Three-dimensional coordinate measuring device

• Main Authors: Bridges, Robert E, Mertz, Jacob J, Li, Jun, Ferrara, Michael
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 11.06.2024
• Subjects: ANALOGOUS ARRANGEMENTS USING OTHER WAVES; BASIC ELECTRIC ELEMENTS; DETERMINING DISTANCE OR VELOCITY BY USE OF RADIO WAVES; DEVICES OR ARRANGEMENTS, THE OPTICAL OPERATION OF WHICH ISMODIFIED BY CHANGING THE OPTICAL PROPERTIES OF THE MEDIUM OF THEDEVICES OR ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE CONTROL OF THE INTENSITY,COLOUR, PHASE, POLARISATION OR DIRECTION OF LIGHT, e.g.SWITCHING, GATING, MODULATING OR DEMODULATING; DEVICES USING STIMULATED EMISSION; ELECTRICITY; FREQUENCY-CHANGING; GYROSCOPIC INSTRUMENTS; LOCATING OR PRESENCE-DETECTING BY USE OF THE REFLECTION ORRERADIATION OF RADIO WAVES; MEASURING; MEASURING ANGLES; MEASURING AREAS; MEASURING DISTANCES, LEVELS OR BEARINGS; MEASURING IRREGULARITIES OF SURFACES OR CONTOURS; MEASURING LENGTH, THICKNESS OR SIMILAR LINEARDIMENSIONS; NAVIGATION; NON-LINEAR OPTICS; OPTICAL ANALOGUE/DIGITAL CONVERTERS; OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS, OR APPARATUS; OPTICAL LOGIC ELEMENTS; OPTICS; PHOTOGRAMMETRY OR VIDEOGRAMMETRY; PHYSICS; RADIO DIRECTION-FINDING; RADIO NAVIGATION; SURVEYING; TECHNIQUES OR PROCEDURES FOR THE OPERATION THEREOF; TESTING

A coordinate measuring device is provided having a light source that emits a beam of light. A distance meter measures a distance to a target. A first locator camera assembly includes a first camera and first lights. A second locator camera assembly includes a second camera and second lights. The processor matches retroreflectors in a first image of the first camera and a second image of the second camera based on a shape-and-context matching of retroreflector spots in the first and second image and on an area-context-matching of background objects in the first and second image. The retroreflector spots in the first image produced by illumination of the retroreflectors by the first lights, the retroreflector spots in the second image produced by illumination of the retroreflectors by the second lights. The processor provides a third image that includes both the background objects and markers indicating the matched retroreflectors.