respective corresponding reference element location in the reference element pattern; and

sort the coordinate data using a defined sort pattern to provide a respective ordered coordinate data list;

generate an ordered coordinate data list about each of a number of points of interest in the acquired image data to provide the number of ordered coordinate data lists, each ordered coordinate data list including coordinate data associated with each of at least three element locations about each respective point of interest; and

autonomously determine each of the number of points of interest in the acquired image data.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the machine executable instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to:

for each ordered coordinate data list perform at least one of a top-to-bottom search or a bottom-to-top search of the reference data list to compare the coordinate data associated with a first element location in the ordered coordinate data list with coordinate data associated with each reference element location in the reference data list; and

for coordinate data in the ordered coordinate data list associated with each remaining element location, perform at least one of an upward search, a downward search, or an alternating upward/downward search about coordinate data associated with a reference element in the reference data list corresponding to coordinate data associated with an immediately preceding element location.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the machine executable instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to:

for each ordered coordinate data list, convert the coordinate data associated with the at least three element locations in the acquired image data to a second, locally-referenced coordinate system that relates the coordinate data associated a first of the at least three elements included the respective ordered coordinate data list to the coordinate data associated with each of the other of the at least three elements included in the respective ordered coordinate data list to provide a respective ordered, locally referenced, coordinate data list; and

for each ordered, locally referenced, coordinate data list perform at least one of a top-to-bottom search or a bottom-to-top search of a locally-referenced, reference data list in which the coordinate data associated with each reference element is related to coordinate data associated with a number of neighboring reference elements in the reference pattern, to compare the locally-referenced coordinate data associated with the first of the at least three elements in the ordered, locally-referenced, coordinate data list with coordinate data associated with each reference element location in the locally-referenced, reference data list.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein the machine executable instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to:

determine a center of intensity of element locations in a portion of the element pattern present in the acquired image data; and

determine coordinate data corresponding to the determined center of intensity of the element locations in a portion of the element pattern present in the acquired image data.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the machine executable instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to:

determine a center of intensity of element locations in a portion of the element pattern present in the acquired image data using grayscale values associated with each of the respective element locations.

12. The system of claim 7, wherein the machine executable instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to:

determine a respective distance between the image acquisition device and each of the elements in a portion of the pattern of elements incident upon the object positioned in the three-dimensional space; and

determine a respective volume dimension associated with the object using the determined respective distances between the image acquisition device and each of the elements in a portion of the pattern of elements incident upon the object positioned in the three-dimensional space.

13. A structured light dimensioning method to determine a volume dimension of an object, comprising:

determining with a processor coordinate data corresponding to element locations in a portion of an element pattern present in acquired image data provided by an image capture device communicably coupled to the processor;

generating with the processor a number of coordinate data lists, each coordinate data list including coordinate data associated with at least three element locations in the acquired image data;

storing each of the number of coordinate data lists in a non-transitory storage media communicably coupled to the processor;

for each coordinate data list;

comparing with the processor the coordinate data associated with each of the at least three element locations in the acquired image data with a reference data list stored in a non-transitory storage media communicably coupled to the processor, the reference data list including reference coordinate data associated with reference element locations in a reference element pattern;

selecting with the processor, for each of the at least three element locations, a corresponding reference element location in the reference element pattern;

determining with the processor a spatial shift between the coordinate data associated with each of the at least three element locations in the acquired image data and the coordinate data associated with the respective corresponding reference element location in the reference element pattern; and

sorting with the processor the coordinate data using a defined sort pattern to provide a respective ordered coordinate data list;

generating with the processor an ordered coordinate data list proximate each of a number of points of interest in the acquired image data to provide the number of ordered coordinate data lists, each ordered coordinate data list including coordinate data associated with each of at least three element locations about each respective point of interest; and

accepting with the processor a number of user inputs provided via a user interface communicably coupled to the processor, each of the user inputs corresponding to one of the number of points of interest in the acquired image data.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein comparing with the processor the coordinate data associated with each of the at least three element locations in the acquired image data with a reference data list comprises:

comparing with the processor the coordinate data associated with each of the at least three element locations in the acquired image data with a reference data list by performing for the coordinate data associated with each of the at least three element locations, at least one of a top-to-bottom search or a bottom-to-top search of the reference data list to compare the coordinate data associated with the respective element location with coordinate data associated with each reference element location in the reference data list.

15. The method of claim 13, comprising:

for each ordered coordinate data list, performing with the processor at least one of a top-to-bottom search or a bottom-to-top search of the reference data list to compare the coordinate data associated with a first element location in the ordered coordinate data list with coordinate data associated with each reference element location in the reference data list; and

for coordinate data in the ordered coordinate data list associated with each remaining element location, performing with the processor at least one of an upward search, a downward search, or an alternating upward/downward search about coordinate data associated with a reference element in the reference data list corresponding to coordinate data associated with an immediately preceding element location.

16. The method of claim 13, comprising, for each ordered coordinate data list, converting with the processor, the coordinate data associated with the at least three element locations in the acquired image data to a second, locally-referenced coordinate system that relates the coordinate data associated a first of the at least three elements included the respective ordered coordinate data list to the coordinate data associated with each of the other of the at least three elements included in the respective ordered coordinate data list to provide a respective ordered, locally referenced, coordinate data list.

17. The method of claim 13, comprising determining with the processor a center of intensity of element locations in a portion of the element pattern present in the acquired image data.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein generating with the processor a number of coordinate data lists, each coordinate data list including coordinate data associated with at least three element locations in the acquired image data comprises:

generating with the processor a number of coordinate data lists, each coordinate data list including coordinate data corresponding to the determined center of intensity of the at least three element locations in the acquired image data.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein determining with the processor a center of intensity of element locations in a portion of the element pattern present in the acquired image data comprises:

determining with the processor the center of intensity of element locations in a portion of the element pattern present in the acquired image data using a number of grayscale values associated with each of the respective element locations.

20. The method of claim 13, comprising:

determining with the processor a respective distance between the image acquisition device and each of the elements in a portion of the pattern of elements incident upon the object positioned in the three-dimensional space; and

determining with the processor a respective volume dimension associated with the object using the determined respective distances between the image acquisition device and each of the elements in a portion of the pattern of elements incident upon the object positioned in the three-dimensional space.