Patent ID: 7924441
Filing Date: 2011-04-12
Classification: G01B

Abstract:
1. A system for optically locating and tracking an object in three dimensions and measuring a position in three dimensions, comprising: two or more optical scanners, each optical scanner having a reflector mounted to a two-dimensional actuator configured to control a tilt of the reflector about a first axis and a second axis; one or more optical detectors responsive to radiation from one or more optical sources; and a controller coupled to the one or more optical detectors and the first and second optical scanners, wherein the controller is configured to determine from one or more detection signals from the one or more optical detectors whether a given reflector of a given scanner is aligned to provide an optical path between the one or more optical sources and the one or more optical detectors, wherein the optical path originates or terminates at the object; and wherein the controller is configured to determine a position of the object in three dimensions from control signals to the two-dimensional actuators of each of the two or more optical scanners obtained when each reflector is aligned to provide the optical path between the one or more optical sources and the one or more optical detectors, wherein the control signals determine a tilt of each reflector about its first and second axes.