Hexagon Technology Center Gmbh

Leica Geosystems Ag

Benedikt Zebhauser

Bo Pettersson

Knut Siercks

Klaus Schneider

Jürg Hinderling

Eugen Voit

Pascal Jordil

Juerg Hinderling

Hans-Jürgen Euler

Paul Alves

Frank Takac

Dejan Seatovic

A coordinate measuring machine () for determining at least one spatial coordinate of a measurement point of an object () to be measured, comprising a base () and a drive mechanism, adapted to drive a probe head () in a manner such that the probe head () is capable to move relative to the base () for approaching a measurement point, characterized by a first range camera () having a range image sensor with a sensor array, wherein the range camera () is adapted to be directed to the object () for providing a range image () of the object (), and wherein range pixels of the range image are used for creating a point cloud with 3D-positions of target points of the object (), and a controller, adapted to control the drive mechanism on the basis of 3D-positions of the target points.

Coordinate measuring machine having a camera

Some embodiments of the invention relate to an optical measuring device for determining 3D coordinates of an object. The optical measuring device may include a projector device for illuminating the object with at least one predefined pattern; at least one PSA camera for capturing a 2D image of the pattern as reflected from the object; computing means for measuring a sequence of brightness values of at least one 2D image point from the 2D images, and calculating a 3D coordinate of an object point which is correlated with the measured sequence of brightness values of the 2D image point. The optical measuring device may also include a TOF camera for capturing at least one range image of the object, the range image including distance information of the object for the dissolution of ambiguity in calculating the 3D coordinate.

Method and device for determining three-dimensional coordinates of an object

The invention relates to a method for determining 3D coordinates of an object () by a handheld laser-based distance measuring device (), the method comprising determining an object point () at the object (); measuring a distance () from the handheld laser-based distance measuring device () to the determined object point () by means of an EDM (); capturing a 3D image () of the object (), the 3D image () includes the determined object point (); identifying the determined object point () in the captured 3D image (); and linking the measured distance () with the identified object point () in the 3D image (). The invention also relates to a handheld laser-based distance measuring device () and a computer program product for execution of said method.

Method and device for determining 3D coordinates of an object

The invention relates to a graphical application system to apply a desired pattern by multiple tiles onto a target surface. The system comprises a graphical application device comprising a base structure with a trackable optical feature, at least one nozzle for expelling paint, a driving unit for positioning the nozzle and a local camera for a local referencing of the nozzle. A controller controls the driving unit and the expelling of the nozzle to achieve an application of the desired pattern on the target surface. The system also comprises an external referencing device located remote from the graphical application device, for a global referencing of the application device according to the trackable optical feature. The desired pattern is applied with a primary alignment of the application range by the global referencing and with a fine-alignment of the actual tile to a previously applied tile according to the local referencing.

Graphical application system

The invention concerns a handheld, dynamically movable surface spattering device, comprising at least one nozzle means for an expelling of a spattering material onto a target surface and a nozzle control mechanism to control characteristics of the expelling of the nozzle means. Furthermore, it comprises a spattering material supply, a storage with desired spattering data, which is predefined and comprised in a digital image or CAD-model memorized on the storage, a spatial referencing unit, to reference the spattering device relative to the target surface and a computation means to automatically control the expelling by the nozzle control mechanism according to information gained by the spatial referencing unit and according to the desired spattering data is evaluated and adjusted by changing the characteristics of expelling of the nozzle means in such a way that the target surface is spattered according to the desired spattering data.

Surface spattering device

The invention relates to a measuring machine and a method for automated measurement of an object and detection of differences between a feature of the object and CAD data of the object. The measuring machine comprises a probe head, a probe system comprising a probe and measurement functionality for determining three-dimensional coordinates of a feature of the object, a local computer terminal, an assigned memory unit, and an assigned set of measurement software programs for controlling the measuring machine. The stored CAD data of the object comprise typical dimensions and tolerances of the features, and the assigned set of measurement software programs comprises an optimization algorithm for the measurement of each feature which algorithm is designed to automatically select measuring parameters of the measuring machine and/or a measurement software program from the set of measurement software programs.

Measuring machine and method for automated measurement of an object

Embodiments described herein include a surveying apparatus for surveying a measurement scenery. The surveying apparatus may include a base defining a vertical axis; a support tiltable around the vertical axis; a telescope unit tiltable around the vertical axis and around a horizontal axis that is orthogonal to the vertical axis and comprises means for distance measurement; motor means for rotational driving of the support and the telescope unit; and angle determination means for detecting an orientation of the telescope unit with respect to the base. In some embodiments, the telescope unit comprises a first camera capable to take a visible image of the measurement scenery and/or means for capturing coordinates of 3D-points of the measurement scenery. In some embodiments, the surveying apparatus comprises a display capable to display at least a portion of the visible image taken by the first camera and/or at least a portion of the 3D-points.

Surveying apparatus having a range camera

A Method for generating scaled terrain information while operating a bulldozer. The bulldozer may include a driving unit comprising a set of drive wheels, a motor connected to at least one of the drive wheels, a blade for altering the surface of the terrain, at least one camera for capturing images of the environment, the camera being positioned and aligned in a known manner relative to the bulldozer, and a controlling and processing unit. A method may include moving the bulldozer while concurrently generating a set of image data by capturing an image series of terrain sections with the at least one camera so that at least two images of the image series cover an amount of identical points in the terrain, and either applying a simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) algorithm or a stereo photogrammetry algorithm to the set of image data and thereby deriving terrain data.

Method and control system for surveying and mapping a terrain while operating a bulldozer

A method for a six degree of freedom position and orientation determination of a known shape in a scenery is disclosed. The method includes taking a range image with a range imaging camera and a visual picture with a digital camera. The range imaging camera includes a sensor array with a first number of pixels. Determining a 3D cluster of points from range information collected from the sensor array to a point of the scenery. the digital camera comprises an image sensor having a second number of pixels, resulting in a 2D picture. A stored 3D digital representation of the known shape may be fitted in a virtual space to match the reproduction of the known object in the 2D picture and the 3D cluster of points and determining the six degree of freedom position and orientation of the known shape according to the virtual match.

Position and orientation determination in 6-DOF

A method and system for determining the position of a hand-held power tool on a wall including measuring distances within a plane perpendicular to a tooling axis in at least two directions, comprising at least the direction to one side wall and the direction to the floor or the ceiling. At least one non-contact measurement sensor module measures distances in a multitude of angles in an angular range of at least 1&#xb0; around the at least two directions. From the distance sequence measured by the at least one measurement sensor module a calculation and storing unit automatically calculates a function, wherein extrema represent shortest distances to walls, floor and/or ceiling adjacent to the wall. From said function the calculation and storing unit deduces the shortest distances, and output means provide information about the shortest distances so as to allow positioning relative to the shortest distances.

Working tool positioning system

Noncontact coordinate measurement. With a 3D image recording unit, a first three-dimensional image of a first area section of the object surface is electronically recorded in a first position and first orientation, the first three-dimensional image being composed of a multiplicity of first pixels, with which in each case a piece of depth information is coordinated. First 3D image coordinates in an image coordinate system are coordinated with the first pixels. The first position and first orientation of the 3D image recording unit in the object coordinate system are determined by a measuring apparatus coupled to the object coordinate system by means of an optical reference stereocamera measuring system. First 3D object coordinates in the object coordinate system are coordinated with the first pixels from the knowledge of the first 3D image coordinates and of the first position and first orientation of the 3D image recording unit.

Method and surveying system for noncontact coordinate measurement on an object surface

A graphical application system, with a surface spattering device, with at least one nozzle for expelling a spattering material onto a target surface, a nozzle control mechanism controls expelling of the nozzle. A spatial referencing unit references the spattering device in space and a computation means automatically controls the nozzle according to information from the spatial referencing unit and according to predefined desired spattering data as a digital image or a CAD-model of a desired pattern to be spattered onto the target surface. A communication means for establishing a communication link from the spatial referencing unit to the computation means to supply the position and orientation to the computation means. The spatial referencing unit is located remote from the spattering device and comprises at least two optical 2D cameras arranged with a stereobasis, for determining the position and orientation of images taken by the cameras.

The invention relates to a method and a surveying system for noncontact coordinate measurement on the object surface of an object to be surveyed in an object coordinate system. With a 3D image recording unit, a first three-dimensional image of a first area section of the object surface is electronically recorded in a first position and first orientation, the first three-dimensional image being composed of a multiplicity of first pixels, with which in each case a piece of depth information is coordinated. The first position and first orientation of the 3D image recording unit in the object coordinate system are determined by a measuring apparatus coupled to the object coordinate system. First 3D object coordinates in the object coordinate system are coordinated with the first pixels from the knowledge of the first 3D image coordinates and of the first position and first orientation of the 3D image recording unit.

Method and measurement system for contactless coordinate measurement of an object surface

The invention relates to a method and a surveying system for noncontact coordinate measurement on the object surface () of an object () to be surveyed in an object coordinate system (O). With a 3D image recording unit (), a first three-dimensional image (P) of a first area section (S) of the object surface () is electronically recorded in a first position (x, y, z) and first orientation (&#x3c6;, &#x3c9;, &#x3ba;), the first three-dimensional image (P) being composed of a multiplicity of first pixels (i), with which in each case a piece of depth information is coordinated. First 3D image coordinates (u, v, w) in an image coordinate system (B) of the 3D image recording unit () are coordinated with the first pixels (i). The first position (x, y, z) and first orientation (100, &#x3c9;, &#x3ba;) of the 3D image recording unit () in the object coordinate system (O) are determined by a measuring apparatus () coupled to the object coordinate system (O). First 3D object coordinates (x, y, z) in the object coordinate system (O) are coordinated with the first pixels (i) from the knowledge of the first 3D image coordinates (u, v, w) and of the first position (x, y, z) and first orientation (&#x3c6;, &#x3c9;, &#x3ba;) of the 3D image recording unit ().

Method and measurement system for contactless coordinate measurement on an object surface

A correction calculation method for a satellite based positioning system with a network of receiving units as reference stations comprises a partitioning of the network into groups of reference stations, calculation of group-specific correction factors, amalgamation of the group-specific correction factors and subsequently, derivation of network-specific correction parameters. In this partitioning, the reference stations are represented by nodes in a connected, edge-weighted graph, in the generation of which an edge respectively connecting two nodes is only generated if it satisfies a distance-dependent connectivity condition, whereby the distance between the nodes connected by this edge is input into the weighting function of this edge. From the graph a minimum spanning tree is derived and subsequently partitioned for establishing the groups.

Growing community of inventors

Rorschach, Switzerland

Benedikt Zebhauser