Patent ID: 11961305
Assignee: THE BOEING COMPANY
Field: Transport (Mechanical engineering)
Classification: CPC B  G | IPC B  G

Claim 0:
1. A method for tracking a location of a scanner having a one-dimensional sensor array in a frame of reference of a target object, the method comprising:
(a) setting filter threshold values for depth and intensity which are associated with a specific type of feature;
(b) moving the scanner across a surface of a target object from a starting location to an ending location along a path;
(c) acquiring successive sets of sensor data at a known capture rate as the scanner moves along the path during step (b);
(d) converting the successive sets of sensor data to respective scan strips of scan image data;
(e) constructing successive scan images from respective sequences of scan strips converted from sensor data acquired as the scanner moves along the path during step (b);
(f) filtering the successive scan images using the filter threshold values to isolate the feature of the specific type, wherein the path along which the scanner moves during step (b) is adjusted based on results of the filtering;
(g) finding feature points in respective pairs of successive scan images;
(h) determining which feature points found in step (g) are common feature points in the respective pairs of successive scan images;
(i) computing pixel position differences between respective positions of common feature points in the respective pairs of successive scan images;
(j) computing respective scanner displacements by multiplying the respective pixel position differences computed in step (i) by a scaling factor representing a distance traveled by the scanner per scan strip; and
(k) computing coordinates of successive positions of points on respective portions of the surface of the target object corresponding to the successive scan images based on the respective scanner displacements.