Patent ID: 8427537

Claim:
Optical method for detecting the orientation of an object in space, the object comprising a first triple of notable and aligned points (M 1 , M 2 , M 3 ) tied to the said object, whose relative positions are known, the first triple of notable and aligned points defining a first straight line (d) in space, optical detection means making it possible to determine relative positions in its image plane (P I ) of projection points (P 1 , P 2 , P 3 ) of the first triple of notable and aligned points in space, wherein a computer makes it possible, by means of the relative positions of the projection points in the image plane of the first triple of notable and aligned points, and of an identifiable characteristic of an external one point of the first triple of notable and aligned points, to determine a direction vector of the first straight line and of its orientation to mechanically slave an orientation of an optical axis of the optical detection means according to the position of the object in space, the direction vector of the first straight line being plotted by vector {right arrow over (OE)}, where O is center of a reference frame R(O,{right arrow over (u)},{right arrow over (v)},{right arrow over (w)}) having as origin a point belonging to the optical detection means, {right arrow over (u)} being parallel to an optical axis of the optical detection means, and the planes ({right arrow over (v)},{right arrow over (w)}) being parallel to the image plane (I), where E is a point of the image plane defined by the relation: P 1 ⁢ E → = K K - T ⁢ P 1 ⁢ P 2 → , with P 1 , P 2 and P 3 the three projection points in the image plane of the first triple of notable and aligned points M 1 , M 2 , M 3 , and K = M 2 ⁢ M 3 M 1 ⁢ M 3 , wherein M 2 M 3 is a distance between a second point and a third point of the first triple of notable and aligned points and M 1 M 3 is a distance between a first point and the third point of the first triple of notable and aligned points and T = P 2 ⁢ P 3 P 1 ⁢ P 3 , wherein P 2 P 3 is a distance between a second projection point and a third projection point of the projection points of the first triple of notable and aligned points and P 1 P 3 is a distance between a first projection point and a third projection point of the projection points of the first triple of notable and aligned points.