Marking device tracking

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2025085106-A1
Application number	US-202118720550-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Dec 16, 2021
Priority date	Dec 16, 2021
Publication date	Mar 13, 2025
Grant date	—

Abstract

Examples relate to systems and methods for tracking a marking device, and for determining a set of locations for a measurement station. A method comprises receiving site layout information including information of a plurality of marking targets, defining potential optical obstructions, and determining a station placement list from a plurality of potential station placement locations.

First claim

1 . A computer-implemented method for determining a set of locations for placement of an optical measurement station for a marking device, comprising:
receiving site layout information including location information of a plurality of marking targets on a site; defining potential optical obstructions to the optical measurement station in the site based on the site layout information; and determining a set of locations for placement of the optical measurement station on the site based on the plurality of marking targets and the defined potential optical obstructions.

2 . The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein determining a set of locations for placement of the optical measurement station on the site based on the plurality of marking targets and the potential optical obstructions comprises:
defining a plurality of station placement locations for potential placement of the optical measurement station; and determining a station placement list from the plurality of station placement locations that produces a minimum number of optical measurement station placements to reach the marking targets of the plurality of marking targets with the measurement field of view of the optical measurement.

3 . The computer-implemented method of claim 2 , comprising:
defining a marking target list comprising the plurality of marking targets and location information of the plurality of marking targets based on the site layout information; determining, for each station placement location, the marking targets from the marking target list visible from the station placement location; and defining a visibility indicator for indicating the marking targets and total number of marking targets visible from each station placement location of the plurality of station placement locations.

4 . The computer-implemented method of claim 3 , comprising:
adding a station placement location with a greatest number of marking targets visible from that location to the placement list; and determining whether there are marking targets in the marking target list that are not visible from a station placement location added to the placement list, and, repeating,
updating the visibility indicator to indicate the station placement locations not added to the placement list;
adding a station placement location of the station placement locations in the updated visibility indicator with a greatest number of marking targets visible from the station placement location to the station placement list; and
determining whether there are marking targets in the marking target list that are not visible from the station locations in the station placement list;
until it is determined that the marking targets in the marking target list are visible from a station location in the placement list.

5 . The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein defining potential optical obstructions comprises:
detecting architectural elements in the site layout information; and obtaining location information of the detected architectural elements, and wherein the method comprises defining an optical obstruction location based on the obtained location information of the detected architectural elements.

6 . The computer-implemented method of claim 3 , wherein defining a visibility indicator comprises determining a visibility zone for each station placement location.

7 . The computer-implemented method of claim 6 , wherein determining a visibility zone for each station placement location comprises:
determining, for a plurality of geometrical rays originating from each station placement location, a most proximate element or most proximate intersection with an element of the station placement location along a direction of each of the plurality of geometrical rays;
and
defining vertex points of the visibility zone of the station placement location based on location information of the most proximate element or first intersection with an element along a direction of each of the plurality of geometrical rays.

8 . The method of claim 7 , wherein determining the most proximate element or most proximate intersection with an element comprises employing a ray casting algorithm to obtain location information of an intersection point of each of the plurality of geometrical rays with a most proximate element.

9 . The computer-implemented method of claim 6 , wherein determining a visibility zone comprises defining a polygon, and wherein determining the marking targets that are visible from a station placement location comprises employing a point in polygon (PIP) algorithm to determine whether the marking target location is within the visibility zone of the station placement location.

10 . The computer implemented method of claim 3 , wherein determining the
marking targets that are visible from a station placement location comprises employing a ray casting algorithm to determine whether the marking target location is within the visibility zone of the station placement location.

11 . The computer-implemented method of claim 4 , wherein, if an additional station placement location has a greatest number of visible marking targets, defining an additional station placement list for each additional station placement location having a greatest number of potential locations, finalizing each additional placement list, and
comparing the number of station placement locations in each finalized placement list; and selecting a placement list with a minimum number of station placement locations.

12 . A system comprising:
a controller to:
define a marking target list comprising a plurality of marking targets and their location information based on information of a site layout;
define a plurality of station placement locations for potential placement of an optical measurement station;
define potential optical obstructions to the optical measurement station based on the information of the site layout;
determine, for each station placement location of the plurality of potential station placement locations, the marking targets from the marking target list visible from the station placement location and the total number of visible marking targets; and
add a station location with a greatest number of visible marking targets to a station placement list.

13 . The system of claim 12 , comprising a ground printer and a ground printer controller, and wherein the ground printer controller is to:
cause the ground printer to receive ground printer location information from a first optical measurement station during a first time period and to receive ground printer location information from a second optical measurement station during a second time period.

14 . The system of claim 11 , wherein the ground printer controller is to:
cause the ground printer to receive ground printer location information from a first optical measurement station while the ground printer is printing at a first location and to receive ground printer location information from a second optical measurement station while the ground printer is printing at a second location.

15 . A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium encoded with instructions which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to:
retrieve site layout information; define a marking target list comprising a plurality of marking targets and their location information based on the site layout plan; define a plurality of station placement locations on the site for the optical measurement station based on the site layout plan; define potential optical obstructions to the optical measurement station based on the site layout

Assignees

• Hewlett Packard Development Co

Inventors

• Oliva Ventayol Xavier
• Abello Rosello Lluis
• Navas Sanchez Borja
• Viedma Ponce Ramon
• Ramon Borras Marina

Classifications

• G01C15/04 Primary

  Permanent marks; Boundary markers · CPC title