3D Imager Thermal Management and Multi-Unit Registration
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing triangulation-based 3D imager devices face challenges in thermal stability, cooling efficiency, accurate measurement of large objects, rejection of background lighting, and alignment of multiple imagers, with limitations in speed, resolution, and precision.
Innovation Solution
A 3D measuring system comprising multiple 3D imagers with projectors and cameras, each equipped with a processor, a mounting frame, and a system controller, which uses photogrammetry and triangulation methods to determine 3D coordinates, including fiducial markers for pose determination and background light rejection, and optimized illumination to enhance measurement accuracy and speed.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If multiple 3D imagers are used to measure large objects with high accuracy and resolution, then measurement precision and productivity are improved, but device complexity and alignment difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the measurement task into multiple independent 3D imagers, each capturing a portion of the object. This segmentation allows parallel measurement of different object regions, improving both precision through multiple measurement angles and productivity through simultaneous data collection, while the modular structure manages complexity by distributing functions across independent units
Solution Approach 2:
Multiple 3D imagers are merged into a coordinated system with unified control and data processing. The system controller integrates data from all imagers and combines their coordinate systems through registration processes, achieving high-precision measurement of large objects that exceeds the capability of individual imagers while managing complexity through centralized coordination
2Productivity
If multiple 3D imagers are used to measure large objects, then productivity and coverage area are improved, but alignment and registration difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
Fiducial markers are pre-placed on the object and imager positions are predetermined before measurement begins. This preliminary setup establishes known reference points that simplify the registration process, allowing rapid alignment of multiple imagers' coordinate systems without complex real-time calculations, thus maintaining high productivity while reducing alignment complexity
Solution Approach 2:
Fiducial markers serve as intermediaries between multiple 3D imagers and the object being measured. These markers provide common reference points that all imagers can detect and use to establish their relative positions, simplifying the registration process by mediating the coordinate transformation between different imager frames of reference
Solution Approach 3:
The system replaces complex mechanical alignment procedures with computational registration methods. Instead of physically adjusting imager positions and orientations through mechanical means, the system uses software-based coordinate transformation and registration algorithms that process data from fiducial markers to automatically align multiple imagers, significantly reducing alignment complexity and time
3Temperature
If cooling systems are added to improve thermal stability, then temperature stability is improved, but device complexity and vibration from fans increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses pneumatic cooling through fans and air flow to remove heat from critical components. This approach provides effective thermal management by circulating air through heat sinks and cooling channels, maintaining temperature stability of the projector and sensor components while using a relatively simple and reliable cooling mechanism
Solution Approach 2:
Heat sinks and cooling channels serve as intermediaries between heat-generating components and the surrounding air. These thermal intermediaries facilitate heat transfer from the projector and electronics to the cooling air flow, maintaining component temperature stability while isolating the thermal management complexity from the core measurement functions
4Measurement precision
If patterned light projection is used to improve measurement accuracy, then measurement precision is improved, but sensitivity to background lighting increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses specific wavelength patterns and color coding in the projected light patterns to distinguish projected light from background illumination. By encoding measurement information in specific spectral characteristics and temporal patterns, the system can filter out background light interference while maintaining high measurement precision through pattern recognition and correlation techniques
Solution Approach 2:
The projector emits patterned light in periodic sequences with specific temporal patterns. By synchronizing the camera exposure with these periodic projections and using temporal filtering, the system can distinguish between the projected measurement patterns and continuous background lighting, maintaining measurement accuracy while rejecting background light interference
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system improves thermal stability, cooling efficiency, and measurement accuracy for large objects with high resolution and speed, while simplifying the alignment and registration of multiple imagers, thereby overcoming existing limitations.
Implementation Method 1
The light emitted from the projector is reflected off of the object surface and detected by the camera
Implementation Method 2
the distance to the object may be determined using trigonometric principles
Data Source
AI summary
A three-dimensional (3D) measuring device includes a cooling fan and an enclosure attached to a projector and a camera. The camera images a pattern of light projected by the projector onto an object to determine 3D coordinates points on the object. A fan draws air through an opening in the front of the enclosure, across a plurality of components in the enclosure and out a second opening in the enclosure.