Patent ID: 7197179

Claim:
A method of registering a first frame, representing a first set of three-dimensional coordinates of points on the surface of an object, relative to second frame, representing a second set of three-dimensional coordinates of points on the surface of the object, comprising the steps of: storing said sets of three-dimensional coordinates of points in a machine-readable memory; processing said sets of three-dimensional coordinates with a data processing unit reading said machine-readable memory, said step of processing comprising the steps of: a) determining ΔX, ΔY and ΔZ offsets between overlapping points in said frames; b) changing the coordinates in second frame in accordance with said ΔX, ΔY and ΔZ offsets; c) computing a surface for said first frame from points in said first frame; d) computing normal vectors from said points in said second frame to said surface and a net normal vector; e) determining X, Y and Z components of a rotation matrix from said surface and said points in said second frame, said rotation matrix indicting the amount of rotation required to fit said second frame to said first frame; and f) applying said net normal vector and said rotation matrix to said points in said second frame to thereby generate a new set of coordinates of said second frame in three dimensions to fit of said second frame to said first frame.