Patent · US Expired

Method and apparatus for determining location and orientation of objects

US4672564A · kind A · utility

59Cited by
9References
48Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateNov 15, 1984
Grant dateJun 9, 1987
Priority date
Expiry dateNov 15, 2004

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG01S5/163
  • WIPO fieldMeasurement
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

A target plane in fixed relationship to an object provides a first triad of three collinear target points which lie on a first line projection and a second triad of target points which lie on a second line projection which is in nonalignment with the first triad. A photo detector image plane obtains images of the target points projected on the image plane through a lens located a fixed distance from the image plane. Simple algebraic manipulation of image plane position coordinates of the images corresponding to the target points provides for the establishment of vector replicas of the position of the target points. The vector replicas, in turn, are sufficient data to provide spatial information about the object including position and oriention information with full six-degrees-of-freedom.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.