The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Sep. 23, 2003
Filed:
Jun. 01, 2000
Abdalmajeid M. Alyassin, Schenectady, NY (US);
Boris Yamrom, Schenectady, NY (US);
James V. Miller, Niskayuna, NY (US);
Lockheed Martin Corporation, Bethesda, MD (US);
Abstract
The present invention provides a system and method for performing three-dimensional surface measurements of a path length along a surface. The method for determining the path length along the surface of a three-dimensional object includes the step of first selecting a first and second point on the three-dimensional surface. A plane is then defined which contains both the first and second points. A determination is then made to find the shortest path curve between the first point and second point which is defined by the intersection of the three-dimensional object with the plane. This path length is recorded for future comparison. A series of subsequent planes is defined that contains the first and second point, wherein these planes are rotated at an angle to each other. A determination is then made for the shortest path length associated with each subsequent plane. The overall shortest path length is the minimum of these recorded path lengths.