Radiant energy – Photocells; circuits and apparatus – Optical or pre-photocell system
Patent
1992-07-01
1993-11-30
Nelms, David C.
Radiant energy
Photocells; circuits and apparatus
Optical or pre-photocell system
356376, G01N 2186
Patent
active
052668118
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
DESCRIPTION
1. Technical Field
This invention relates to a digitizing control equipment for generating tracing data representing a model shape, more particularly to a digitizing control device capable of determining a normal vector representing a normal direction of a curved surface of a model on a real-time basis during a non-contact tracing of the curved surface of the model.
2. Background Art
Regarding digitizing control equipment for generating tracing data, it is known to detect a distance to a model surface in a non-contact manner while tracing the model surface by moving an optical distance detector along the model surface. This type of devices are advantageous in that the model surface is not damaged while being traced, unlike devices in which a model is traced by a stylus or the like.
Among conventional optical distance detectors, widely used is a spot type detector in which a spot light is irradiated onto a model surface for distance detection. The spot type detector, however, can provide only one-dimensional information if the detector has only a pair of light-projecting and light-receiving sections. Thus, in digitizing control devices equipped with spot type detectors, spot lights are irradiated onto the model surface from a plurality of light-projecting sections and tracing data is computed based on measurement data obtained through a plurality of light-receiving sections (Japanese Patent Application No. 1-194500). Thus, the spot type digitizing control device requires a plurality of pairs of light-projecting and light-receiving sections and must process a great deal of data, and therefore, is costly.
Also known is a light-section type vision system, in which a light pattern formed on the model surface when a slit light is irradiated thereon is photographed by a camera and a light-pattern image is analyzed to thereby recognize the model shape (Japanese Patent Application No. 2-243148). This light-section method may be applicable to the digitizing control equipment. In this case, however, the digitizing control equipment must be designed so that a normal vector representing the normal direction of a model surface be generated on a real-time basis to permit a continuous tracing operation of a machine in accordance with the tracing data. At the same time, to recognize a model shape by the light-section method, it is essential to process a great deal of image data from a large number of two-dimensionally arranged light-receiving elements forming the light-receiving section such as a CCD. Thus, image data must be processed at high speeds to meet the above requirements and thereby enable a tracing operation. Generally, however, it is difficult to process a great deal of image data at high speeds. Therefore, if the light-section method, which is well known in the field of the aforementioned vision system, is merely applied to the digitizing control equipment, a reduction of the tracing accuracy, for example, is unavoidable.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
An object of this invention is to provide an inexpensive digitizing control equipment which can generate a normal vector representing the normal direction of a model surface on a real-time basis by a light-section method.
To achieve the above object, this invention provides a digitizing control equipment for generating tracing data representing a model shape while carrying out a non-contact tracing of a model surface. The digitizing control equipment comprises: a light-projecting section for projecting a slit light onto the model surface; a light-receiving section for receiving the slit light reflected from the model surface; movement control means for moving the light-projecting section and the light-receiving section along the model surface relative to the model in accordance with movement control data; a position sensor for simultaneously measuring two-dimensional positions of at least two points on the model surface in accordance with a received-light pattern obtained at the light-receiving section, and generating measurement data representing t
REFERENCES:
patent: 4827436 (1989-05-01), Sabersky et al.
patent: 4843287 (1989-06-01), Taft
patent: 4988202 (1991-01-01), Nayer et al.
patent: 5046852 (1991-09-01), Hametner et al.
Davenport T.
Fanuc Ltd.
Nelms David C.
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