Patent · US Expired

Non-concentricity compensation in position and orientation measurement systems

US5307072A · kind A · utility

306Cited by
25References
21Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventor

Key dates

Filing dateJul 9, 1992
Grant dateApr 26, 1994
Priority date
Expiry dateJul 9, 2012

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC F)Mechanical Engineering; Lighting; Heating
  • CPC primaryF41G3/22
  • WIPO fieldOther special machines
  • WIPO sectorMechanical engineering

Abstract

A method and apparatus for determining the position and orientation of a remote object relative to a reference coordinate frame includes a source having a plurality of field-generating elements for generating electromagnetic fields, a drive for applying, to the generator element, signals that generate a plurality of electromagnetic fields that are distinguishable from one another, a remote sensor having a plurality of field-sensing elements for sensing the fields generated by the source, and a processor for processing the outputs of the sensing elements into remote object position and orientation relative to the source reference coordinate frame. The processor compensates the position and orientation values as a function of displacement of either the field-generating elements from a common center, or the field-sensing elements from a common center, or both. Techniques are disclosed for compensating for small-scale non-concentricity in order to overcome imperfections in the orthogonal coil sets wound on a common core, each set defining the source or the sensor. Techniques are also disclosed for compensating for large-scale non-concentricity to allow physical separation of the coil s…

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