Patent · US Expired

Incremental recognition of a three dimensional object

US6363173B1 · kind B1 · utility

72Cited by
5References
27Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateOct 14, 1998
Grant dateMar 26, 2002
Priority date
Expiry dateOct 14, 2018

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG06V20/64
  • WIPO fieldCivil engineering
  • WIPO sectorOther fields

Abstract

The present invention is a method and apparatus for determining the location, orientation, and dimensions of an object using range data from a scanning sensor based on data for a relatively small portion of the object. The present recognition method uses characteristics of a scanning sensor along with the geometrical characteristics of objects that typically receive loads in an earthmoving environment, such as dump trucks. The data from a single scanline provided by a scanning sensor system is processed to determine if there are discontinuities in the scanline. In the present invention, discontinuities in adjacent scanlines are assumed to be in close proximity to each other and to correspond to dominant linear features in a model of the object. The top and bottom edges of an object, such as a dump truck bed, can be located as discontinuities in a single scanline. These discontinuities are used to form possible interpretations of the object's position and orientation. As more scanlines are received, discontinuities that are in close proximity form part of the same interpretation. Lines are also fit to the discontinuities and compared to edges or linear features in the model of an ob…

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