4022 results about "Laser scanning" patented technology

A laser scanning assembly for use in a host system, including a mirror support element and a permanent magnetic element supported on a flexural element made from flexible material being supported by a pair of shaft half sections forming a stationary shaft, about which an axis of rotation is formed. The mirror support element and the permanent magnetic element have first and second recesses which accommodate the width of the stationary shaft so that a mirror and permanent magnet subassembly, formed by the mirror support element and the magnetic element, is free to oscillate about the stationary shaft when an electromagnetic coil is driven by a drive circuit and generates magnetic forces that act on the permanent magnetic element.

A laser scanning bar code symbol reading system for scanning and reading poor quality and damaged bar code symbols in flexible operating conditions. The system includes a housing having a light transmission window; a dynamically-elongated laser beam production module, including a multi-cavity visible laser diode (VLD), for producing a dynamically-elongated laser beam having (i) a direction of propagation extending along a z reference direction, (ii) a height dimension being indicated by the y reference direction, and (iii) a width dimension being indicated by the x reference direction, where x, y and z directions are orthogonal to each other. Each dynamically-elongated laser beam is characterized by an elongation ratio (ER) that is defined as Y/X where, for any point within the working range of the laser scanning bar code symbol reading system, extending along the z direction, (i) Y indicates the beam height of the dynamically-elongated laser beam measured in the Y reference direction, (ii) X indicates the beam width of the dynamically-elongated laser beam measured in the X reference direction, and (iii) the beam height (Y) and the laser beam width (X) are measured at 1/e² intensity clip level. A laser scanning mechanism is provided for scanning the dynamically-elongated laser beam out the light transmission window and across a scanning field defined external to the housing, in which a bar code symbol is present for scanning by the dynamically-elongated laser scanning beam.

A laser scanning module employs a scan mirror and magnet rotor subassembly supported by a stator structure using a pair of elastomeric wheel hinges. The scan mirror and magnet rotor subassembly includes: a scan mirror and magnet rotor subassembly having a rotor frame having a pair of rotor support posts aligned along a scan axis passing through the rotor frame; a scan mirror mounted on the rotor frame; and a permanent magnet mounted on the rotor frame. The elastomeric wheel hinge includes a central portion having an aperture for passage and fixed attachment of one rotor support post, a plurality of elastomeric spoke portions extending from the central portion and radially extending from the central aperture to a circumferential rim portion connected to the outer end portion of each spoke portion so as to form the elastomeric wheel hinge.

A computer system for decoding a signal of decodable indicia. The computer system includes a laser scanner configured that outputs a signal of decodable indicia and a microprocessor that include a camera sensor interface that is configured to receive the signal from the laser scanner.

Systems and methods which provide mapping an arbitrary outdoor environment and positioning a ground-based vehicle relative to this map. In one embodiment, a land-based vehicle travels across a section of terrain, recording both location data from sensors such as GPS as well as scene data from sensors such as laser scanners or cameras. These data are then used to create a high-resolution map of the terrain, which may have well-defined structure (such as a road) or which may be unstructured (such as a section of desert), and which does not rely on the presence of any “landmark” features. In another embodiment, the vehicle localizes itself relative to this map in a subsequent drive over the same section of terrain, using a computer algorithm that incorporates incoming sensor data from the vehicle by attempting to maximize the likelihood of the observed data given the map.

A console for the input and display of consumer product information such as pricing, etc. The console may be built into the handle of the shopping cart or as a retrofit application on existing handles. The console has a product information input device for numerical values such as product pricing, cost per unit, etc. The apparatus has a calculator and output display for such data. Some space on the console will likely be dedicated to a display panel for advertising. The console may be equipped with a bar code scanner as an alternate means of inputting such consumer data. The console should have an output display, such as a monitor, and/or a readout in order to display the product information such as: cost per unit. A video monitor may be used in connection with the console in order to provide advertising information related to products.

A system and method for implementing a wireless data transmission scheme through the use of a display capable of displaying symbolic information, a data acquisition device capable of identifying and capturing said displayed information and a mitigation device adapted to allow the data acquisition device to capture the symbolic information. The symbolic information may be a barcode displayed on an LCD outputting linearly polarized light. The data acquisition device may be a laser scanner, and the mitigation device may be a quarter wave retarder located between the display and the scanner. A larger system may utilize this wireless system or a different front end in a more generalized backend information transfer system. The backend system may include a centralized data center adapted to be used with retail couponing, ticketing, digital receipts, or a plurality of other information systems in which data is used separately from its storage location.

A navigation system for use in a vehicle. The system includes an absolute position sensor, such as GPS, in addition to one or more additional sensors, such as a camera, laser scanner, or radar. The system further comprises a digital map or database that includes records for at least some of the vehicle's surrounding objects. These records can include relative positional attributes and traditional absolute positions. As the vehicle moves, sensors sense the presence of at least some of these objects, and measure the vehicle's relative position to those objects. This information, together with the absolute positional information and the added map information, is used to determine the vehicle's location, and support features such as enhanced driving directions, collision avoidance, or automatic assisted driving. In accordance with an embodiment, the system also allows some objects to be attributed using relative positioning, without recourse to storing absolute position information.

An autonomous vehicle and systems having an interface for payloads that allows integration of various payloads with relative ease. There is a vehicle control system for controlling an autonomous vehicle, receiving data, and transmitting a control signal on at least one network. A payload is adapted to detachably connect to the autonomous vehicle, the payload comprising a network interface configured to receive the control signal from the vehicle control system over the at least one network. The vehicle control system may encapsulate payload data and transmit the payload data over the at least one network, including Ethernet or CAN networks. The payload may be a laser scanner, a radio, a chemical detection system, or a Global Positioning System unit. In certain embodiments, the payload is a camera mast unit, where the camera communicates with the autonomous vehicle control system to detect and avoid obstacles. The camera mast unit may be interchangeable, and may include structures for receiving additional payload components.

A method is presented for rapidly making and delivering directly to a consumer a full upper and/or lower denture on the basis of contemporaneous digital image information laser scanned from the person's oral cavity after all respective upper and/or lower teeth have been removed, the delivery of the denture occurring substantially contemporaneously with the creation of the contemporaneous digital image information and optionally including and based on archived digital image information laser scanned from the person's oral cavity before all respective upper and/or lower teeth have been removed and digitally stored. According to which this contemporaneous digital image information and archival digital image information of the oral cavity is converted, by means of what is called the rapid prototyping technique and thus with a processing step (20) and a combination of an optional laser scanning step (18) solely for archiving the oral cavity when upper and/or lower teeth are present and a repetition of the laser scanning step (18) at a subsequent time when upper and/or lower teeth have been removed, a pre-selected block of plastic is used in a processing step (26) at a remote rapid modeling facility for receiving and processing digital information to form the block of plastic or like material into a denture of which at least a part is formed to substantially perfectly fit in juxtaposed relationship to the corresponding gums of the consumer. At least, pre-selected outer or non-juxtaposing is selected for manufacture of the denture using an arbitrary archived digital image not derived from the consumer's oral cavity image but selected by the consumer for its style, cosmetic characteristics, for example, color of teeth, size and variety of teeth, and/or perceived suitability.

An apparatus and method for aligning a line scan camera with a Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) scanner for real-time data fusion in three dimensions is provided. Imaging data is captured at a computer processor simultaneously from the line scan camera and the laser scanner from target object providing scanning targets defined in an imaging plane perpendicular to focal axes of the line scan camera and the LiDAR scanner. X-axis and Y-axis pixel locations of a centroid of each of the targets from captured imaging data is extracted. LiDAR return intensity versus scan angle is determined and scan angle locations of intensity peaks which correspond to individual targets is determined. Two axis parallax correction parameters are determined by applying a least squares. The correction parameters are provided to post processing software to correct for alignment differences between the imaging camera and LiDAR scanner for real-time colorization for acquired LiDAR data.

A coordinate measurement device comprises an articulated arm having a first end, a second end, and a plurality of jointed arm segments therebetween. Each arm segment defines at least one axis of rotation. A laser scanner assembly is coupled to the second end of the arm and is rotatable about a last axis of rotation of the articulated arm. The laser scanner assembly comprises a laser and an image sensor. The laser is positioned on an opposite side of the last axis of rotation from the image sensor.

A selective laser solidification apparatus including; a powder bed onto which powder layers can be deposited, at least one laser module for generating a plurality of laser beams for solidifying the powder material deposited onto the powder bed, a laser scanner for individually steering each laser beam to solidify separate areas in each powder layer, and a processing unit. A scanning zone for each laser beam is defined by the locations on the powder bed to which the laser beam can be steered by the laser scanner. The laser scanner is arranged such that each scanning zone is less than the total area of powder bed and at least two of the scanning zones overlap. The processing unit is arranged for selecting, for at least one powder layers, which laser beam to use to scan an area of the powder layer located within a region wherein the scanning zones overlap.

A fully automated package identification and measuring system, in which an omni-directional holographic scanning tunnel is used to read bar codes on packages entering the tunnel, while a package dimensioning subsystem is used to capture information about the package prior to entry into the tunnel. Mathematical models are created on a real-time basis for the geometry of the package and the position of the laser scanning beam used to read the bar code symbol thereon. The mathematical models are analyzed to determine if collected and queued package identification data is spatially and/or temporally correlated with package measurement data using vector-based ray-tracing methods, homogeneous transformations, and object-oriented decision logic so as to enable simultaneous tracking of multiple packages being transported through the scanning tunnel.

A navigation system for use in a vehicle (402). The system includes an absolute position sensor, such as GPS, in addition to one or more additional sensors, such as a camera, laser scanner, or radar. The system further comprises a digital map or database that includes records for at least some of the vehicle's surrounding objects (400). These records can include relative positional attributes with respect to a reference axis (404). As the vehicle (402) moves, sensors sense the presence of at least some of these objects (400), and measure the vehicle's relative position to those objects. This information is used to determine the vehicle's instantaneous lateral offset (428) relative to the reference axis (404), and support features such as enhanced driving directions, collision avoidance, or automatic assisted driving. The system also allows new objects (408, 414) to be attributed using relative positioning, and thereby factored into the enhanced navigation features.

The invention discloses a binocular stereo vision three-dimensional measurement method based on line structured light scanning, which comprises the steps of performing stereo calibration on binocularindustrial cameras, projecting laser light bars by using a line laser, respectively acquiring left and right laser light bar images, extracting light bar center coordinates with sub-pixel accuracy based on a Hessian matrix method, performing light bar matching according to an epipolar constraint principle, and calculating a laser plane equation; secondly, acquiring a line laser scanning image of aworkpiece to be measured, extracting coordinates of the image of the workpiece to be measured, calculating world coordinates of the workpiece to be measured by combining binocular camera calibrationparameters and the laser plane equation, and recovering the three-dimensional surface topography of the workpiece to be measured. Compared with a common three-dimensional measurement system combininga monocular camera and line structured light, the binocular stereo vision three-dimensional measurement method avoids complicated laser plane calibration. Compared with the traditional stereo vision method, the binocular stereo vision three-dimensional measurement method reduces the difficulty of stereo matching in binocular stereo vision while ensuring the measurement accuracy, and improves the robustness and the usability of a visual three-dimensional measurement system.

Systems and methods for monitoring parking spots are disclosed. A system includes at least one vehicle and a remote computer that are in communication with each other. A vehicle includes a camera that generates image data, a location device that generates geographic coordinates of the vehicle, a computing device that receives the image data from the camera and the geographic coordinates of the vehicle and optionally data from a laser scanner that is calibrated with the camera and is connected to a smartphone that transmits data to the remote computer. Image data generated by the camera is processed with a reference image and data from the laser scanner to determine an occupation status of the parking spot. The occupation status is transmitted by the remote computer to a second vehicle.

The invention relates to a vector-relation-based method for calibrating single-line laser radar and a CCD camera. Point set information of the laser radar for scanning a V-shaped target is extracted in a laser coordinate system, and direction vectors and intersection coordinates of straight lines in two different planes of the target are obtained by means of straight line fitting; the CCD camera is used for capturing images in a camera coordinate system, target plane equations and an equation of a plane passing through an original point and laser radar scanning lines are obtained by processing image information, a straight-line equation of laser radar scanning is built, and furthermore, the direction vectors and the intersection coordinates of the straight lines are obtained; finally, calibration is finished according to the relations between direction vectors and the intersection coordinates of the straight lines corresponding to the different coordinate systems. According to the method, no object in a calibration scene needs to be moved, collection of all calibration data can be completed at a time, and calibration efficiency is improved greatly. According to the method, the direction vectors of the straight lines of the laser scanning target planes under the coordinate systems of sensors to be calibrated are obtained directly, calibration precision is guaranteed, and meanwhile the calibration algorithm is simplified.

The invention relates to a port warehousing logistics technology, in particular to a bulk material yard unmanned stacking/reclaiming technology. Firstly, a database is established; secondly, operation instructions, automatic stacking/reclaiming operation modes and control instructions for automatic stacking/reclaiming operations are generated through input operation kinds of goods and the planning work amount; thirdly, the relevant instructions are sent to a central control PLC and then transmitted to the corresponding local stacker/reclaimer PLC through the industrial network; fourthly, the local PLC controls the operation of all components of the stacker/reclaimer to complete the local operation control. At the same time, a material stack laser scanning device is used to scan the material yard condition, and the scanned result will then be transferred to a central control processing unit through the industrial network; fifthly, the central control processing unit achieves the stack type scan data processing of the stacker/reclaimer to generate new instructions which will then be sent to the corresponding local stacker/reclaimer PLC; sixthly, a handle operating panel arranged inside a central control room can be taken as a backup means of manual operation under special circumstances. The invention can be applied to large-scale raw material yards, such as ports, wharfs, open warehouses, mine stacking yards, as well as iron and steel enterprises.

Methods for characterizing a three-dimensional (3D) sample of porous media using at least one measuring tool that retrieves two or more set of transmitted measured data at two or more depths of the sample, such that the retrieved two or more set of transmitted measured data is communicated to a processor and computed in at least one multi-point statistical (MPS) model.

A method of dynamically adjusting an angular speed of a light beam emitted by a scanner in measuring three-dimensional (3D) coordinates of a surface or of dynamically adjusting an acquisition rate of 3D coordinates of a surface.

Embodiments of the invention relate to a determination method and apparatus for the position and orientation of a mobile robot. The method comprises the following steps: in virtue of simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) technology, establishing a global map of an environment where the mobile robot plays a navigation role by using a laser scanner; when the mobile robot is energized, establishing a local map of an environment in the energization moment of the mobile robot by using a laser scanner in virtue of SLAM technology; and subjecting the local map to image matching in the global map so as to obtain the initial position and orientation of the mobile robot in the global map. According to the embodiments of the invention, the absolute position and orientation of the mobile robot in the global map in the moment the mobile robot is energized and started can be obtained, thereby realizing initialization of the position and orientation of the mobile robot; moreover, determined position and orientation of the mobile robot can be further corrected.

A portable, lightweight digital imaging device uses a slit scanning arrangement to obtain an image of the eye, in particular the retina. In at least one embodiment, a digital retinal imaging device includes an illumination source operable to produce a source beam, wherein the source beam defines an illumination pathway, a scanning mechanism operable to cause a scanning motion of the illumination pathway in one dimension with respect to a target, an optical element situated within the illumination pathway, the optical element operable to focus the illumination pathway into an illumination slit at a plane conjugate to the target, wherein the illumination slit is slit shaped, a first two dimensional detector array operable to detect illumination returning from the target and acquire one or more data sets from the detected illumination, wherein the returning illumination defines a detection pathway, and a shaping mechanism positioned within the illumination pathway, wherein the shaping mechanism shapes the source beam into at least one arc at a plane conjugate to the pupil. In at least one exemplary embodiment, the digital retinal imaging device is operable to minimize at least one aberration from the optical element or an unwanted reflection from the target or a reflection from a device.

Disclosed are a 3D laser scanning system and a method of obtaining a 3D image by using the system that detect, with a linear array type photo detector, a reflected light reflected from a target after rotation-emitting a line-shaped pulsed laser light through 360 degrees and obtain a 3D image through point cloud data obtained by measuring a distance to the target.

A laser scanner has a first axis and a second axis extending essentially transversely to the first axis. A measuring head is adapted to be rotated about the first axis. The measuring head has at least a first, a second, and a third module, wherein at least the first module and the third module are releasably connected to each other. A first rotary drive for rotating said measuring head is comprised within the first and the second modules. A rotary mirror is adapted to be rotated about the second axis. The rotary mirror is comprised within the third module. A second rotary drive is provided for rotating the rotary mirror. The second drive is likewise comprised within the third module. A transmitter is provided in the measuring head for transmitting a light beam. A receiver is provided in the measuring head for receiving the light beam after a reflection thereof by an object located at a distance from the laser scanner. A computer is provided in the measuring head for processing signals embedded within the received light beam.

A laser scanner or a laser tracker includes a light source that emits a light beam within an environment, and a data capture component that captures the light beam reflected back to the laser scanner or tracker from the environment. The laser scanner or tracker also includes a projector integrated within a body of the laser scanner or tracker or mounted to the body of the laser scanner or tracker at a predetermined location, the projector being operable to project visible information onto an object located within the environment, the projected visible information being indicative of images, data or information, the projected visible information being at least one of design intent information, information acquired by the laser scanner or tracker, or guidance to an operator.

Embodiments of the invention relate to a determination method and apparatus for poses of a mobile robot. The method comprises the following steps: when the pose of the mobile robot changes, calculating the first pose of the mobile robot in a global map by using an inertial navigation sensor; establishing a local map of a surrounding environment where the mobile robot is located by using a laser scanner in virtue of SLAM technology; subjecting the local map to image matching in the global map so as to obtain the second pose of the mobile robot in the global map and matching credibility, wherein the second pose is an optimal pose of the mobile robot in the global map obtained through image matching; and determining the pose of the mobile robot to be the first pose or the second pose according to matching credibility. According embodiments in the invention, determination of the poses of the mobile robot can be improved, and errors in pose determination can be reduced.

Disclosed is an automatically-activated code symbol reading system comprising a bar code symbol reading mechanism contained within a handsupportable housing having a manually-actuatable data transmission switch. During symbol reading operations, the bar code symbol reading mechanism automatically generates a visible laser scanning pattern for repeatedly reading,, one or more bar code symbols on an object during a bar code symbol reading cycle, and automatically generating a new symbol character data string in response to each bar code symbol read thereby. During system operation, the user visually aligns the visible laser scanning pattern with a particular bar code symbol on an object (e.g. product, bar code menu, etc.) so that the bar code symbol is scanned, detected and decoded in a cyclical manner. Each time the scanned bar code symbol is successfully read during a bar code symbol reading cycle, a new bar code symbol character string is produced, while an indicator light on the hand-supportable housing is actively driven. During the bar code symbol reading cycle, the user actuates the data transmission switch producing a data transmission control activation signal and enabling a subsequently produced symbol character data string to be automatically selected and transmitted to the host system. By virtue of the present invention, automatically-activated hand-supportable bar code symbol readers are now able to accurately read, in an unprecedented manner, bar code symbols on bar code menus, consumer products positioned in crowded point-of-sale environments, and other objects requiring automatic identification and/or information access.

A device for recording a geometry of an environment of a device in a detection field with the aid of laser scanning may include a laser beam controlled by an oscillating micromechanical mirror. The detection field is specifiable in the vertical and horizontal directions by adapting an amplitude of oscillation of the micromechanical mirror. Driver-assistance systems are used for tasks both in the near field, such as a parking function, and in the distant field of the vehicle, such as a distance control or the detection of obstacles on the roadway. If the amplitude of the oscillation of the micro-mirror is then reduced in the horizontal direction and/or vertical direction, the spatial resolution for the reduced detection range is improved. Moreover, the higher intensity of the laser radiation impinging on the smaller detection region improves the signal-to-noise ratio of the detected signal.

A color laser display apparatus which contains a laser light source which emits ultraviolet laser light, a modulation unit which modulates the ultraviolet laser light, a display unit which includes a fluorescent screen, and a scanning unit which two-dimensionally scans the fluorescent screen with the ultraviolet laser light. The fluorescent screen includes, for each pixel, red fluorescent material which emits red light in response to the ultraviolet laser light, green fluorescent material which emits green light in response to the ultraviolet laser light, and blue fluorescent material which emits blue light in response to the ultraviolet laser light. The laser light source may be, for example, a semiconductor laser or a fiber laser.