Optical laser guidance system apparatus and method

• US 20060106507A1
• Filed: 11/12/2004
• Published: 05/18/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/12/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Ledet, Roger J., Yestrau, John E.
• Granted Patent: US 7,536,242 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/23
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/4207 in which a model is traced or scanned and corresponding data recorded
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/36439 Guide arm in path by slaving arm to projected path, beam riding
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0236 in combination with a laser lasers per se H01S

Abstract

An optical laser guidance system includes a laser sensor, a controller and a plurality of actuators. The laser sensor detects a projected laser beam and sends an electrical signal representative of the position of the laser beam to the controller. The controller interprets the representative signal and uses the position of the laser beam relative to a predetermined reference position to generate a control signal to control an actuator in order to control the direction of travel of a vehicle or robot with respect to a predetermined guidepath. The laser sensor may also receive additional control messages that result in the controller generating additional control signals to control additional actuators in order to perform additional functions. The optical laser guidance system may also include a laser projection system capable of projecting a two- or three-dimensional guidepath and additional control messages.

Claims

1. An optical laser guidance system for use with a vehicle, comprising:

a laser sensor to sense a position of a laser beam and responsively generate a position signal;

a vehicle drive actuator; and

a controller, linked to the laser sensor and linked to the vehicle drive actuator, to receive the position signal and control the vehicle drive actuator in response to the laser beam being greater than a predetermined distance from the reference position.

2. The optical laser guidance system of claim 1, wherein the laser sensor comprises a laser receiver to detect a location at which the laser beam strikes the laser receiver, and the controller further uses the position signal to determine a relative position of the location at which the laser beam strikes the laser receiver with respect to a predetermined reference location on the laser receiver.

3. The optical laser guidance system of claim 2, further comprising:

an interface control module linked to the laser receiver and to the controller for conditioning the position signal; and

at least a first photosensitive array in the laser receiver;

wherein the interface control module provides for adjustment of an effective width of the first photosensitive array in the laser receiver, and for adjustment of a frequency with which the position signal sent to the controller is updated.

4. The optical laser guidance system of claim 1, wherein the laser sensor comprises a machine vision system to detect a location at which the laser beam strikes an adjacent surface, and the controller further uses the position signal to determine a relative position of the location at which the laser beam strikes the adjacent surface with respect to a predetermined reference position.

5. The optical laser guidance system of claim 1, wherein the vehicle drive actuator comprises a servo motor.

6. The optical laser guidance system of claim 1, further comprising a vehicle drive system associated with the vehicle drive actuator, wherein the controller controls the vehicle drive system by way of the vehicle drive actuator.

7. The optical laser guidance system of claim 6, wherein the vehicle drive system comprises at least one drivable wheel.

8. The optical laser guidance system of claim 6, wherein the vehicle drive system comprises at least one steerable wheel.

9. The optical laser guidance system of claim 6, wherein the vehicle drive system comprises a first drive mechanism and a second drive mechanism, and the first drive mechanism is capable of driving at a differential relative velocity with respect to the second drive mechanism.

10. The optical laser guidance system of claim 6, further comprising a vehicle upon which the laser sensor is mounted and to which the vehicle drive system is attached.

11. The optical laser guidance system of claim 10, wherein the controller controls the vehicle drive system by way of the vehicle drive actuator in order to modulate a vehicle direction of travel in response to the laser beam being greater than a predetermined distance from the reference position, such that the vehicle moves along a path corresponding to the position of the laser beam.

12. The optical laser guidance system of claim 11, wherein the vehicle moves along a three-dimensional path corresponding to a contoured surface.

13. The optical laser guidance system of claim 10, further comprising:

an end-effector actuator; and

an end-effector associated with the end-effector actuator and linked to the controller and coupled to the vehicle for performing a manufacturing or fabrication process;

wherein the controller controls the end-effector.

14. The optical laser guidance system of claim 1, further comprising a laser source to project the laser beam along a predetermined vehicle guidepath.

15. The optical laser guidance system of claim 14, wherein the guidepath is a three-dimensional path corresponding to a contoured surface.

16. The optical laser guidance system of claim 14, further comprising a processor linked to the laser source to control the laser source.

17. The optical laser guidance system of claim 16, wherein the processor controls the laser source in response to a guidepath programming algorithm that accounts for a lateral offset and a vertical offset of the location of the laser sensor with respect to the surface path of the vehicle due to an orientation of the vehicle on a contoured surface.

18. The optical laser guidance system of claim 16, wherein a single computer system comprises both the processor and the controller.

19. The optical laser guidance system of claim 16, wherein the processor is further configured to determine a sequence of directions in which sequentially to point the laser beam in order to dynamically create the guidepath, and to generate a control signal;

and the laser source is further configured to receive the control signal and in response sequentially project the laser beam along the guidepath.

20. The optical laser guidance system of claim 16, wherein the processor is further configured to determine a sequence of directions in which sequentially to point the laser beam in order to optically transmit a control message to the laser sensor, and the controller is further configured to recognize and interpret the control message received by the laser sensor.

21. The optical laser guidance system of claim 20, wherein the processor is configured to control the laser source in order to intermittently create the guidepath and transmit the control message.

22. A method of guiding a vehicle with a laser beam, comprising the steps of:

receiving a signal from a laser sensor, the signal being representative of a position of the laser beam;

interpreting the representative signal;

generating a control signal in response to the laser beam being greater than a predetermined distance from the reference position, the control signal being configured to control a vehicle to track the position of the laser beam; and

sending the control signal to the vehicle drive actuator.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the vehicle moves along a three-dimensional path corresponding to a contoured surface.

24. A method for creating a vehicle guidepath, comprising the steps of:

determining a sequence of directions in which sequentially to point a laser beam in order to dynamically create a vehicle guidepath;

generating a control signal for sequentially pointing a laser source in a sequence of directions to dynamically create the vehicle guidepath;

sending the control signal to the laser source; and

sequentially pointing the laser beam in the sequence of directions so as dynamically to create the vehicle guidepath.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the guidepath is a three-dimensional path corresponding to a contoured surface.

26. The method of claim 24, further comprising the steps of:

creating a guidepath programming algorithm that accounts for a lateral offset and a vertical offset of a location of a laser sensor with respect to a surface path of a vehicle due to an orientation of the vehicle on a contoured surface; and

executing the guidepath programming algorithm to generate a data file defining the vehicle guidepath;

wherein the data file is processed to determine the sequence of directions in which sequentially to point the laser beam.

27. An optical laser guidance system, comprising:

means for determining a sequence of directions in which sequentially to point a laser beam in order to dynamically create a vehicle guidepath;

means for generating a first control signal for sequentially pointing a laser source in a sequence of directions to dynamically create the vehicle guidepath;

means for sending the first control signal to the laser source;

means for sequentially pointing a laser beam in a sequence of directions so as dynamically to create the vehicle guidepath;

means for receiving a signal from a laser sensor, the signal being representative of a position of the laser beam;

means for interpreting the representative signal;

means for generating a second control signal to control a vehicle to track the position of the laser beam; and

means for sending the second control signal to a vehicle drive actuator.

28. The optical laser guidance system of claim 27, wherein the guidepath is a three-dimensional path corresponding to a contoured surface.

29. A computer program product for enabling a controller to guide a vehicle with a laser beam, comprising:

software instructions for enabling a controller to perform predetermined operations; and

a computer readable medium bearing the software instructions;

the predetermined operations including the steps of;

receiving a signal from a laser sensor, the signal being representative of a position of the laser beam,

interpreting the representative signal,

generating a control signal in response to the laser beam being greater than a predetermined distance from the reference position, the control signal being configured to control the vehicle to track the position of the laser beam, and

sending the control signal to a vehicle drive actuator.

30. The computer program product of claim 29, wherein the control signal controls the vehicle to move along a three-dimensional path corresponding to a contoured surface.

31. A computer program product for enabling a computer to control a laser source to create a vehicle guidepath, comprising:

software instructions for enabling a computer processor to perform predetermined operations; and

a computer readable medium bearing the software instructions;

the predetermined operations including the steps of;

determining a sequence of directions in which sequentially to point a laser beam in order to dynamically create a vehicle guidepath,

generating a control signal for sequentially pointing the laser source in a sequence of directions to dynamically create the vehicle guidepath, and

sending the control signal to the laser source.

32. The computer program product of claim 31, wherein the guidepath is a three-dimensional path corresponding to a contoured surface.