Robotic vision system

Claim 1

An apparatus for robotic vision to enable an object to be located and moved by a robot, whether the object is situated correctly or not, comprising: a luminescent fiduciary code which identifies the position and orientation of the object to be moved by the robot, the fiduciary code being marked on the object and on the robot; luminescent means for causing the fiduciary code to luminesce, said luminescent means being an ultraviolet or infrared light; sensing means for detecting the position of the fiduciary code wherein the sensing means is a first and a second videocon aimed at the object and positioned to each receive a scene containing the object including, at times, the luminescence of the fiduciary code, said first and second videocons having a first and a second signal, respectively, which signals are representative of luminescent and non-luminescent images seen by both the first and the second videocons; computing means for determining the position and orientation of any portion of the object in relation to the robot in real time; and connection means to pass the first and second signals of the first and second videocons, respectively, to the computing means where image subtraction is performed by subtracting a luminescent image from a non-luminescent image or vice versa.

Claim 2

An apparatus for robotic vision to enable an object to be located and moved by a robot, whether the object is situated correctly or not, comprising: a luminescent fiduciary code which identifies the position and orientation of the object to be moved by the robot, the fiduciary code being marked on the object and on the robot; luminescent means for causing the fiduciary code to luminesce, said luminescent means being an ultraviolet or infrared light; sensing means for detecting the position of the fiduciary code wherein the sensing means is a first and a second videocon aimed at the object and positioned to each receive a scene containing the object including, at times, the luminescence of the fiduciary code, said first and second videocons having a first and a second signal, respectively, which signals are representative of luminescent and non-luminescent images seen by both the first and the second videocons; computing means for determining the position and orientation of any portion of the object in relation to the robot in real time; and connection means to pass the first and second signals of the first and second videocons, respectively, to the computing means where image subtraction is performed by subtracting a luminescent image from a non-luminescent image or vice versa.

Claim 6

A method for enabling an object to be located and moved by a robot comprising the steps of: irradiating continuously the object marked with a luminescent fiduciary code with ultraviolet or infrared light in accordance with said code, which causes the luminescent fiduciary code to luminesce, said luminescent fiduciary code being situated at a predetermined position on the object; using videocon camera means for sensing the location of the luminescent fiduciary code on the object by receiving the luminescent energy emitted by the irradiated code marked on the object to receive a scene containing the object including, at times, the luminescence of the fiduciary codes, the camera means having a first signal and having a second signal representative of a luminescent image and non-luminescent image seen by the camera means; computing in real time the position and orientation of the object from the location of the luminescent fiduciary code that has been sensed; passing the first and second signals of the camera means to a computing means; and using the computing means for subtracting a luminescent image from a non-luminescent image or vice versa.

Claim 7

A method for enabling an object to be located and moved by a robot comprising the steps of: irradiating continuously the object marked with a luminescent fiduciary code with ultraviolet or infrared light in accordance with said code, which causes the luminescent fiduciary code to luminesce, said luminescent fiduciary code being situated at a predetermined position on the object; using videocon camera means for sensing the location of the luminescent fiduciary code on the object by receiving the luminescent energy emitted by the irradiated code marked on the object to receive a scene containing the object including, at times, the luminescence of the fiduciary codes, the camera means having a first signal and having a second signal representative of a luminescent image and non-luminescent image seen by the camera means; computing in real time the position and orientation of the object from the location of the luminescent fiduciary code that has been sensed; passing the first and second signals of the camera means to a computing means; and using the computing means for subtracting a luminescent image from a non-luminescent image or vice versa.

Claim 10

A method for enabling an object to be located and moved by a robot comprising the steps of: irradiating the object marked with a luminescent fiduciary code with ultraviolet or infrared light for a time interval thus causing the luminescent fiduciary code to luminescent during and after the time interval when the object is irradiated, the luminescence subsiding after the irradiation ceases, said fiduciary code being situated at a predetermined position on the object, taking a first picture of the object while the fiduciary code thereon is luminescing; storing the first picture in a computer memory; taking a second picture of the object when the luminescence of the code has subsided; storing the second picture in a computer memory; subtracting the second picture from the first picture or subtracting the first picture from the second picture so only locations in the pictures with luminescent codes are retained; and computing in real time the position and orientation of the object from the pre-positioned luminescent code on the object.

Claim 11

A method for enabling an object to be located and moved by a robot comprising the steps of: irradiating the object marked with a luminescent fiduciary code with ultraviolet or infrared light for a time interval thus causing the luminescent fiduciary code to luminescent during and after the time interval when the object is irradiated, the luminescence subsiding after the irradiation ceases, said fiduciary code being situated at a predetermined position on the object, taking a first picture of the object while the fiduciary code thereon is luminescing; storing the first picture in a computer memory; taking a second picture of the object when the luminescence of the code has subsided; storing the second picture in a computer memory; subtracting the second picture from the first picture or subtracting the first picture from the second picture so only locations in the pictures with luminescent codes are retained; and computing in real time the position and orientation of the object from the pre-positioned luminescent code on the object.

Claim 21

A method for enabling an object to be located and moved by a robot comprising the steps of: irradiating with ultraviolet or infrared light the object and the robot, each of which are marked with a respective fiduciary code of luminescent markings, said fiduciary code on said object and on said robot being situated at a pre-determined position on the object and at a predetermined position on the robot; sensing the location of the luminescent marks on the object and on the robot by receiving the luminescent energy emitted by the irradiated luminescent markings of both the object and robot; computing in real time the position and orientation of the object relative to the robot from the location of the luminescent markings that have been sensed; and placing the luminescent markings on both the object and the robot into a pre-determined desired position and orientation.

Claim 22

A method for enabling an object to be located and moved by a robot comprising the steps of: irradiating with ultraviolet or infrared light the object and the robot, each of which are marked with a respective fiduciary code of luminescent markings, said fiduciary code on said object and on said robot being situated at a pre-determined position on the object and at a predetermined position on the robot; sensing the location of the luminescent marks on the object and on the robot by receiving the luminescent energy emitted by the irradiated luminescent markings of both the object and robot; computing in real time the position and orientation of the object relative to the robot from the location of the luminescent markings that have been sensed; and placing the luminescent markings on both the object and the robot into a pre-determined desired position and orientation.

Claim 25

A method for enabling an object to be located and moved by a robot comprising the steps of: irradiating for a specific time interval both the object and the robot, each of which are marked with a luminescent fiduciary code, with ultraviolet or infrared light which causes the luminescent code to luminesce so that the luminescence from the code subsides after the irradiating of the object is discontinued, said fiduciary codes being situated at predetermined positions on the object and on the robot, taking a first picture of the object and the robot while the fiduciary codes are luminescing; storing the first picture in a computer memory; taking a second picture of the object and the robot after the luminescence of the fiduciary codes has subsided; storing the second picture in a computer memory; subtracting the second picture from the first picture so only locations in the pictures with luminescent codes are retained; computing in real time the position and orientation of the object relative to the robot from the pre-positioned luminescent codes on the object and robot; and placing the fiduciary code on the object and the fiduciary code on the robot into a predetermined desired position and orientation.

Claim 26

A method for enabling an object to be located and moved by a robot comprising the steps of: irradiating for a specific time interval both the object and the robot, each of which are marked with a luminescent fiduciary code, with ultraviolet or infrared light which causes the luminescent code to luminesce so that the luminescence from the code subsides after the irradiating of the object is discontinued, said fiduciary codes being situated at predetermined positions on the object and on the robot, taking a first picture of the object and the robot while the fiduciary codes are luminescing; storing the first picture in a computer memory; taking a second picture of the object and the robot after the luminescence of the fiduciary codes has subsided; storing the second picture in a computer memory; subtracting the second picture from the first picture so only locations in the pictures with luminescent codes are retained; computing in real time the position and orientation of the object relative to the robot from the pre-positioned luminescent codes on the object and robot; and placing the fiduciary code on the object and the fiduciary code on the robot into a predetermined desired position and orientation.

Claim 27

A method for enabling an object to be located and moved by a robot, comprising the steps of: taking a first picture of the object before a luminescent fiduciary code thereon is irradiated with ultraviolet or infrared luminescent light, said fiduciary code being situated at a predetermined position on the object; storing the first picture in a computer memory; irradiating the object marked with the luminescent fiduciary code with ultraviolet or infrared luminescent light for a time interval thus causing the luminescent fiduciary code to luminesce during and after the time interval when the object is irradiated, the luminescence subsiding after the irradiation ceases; taking a second picture of the object while the fiduciary code thereon is luminescing as a result of irradiating the object with the ultraviolet or infrared luminescent light as aforesaid; storing the second picture in a computer memory; subtracting the second picture from the first picture or subtracting the first picture from the second picture so only locations in the pictures with luminescent codes are retained; and computing in real time the position an orientation of the object from the pre-positioned luminescent code on the object.

Claim 28

A method for enabling an object to be located and moved by a robot, comprising the steps of: taking a first picture of the object before a luminescent fiduciary code thereon is irradiated with ultraviolet or infrared luminescent light, said fiduciary code being situated at a predetermined position on the object; storing the first picture in a computer memory; irradiating the object marked with the luminescent fiduciary code with ultraviolet or infrared luminescent light for a time interval thus causing the luminescent fiduciary code to luminesce during and after the time interval when the object is irradiated, the luminescence subsiding after the irradiation ceases; taking a second picture of the object while the fiduciary code thereon is luminescing as a result of irradiating the object with the ultraviolet or infrared luminescent light as aforesaid; storing the second picture in a computer memory; subtracting the second picture from the first picture or subtracting the first picture from the second picture so only locations in the pictures with luminescent codes are retained; and computing in real time the position an orientation of the object from the pre-positioned luminescent code on the object.

Claim 29

A method for enabling an object to be located and moved by a robot, comprising the steps of: taking a first picture of the object and the robot before fiduciary codes on the object and the robot are irradiated with ultraviolet or infrared luminescent light, said fiduciary codes being situated at predetermined positions on the object and on the robot; storing the first picture in a computer memory; irradiating for a specific time interval both the object and the robot each marked with the luminescent fiduciary code as aforesaid with ultraviolet or infrared luminescent light, which causes the luminescent codes to luminesce so that the luminescence from the codes subsides after the irradiating of the object is discontinued; taking a second picture of the object and the robot during the luminescence of the fiduciary codes before the luminescence has subsided; storing the second picture in a computer memory; subtracting the second picture from the first picture or subtracting the first picture from the second picture so only locations in the pictures with luminescent codes are retained; computing in real time the position and orientation of the object relative to the robot from the pre-positioned luminescent codes on the object and robot; and placing the fiduciary code on the object and the fiduciary code on the robot into a predetermined desired position and orientation.

Claim 30

A method for enabling an object to be located and moved by a robot, comprising the steps of: taking a first picture of the object and the robot before fiduciary codes on the object and the robot are irradiated with ultraviolet or infrared luminescent light, said fiduciary codes being situated at predetermined positions on the object and on the robot; storing the first picture in a computer memory; irradiating for a specific time interval both the object and the robot each marked with the luminescent fiduciary code as aforesaid with ultraviolet or infrared luminescent light, which causes the luminescent codes to luminesce so that the luminescence from the codes subsides after the irradiating of the object is discontinued; taking a second picture of the object and the robot during the luminescence of the fiduciary codes before the luminescence has subsided; storing the second picture in a computer memory; subtracting the second picture from the first picture or subtracting the first picture from the second picture so only locations in the pictures with luminescent codes are retained; computing in real time the position and orientation of the object relative to the robot from the pre-positioned luminescent codes on the object and robot; and placing the fiduciary code on the object and the fiduciary code on the robot into a predetermined desired position and orientation.

Claim 31

An apparatus for robotic vision to enable an object to be located and moved by a robot, whether the object is situated correctly or not, comprising: a luminescent fiduciary code which identifies the position and orientation of the object to be moved by the robot, the fiduciary code being marked on the object and on the robot; luminescent means in the form of ultraviolet or infrared light for causing the fiduciary code to luminesce; videocon sensing means for detecting the position of the fiduciary code, the sensing means being aimed at the object and positioned to receive a scene containing the object including, at times, the luminescence of the fiduciary codes, said sensing means having a first and a second signal, which signals are representative of luminescent and non-luminescent images seen by the sensing means; computing means for determining the position and orientation of any portion of the object in relation to the robot in real time; and connection means to pass the first and second signals of the sensing means to the computing means where image subtraction is performed by subtracting a luminescent image from a non-luminescent image or vice versa.

Claim 32

An apparatus for robotic vision to enable an object to be located and moved by a robot, whether the object is situated correctly or not, comprising: a luminescent fiduciary code which identifies the position and orientation of the object to be moved by the robot, the fiduciary code being marked on the object and on the robot; luminescent means in the form of ultraviolet or infrared light for causing the fiduciary code to luminesce; videocon sensing means for detecting the position of the fiduciary code, the sensing means being aimed at the object and positioned to receive a scene containing the object including, at times, the luminescence of the fiduciary codes, said sensing means having a first and a second signal, which signals are representative of luminescent and non-luminescent images seen by the sensing means; computing means for determining the position and orientation of any portion of the object in relation to the robot in real time; and connection means to pass the first and second signals of the sensing means to the computing means where image subtraction is performed by subtracting a luminescent image from a non-luminescent image or vice versa.