WO2025169485A1 - Measurement system and control system - Google Patents

Abstract

Provided is a measurement system comprising: a measurement device that emits light in a prescribed radiation direction and that can receive light reflected by an object irradiated with light; and a control device that controls the measurement device. The measurement system is configured such that: the measurement device receives light reflected by a first reflection member; and the control device controls the radiation direction of light from the measurement device such that a second reflection member different from the first reflection member is irradiated with light on the basis of the light-reception result pertaining to the light reflected by the first reflection member. The measurement system may be configured such that the control device controls the radiation direction of light such that the trajectory of light in a plane intersecting the optical path of the light from the measurement device indicates a first pattern, then controls the radiation direction of light such that the trajectory of light in said plane indicates a second pattern different from the first pattern, and acquires information relating to the positions of the reflection members on the basis of light-reception results.

Description

Measurement and Control Systems

This disclosure relates to measurement systems and control systems.

A system has been proposed that uses a measuring device to measure the position of part of a robot (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

International Publication No. 2007/002319

The measurement system disclosed herein comprises a measurement device that emits light in a predetermined irradiation direction and is capable of receiving light reflected by an object illuminated by the light, and a control device that controls the measurement device, wherein the measurement device receives light reflected by a first reflecting member, and the control device controls the irradiation direction of the light from the measurement device based on the result of receiving the light reflected by the first reflecting member so that the light is irradiated onto a second reflecting member different from the first reflecting member.

The measurement system disclosed herein comprises a measurement device that irradiates a reflective member with light and receives the light reflected by the reflective member, and a control device that controls the direction of light irradiation from the measurement device. The control device controls the direction of light irradiation so that the trajectory of light on a surface that intersects with the optical path of the light from the measurement device exhibits a first pattern, and then controls the direction of light irradiation so that the trajectory of light on the surface exhibits a second pattern different from the first pattern, and obtains information regarding the position of the reflective member based on the results of receiving the light.

The measurement system disclosed herein comprises a measurement device that irradiates a reflective member with light and receives the light reflected by the reflective member, and a control device that controls the direction of light irradiation from the measurement device. The measurement device comprises an irradiation device that can irradiate light in a predetermined direction based on control by the control device. The control device can change the direction of light irradiation from the measurement device by rotating the irradiation device along at least one of a first rotation axis and a second rotation axis intersecting the first rotation axis. The control device controls the irradiation device to rotate in a first manner along at least one of the first rotation axis and the second rotation axis to irradiate light, and then rotate the irradiation device in a second manner different from the first manner along at least one of the first rotation axis and the second rotation axis to irradiate the light, and obtains information regarding the position of the reflective member based on the result of receiving the light.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the overall configuration of the measurement system. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the measurement device. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing the general configuration of the control device. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a first example of a pattern indicated by a light trajectory. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a second example of a pattern indicated by a light trajectory. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a third example of a pattern indicated by a light trajectory. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a fourth example of a pattern indicated by a light trajectory. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a fifth example of a pattern indicated by a light trajectory. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a sixth example of a pattern indicated by a light trajectory. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a seventh example of a pattern indicated by a light trajectory. FIG. 11 is a flowchart of the first measurement process. FIG. 12 is a flowchart of the second measurement process. FIG. 13 is a flowchart of the third measurement process.

The measurement system and control system of the present application will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

Figure 1 is a schematic diagram showing the overall configuration of the measurement system.

In this embodiment, the measurement system 100 has a measurement device 1, a control device 2, an imaging device 3, and a movable body 4. The measurement device 1, imaging device 3, movable body 4, and control device 2 are communicatively connected via a communication network NW. The communication network NW includes a wired local area network. The communication network NW may also include a wireless local area network, a wireless wide area network, or other communication network. The measurement system 100 may include one or more measurement devices. The control device 2 may be included in the measurement device 1. The imaging device 3 may be included in the measurement device 1. The measurement system 100 may not include a movable body 4. The measurement system 100 may not include an imaging device.

The measuring device 1 emits light in a predetermined irradiation direction. The measuring device 1 can also receive light reflected from an object illuminated by the light and transmit the light reception results to the control device 2.

The control device 2 controls at least one of the measuring device 1, the imaging device 3, and the movable body 4 to perform a predetermined operation. For example, the control device 2 may generate control information for causing at least one of the measuring device 1, the imaging device 3, and the movable body 4 to perform a predetermined operation, and transmit the generated control information to the device to be controlled via the communication network NW. The control device 2 can also receive information from at least one of the measuring device 1, the imaging device 3, and the movable body 4 via the communication network NW. The control device 2 may control the operation of at least one of the measuring device 1, the imaging device 3, and the movable body 4 based on the received information. The control device 2 may generate control information for controlling the operation of at least one of the measuring device 1, the imaging device 3, and the movable body 4 based on the received information. The control device 2 may also transmit the control information to an external device of the measurement system 100 via the communication network NW.

The imaging device 3 captures an image of an object and generates an image representing the object as the captured image. The imaging device 3 may be a stereo camera having a pair of imaging optical systems. From the image generated by the stereo camera, the distance to the object corresponding to the target pixel can be calculated based on the parallax shown in the image, and the three-dimensional position of the object can be estimated. The imaging device 3 may be a monocular camera. The measurement system 100 may have one imaging device 3, or two or more. The imaging device 3 may acquire information regarding the direction of the object. The imaging device 3 may transmit the generated image to the control device 2 via the communication network NW.

The movable body 4 has a part (movable part) whose position and/or posture can be changed. The movable body 4 is, for example, a robot capable of performing predetermined processes on an object, such as various processes including grasping, cutting, welding, screwing, polishing, and painting, or various measurements of shape, position, physical properties, electrical properties, etc. The movable body 4 may be a mobile body such as an AGV (Automatic Guided Vehicle), RGV (Rail Guided Vehicle), AMR (Autonomous Mobile Robot), drone, or unmanned aerial vehicle. The movable body 4 may be equipped with an end effector capable of performing predetermined processes. In this case, the end effector moves in conjunction with the movement of the movable body 4, and therefore the end effector can also be referred to as the movable body 4. The movable body 4 may change at least a portion of its position and posture in accordance with control information received from the control device 2 via the communication network NW. Note that only a portion of the movable body 4 is shown in FIG. 1.

The reflective member 5 is a member that reflects incident light in a direction opposite to the incident direction. The reflective member 5 can also be referred to as a retroreflective member that retroreflects light that is incident on the reflective member 5. The reflective member 5 may be, for example, a corner cube reflector or a ball reflector. The reflective member 5 may also be composed of a spherically mounted retroreflector (SMR (Spherically Mounted Retroreflector)) composed of a metal sphere and a retroreflector embedded therein. The reflective member 5 may also be a marker that displays a predetermined pattern. The reflective member 5 may be attached to the movable body 4. The reflective member 5 may be attached to an end effector provided on the movable body 4 or near the end effector. In the example of Figure 1, the reflective member 5 includes a first reflective member 51, a second reflective member 52, and a third reflective member 53. The number of reflective members 5 provided on the movable body 4 is not limited to three and may be more or less than three. Furthermore, multiple reflective members 5 may be attached to different objects. For example, the first reflecting member 51 may be attached to the movable body 4, and the second reflecting member 52 may be attached to an object different from the movable body 4. At least one of the position and posture of the movable parts of the different objects to which multiple reflecting members 5 are attached may be changed so as to maintain the positional relationship between the reflecting members 5. The part to which the reflecting members 5 are attached may be attached to an object that is not a movable body, or may be attached to a part other than the movable part of the movable body 4.

Figure 2 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the measurement device 1. The measurement device 1 has an optical comb interferometer 11, an optical path branching member 12, a mirror 13, and a light receiving element 14.

The optical comb interferometer 11 generates, for example, laser light as irradiation light for irradiating the reflecting member 5 from the measurement device 1. The optical comb interferometer 11 may be an optical comb light source that generates pulsed light containing frequency components evenly spaced on the frequency axis. At least a portion of the irradiation light generated by the optical comb interferometer 11 passes through the optical path branching member 12 and is irradiated onto the mirror 13. The optical path branching member 12 is a prism having a branching surface that transmits part of the incident light and reflects part of it. The optical path branching member 12 may also be a half mirror having a branching surface. The mirror 13 reflects at least a portion of the incident light and is supported so that its direction can be changed. The irradiation light reflected by the mirror 13 can be irradiated onto the reflecting member 5. The mirror 13 can be considered an irradiation device that can irradiate light having a predetermined diameter in a predetermined irradiation direction. The light irradiated by the mirror 13 may be laser light. In this case, the diameter of the light irradiated by the mirror 13 can also be referred to as the beam diameter.

The light irradiated onto the reflecting member 5 is reflected by the reflecting surface of the reflecting member 5 in the opposite direction to the incident direction of the irradiated light. The reflected light reflected by the reflecting member 5 is incident on the mirror 13, reflected by the mirror 13, and incident on the light path branching member 12. A portion of the reflected light incident on the light path branching member 12 is reflected by the branching surface of the light path branching member 12 and incident on the light receiving element 14. The light receiving element 14 may be a four-part PSD (Position Sensitive Detector) that detects the position of the incident light based on the output of a photodiode located on each of the four divided light receiving surfaces according to the amount of incident light.

The measuring device 1 outputs the results of receiving the reflected light received by the light receiving element 14 to the control device 2 via the communication network NW. Based on the results of receiving the reflected light, the control device 2 can obtain the distance to the reflective member 5, for example, using an interferometric measurement method. The control device 2 may also obtain the distance to the reflective member 5 using a triangulation method. The control device 2 determines the position of the reflective member 5 in the measurement coordinate system based on the distance to the reflective member 5 and the angle of the light irradiated onto the reflective member 5 by the mirror 13. Information indicating the position of the reflective member 5 is one example of information related to the position of the reflective member 5. The direction of the reflective member 5 relative to the measuring device 1 is another example of information related to the position of the reflective member 5. The measuring device 1 measures the reflective member 5 based on the information related to the position of the reflective member 5.

Figure 3 is a schematic diagram showing the general configuration of the control device 2. The control device 2 is a computer having a communication interface 21, memory 22, and processor 23.

The communication interface 21 is an example of a communication unit, and has an interface circuit for accepting data to be processed by the control device 2, or for outputting data processed by the control device 2. The communication interface 21 includes, for example, a communication interface circuit for connecting the control device 2 to the communication network NW.

Memory 22 is an example of a storage unit and includes volatile and non-volatile semiconductor memory. Memory 22 stores various data used in processing by processor 23, such as the results of light reception obtained from measurement device 1 and initial information regarding reflective member 5. The initial information regarding reflective member 5 may include, for example, information indicating the estimated position of reflective member 5. The information indicating the estimated position of reflective member 5 is, for example, coordinates in the measurement coordinate system of measurement device 1. The coordinates indicating the estimated position of reflective member 5 may be calculated based on, for example, coordinates indicating the position of reflective member 5 in the reference position and orientation of movable body 4, information indicating the rotation angle according to a predetermined rotation axis generated by an encoder in movable body 4, and the size of each part of movable body 4. Furthermore, the coordinates indicating the estimated position of reflective member 5 may be coordinates indicating the position of reflective member 5 measured in advance by measurement device 1. Furthermore, the coordinates indicating the estimated position of reflective member 5 may be coordinates indicating a position estimated based on an image generated by imaging device 3. The memory 22 may also store the relative positional relationships of the first reflecting member 51, second reflecting member 52, and third reflecting member 53 included in the reflecting member 5 as initial information related to the reflecting member 5. The relative positional relationships may be expressed, for example, as the relative positions of the other reflecting members based on the position of the first reflecting member 51. The initial information related to the reflecting member 5 may also include information indicating the estimated direction in which the reflecting member 5 is disposed. The estimated direction in which the reflecting member 5 is disposed can also be referred to as the estimated attitude of the reflecting member 5. The memory 22 also stores various computer program codes, such as computer program code 220 for executing measurement processing. This computer program code 220 provides logic and routines that enable the processing described below to be executed.

The processor 23 is an example of a control unit and includes one or more processors and their peripheral circuits. The processor 23 may further include other arithmetic circuits, such as a logic operation unit, a numerical operation unit, or a graphics processing unit. The processor 23 executes the computer program code 220 stored in the memory 22, causing the control device 2 to perform the various processes described in this embodiment. As a result, logical functional blocks for executing the operations to be performed by the control device 2 may be realized within the processor 23. In this way, the processor 23 can function as a controller for realizing logical functional blocks for executing the operations to be performed by the control device 2. In this case, any device (typically, a computer) that executes the computer program code 220 can function as the control device 2. At least one of the memory 22 and the processor 23 may be referred to as a control circuit (or circuit).

Based on the result of receiving light reflected by the first reflecting member 51, the control device 2 controls the direction of light emitted from the measurement device 1 so that light is irradiated onto the second reflecting member 52. At this time, the control device 2 may control the direction of light emitted from the measurement device 1 so as to search for the second reflecting member 52. It can also be said that the control device 2 controls the direction of light emitted from the measurement device 1 to search for the second reflecting member 52. In other words, the control device 2 controls the direction of light emitted from the measurement device 1 so that light is irradiated onto multiple positions on any surface PL that intersects with the optical path OP of the light from the measurement device 1. In yet another way, the control device 2 controls the direction of light emitted from the measurement device 1 so that light is irradiated onto multiple positions on the surface PL. When the path traveled by the light on the surface PL is taken as a trajectory R, the trajectory R exhibits a predetermined pattern. The trajectory R of light on the surface PL can also be referred to as a track or a path. The control device 2 may control the measurement device 1 so that light is emitted from the position where the target reflective member 5 is estimated to be present, which is the start point of the locus R. The control device 2 may also control the measurement device 1 so that light is emitted from the position where the target reflective member 5 is estimated to be present, which is the end point of the locus R. The control device 2 may also control the measurement device 1 so that light is emitted from the start point of the locus R, which is an arbitrary point (for example, a vertex of a polygon) included in a range that includes the position where the target reflective member 5 is estimated to be present.

The control device 2 may first control the direction of light irradiation from the measurement device 1 so that the light trajectory R on the surface PL shows a first pattern, and then control the direction of light irradiation from the measurement device 1 so that the light trajectory R on the surface PL shows a second pattern different from the first pattern. The second pattern may be a pattern with a narrower pitch than the first pattern, a narrower irradiation range than the first pattern, or a higher density than the first pattern when compared on the same surface PL as the first pattern. The second pattern can also be said to be a pattern that searches for the reflective member 5 with higher accuracy than the first pattern. Therefore, the irradiation of light on the surface PL so that the trajectory R shows the first pattern can be referred to as rough scanning, and the irradiation of light on the surface PL so that the trajectory R shows the second pattern can be referred to as fine scanning. Furthermore, the control by the control device 2 to cause the measurement device 1 to irradiate light so that the reflective member is searched for by rough scanning can be referred to as control in the first search mode, and the control by the control device 2 to cause the measurement device 1 to irradiate light so that the reflective member is searched for by fine scanning can be referred to as control in the second search mode.

The measurement coordinate system of the measurement device 1 can be expressed, for example, with the left-right direction from the measurement device 1 toward the measurement object (movable body 4) as the X axis, the front-to-back direction as the Y axis, and the up-down direction (vertical direction) as the Z axis. The plane PL that intersects with the optical path OP of the light from the measurement device 1 may, as one example, be a plane that is orthogonal to the Y axis in the measurement coordinate system, or a plane that is not orthogonal. In this example, a state in which the plane PL is orthogonal to the Y axis will be described as an example.

Figures 4-10 are diagrams showing examples of patterns indicated by the light trajectory R.

4, the pattern RP1 indicated by the locus R on a plane perpendicular to the Y axis in the measurement coordinate system and the measurement device 1 that emits light are shown from different viewpoints for the sake of explanation. The pattern RP1 shown in FIG. 4 has a spiral shape that moves away from the starting point S _RP1 as it turns from the starting point S _RP1 . The spiral shape of the pattern RP1 can also be said to be a shape that moves closer to the starting point S _RP1 as it turns from the farthest point.

Pattern RP1 corresponds to an Archimedean spiral, expressed as (x,z)=(aθcosθ,aθsinθ) using the constant a (a>0) and the parameter θ, and can be said to be a periodic shape based on a circle.

In pattern RP1, line segment LS _RP1 is a line segment that connects start point S _RP1 and farthest point F _RP1 , which is the point on locus R that has the longest straight-line distance from start point S _RP1 . Line segment LS _RP1 intersects with locus R first at intersection point I1 _RP1 and then at intersection point I2 _RP1 . Distance D12 _RP1 indicates the distance between intersection point I1 _RP1 and intersection point I2 _RP1 .

In the pattern RP1, the distance DNL _RP1 indicates the distance between the point PT _RP1 on the locus R and the point where the normal NL _RP1 at the point PT _RP1 and the locus R intersect for the first time.

In pattern RP1, trajectory R passes through a unit area UA preset on surface PL twice.

The measurement device 1 can change the light irradiation direction by rotating the mirror 13 along each of the X and Z axes. In the pattern RP1, the angle range ARX _RP1 is the maximum angle range of rotation along the X axis, and the angle range ARZ _RP1 is the maximum angle range of rotation along the Z axis. Note that the maximum angle range refers to the maximum angle range that can be rotated in the corresponding pattern, and does not necessarily mean that the mirror 13 is rotated to all angles within that range during actual irradiation. For example, if irradiation starts from the start point S _RP1 and the target reflective member 5 is irradiated (light reflected by the reflective member 5 is received) before reaching the farthest point F _RP1 , the control device 2 may cause the measurement device 1 to stop irradiating light thereafter.

5, the pattern RP2 indicated by the locus R on a plane PL, which is a plane perpendicular to the Y axis in the measurement coordinate system, and the measurement device 1 that emits light are shown from a different viewpoint for ease of explanation, as in FIG. 4. The pattern RP2 shown in FIG. 5 has a spiral shape that moves away from the starting point S _RP2 as it turns from the starting point S _RP2 . The spiral shape of the pattern RP2 can also be said to be a shape that moves closer to the starting point S _RP2 as it turns from the farthest point.

Pattern RP2 corresponds to an Archimedean spiral, expressed as (x, z) = (bθ cosθ, θ sinθ) using the constant b (a>b>0) and the parameter θ, and can be said to be a periodic shape based on a circle. In other words, pattern RP2 has the same appearance as pattern RP1, but the spacing between the trajectories R in the spiral shape is smaller than that of pattern RP1.

In pattern RP2, line segment LS _RP2 is a line segment that connects start point S _RP2 and farthest point F _{RP2 ,} which is the point on locus R that has the longest straight-line distance from start point S RP2. Line segment LS _RP2 is shorter than line segment LS _RP1 in pattern RP1. Line segment LS _RP2 intersects with locus R first at intersection point I1 _RP2 and then at intersection point I2 _RP2 . Distance D12 _RP2 indicates the distance between intersection point I1 _RP2 and intersection point I2 _RP2 . Distance D12 _RP2 is shorter than distance D12 _RP1 in pattern RP1.

In the pattern RP2, the interval DNL _RP2 indicates the interval between the point PT _RP2 on the locus R and the first intersection point of the normal NL _RP2 at the point PT _RP2 and the locus R. The interval DNL _RP2 is shorter than the interval DNL _RP1 in the pattern RP1.

In pattern RP2, the trajectory R passes through the unit area UA preset on the surface PL three times. The length of the trajectory R passing through the unit area UA in pattern RP2 is longer than the length of the trajectory R passing through the unit area UA in pattern RP1.

In pattern RP2, the angular range ARX _RP2 is the maximum angular range of rotation along the X axis, and the angular range ARZ _RP2 is the maximum angular range of rotation along the Z axis. The angular range ARX _RP2 is smaller than the angular range ARX _RP1 in pattern RP1. Also, the angular range ARZ _RP2 is smaller than the angular range ARZ _RP1 in pattern RP1.

Figure 6 shows pattern RP3 indicated by trajectory R on a plane perpendicular to the Y axis in the measurement coordinate system. Pattern RP3 shown in Figure 6 forms a spiral shape that moves away from the starting point as it rotates from the starting point. The spiral shape of pattern RP3 can also be said to be a shape that moves closer to the starting point as it rotates from the farthest point.

Pattern RP3 corresponds to an Archimedean spiral expressed as (x,z)=(cθcosθ,dθsinθ) using constants c and d (c>d>0) and parameter θ, and can be said to be a periodic shape based on an ellipse.

Figure 7 shows pattern RP4 indicated by trajectory R on a plane perpendicular to the Y axis in the measurement coordinate system. Pattern RP4 shown in Figure 7 forms a spiral shape that moves away from the starting point as it rotates from the starting point. The spiral shape of pattern RP4 can also be said to be a shape that moves closer to the starting point as it rotates from the farthest point.

Pattern RP4 is composed of straight lines and can be said to have a shape based on a polygon. Furthermore, the coordinates (x _i , z _i ) of the i-th point from the starting point in pattern RP4 can be expressed using x _i-1 , z i-1 , and a constant p, depending on the condition satisfied by the coordinates (x _i-1 , z _{i -} 1 ) of the i-1-th point from the starting point. Therefore, pattern RP4 can be said to have a periodic shape.

Figure 8 shows pattern RP5 indicated by locus R on a plane perpendicular to the Y axis in the measurement coordinate system. In pattern RP5 shown in Figure 8, locus R indicates a raster pattern formed by a straight line on a plane repeatedly folding back at a predetermined length. In pattern RP5, the raster pattern is configured so that the locus folds back at a point where it reaches a predetermined width (amplitude) along the Z axis and moves a predetermined distance (pitch) along the X axis, but the raster pattern is not limited to this; the amplitude and direction of movement may be reversed between the X and Z axes, and the movement need not be parallel to or perpendicular to the X or Z axes.

In pattern RP5, the Z-axis value of each point on locus R can be expressed using the X-axis value, amplitude, and pitch. Therefore, pattern RP5 can be said to have a periodic shape.

Figure 9 shows pattern RP6 indicated by locus R on a plane perpendicular to the Y axis in the measurement coordinate system. In pattern RP6 shown in Figure 9, locus R indicates a raster pattern formed by a straight line on a plane repeatedly folding back at a predetermined length. In pattern RP5, the raster pattern is configured so that when the locus reaches a predetermined width (amplitude) along the Z axis, it moves along the X axis by a predetermined distance (pitch), and then moves in the opposite direction along the Z axis, but the raster pattern is not limited to this; the amplitude and movement direction may be reversed between the X and Z axes, and the X and Z axes may not be parallel or perpendicular to each other.

In pattern RP6, the Z-axis value of each point on locus R can be expressed using the X-axis value, amplitude, and pitch. Therefore, pattern RP6 can be said to have a periodic shape.

Figure 10 shows pattern RP7 indicated by trajectory R on a plane perpendicular to the Y axis in the measurement coordinate system. In pattern RP7 shown in Figure 10, trajectory R forms a spiral shape that moves away from the starting point as it rotates from the starting point. The spiral shape in pattern RP7 can also be said to be a shape that moves closer to the starting point as it rotates from the farthest point.

In pattern RP7, the spacing between the trajectories is different near the center and at the periphery, and pattern RP7 can be said to have a non-periodic shape.

The above-mentioned patterns RP1-7 are examples of patterns indicated by the light trajectory R in a plane perpendicular to the Y axis in the measurement coordinate system, and the light trajectory R may indicate other patterns. Such patterns may be periodic or non-periodic (e.g., random patterns).

By rotating the mirror 13 of the measurement device 1 in a predetermined manner, the control device 2 can control the light trajectory R in a plane perpendicular to the Y axis in the measurement coordinate system to show a predetermined pattern.

For example, the control device 2 may rotate the mirror 13 of the measurement device 1 in a predetermined manner around at least one of the first rotation axis and a second rotation axis different from the first rotation axis. When the control device 2 rotates the mirror 13 of the measurement device 1 around both the first rotation axis and the second rotation axis, it may rotate the mirror 13 around the first rotation axis and the second rotation axis at the same time, or it may rotate the mirror 13 around one of the first rotation axis and the second rotation axis and then rotate the mirror 13 around the other. Furthermore, for example, the first rotation axis and the second rotation axis may be the Z axis and the X axis, respectively, in a measurement coordinate system. When the first rotation axis is the Z axis, the maximum rotation angle around the first rotation axis corresponds to the size of the range irradiated with light in the X axis direction. When the second rotation axis is the X axis, the maximum rotation angle around the second rotation axis corresponds to the size of the range irradiated with light in the Z axis direction.

The control device 2 controls the mirror 13 of the measurement device 1 to rotate in a predetermined manner around at least one of the first and second rotation axes, so that the light trajectory R in a plane perpendicular to the Y axis in the measurement coordinate system shows a predetermined pattern. More specifically, the control device 2 may control the mirror 13 of the measurement device 1 to rotate in a first manner and a second manner around at least one of the first and second rotation axes, so that the light trajectory R in a plane perpendicular to the Y axis in the measurement coordinate system shows a first pattern and a second pattern, respectively.

The first pattern and the second pattern may be pattern RP1 and pattern RP2, respectively. In this case, the maximum rotation angle along the Z axis in the first aspect for showing the first pattern is the angle range ARZ _RP1 shown in FIG. 4 . On the other hand, the maximum rotation angle along the Z axis in the second aspect for showing the second pattern is the angle range ARZ _RP2 shown in FIG. 5 . As described above, the angle range ARZ _RP2 is smaller than the angle range ARZ _RP1 . In other words, the second aspect for showing the second pattern can be said to have a smaller maximum rotation angle along the Z axis than the first aspect for showing the first pattern. Similarly, the second aspect for showing the second pattern can be said to have a smaller maximum rotation angle along the X axis than the first aspect for showing the first pattern.

When light trajectory R passes through two points with the same X coordinate value in a plane perpendicular to the Y axis in the measurement coordinate system, the rotation angles along the Z axis when passing through each point are equal. In a spiral-shaped trajectory R that begins from a starting point near the center of the pattern, the rotation angle along the X axis when passing through one of the two points differs from the rotation angle along the X axis when passing through the other point according to the difference in the Z coordinates of these points. The difference in Z coordinate values between two points with the same X coordinate value in pattern RP2 is smaller than the value in pattern RP1. Therefore, the difference in rotation angles along the X axis between two points with the same X coordinate value in pattern RP2 is smaller than the difference in rotation angles along the X axis between two points with the same X coordinate value in pattern RP1.

The control device 2 controls the measurement device 1 so that the light trajectory R on the surface PL shows a predetermined pattern. At this time, the control device 2 may set a control parameter for controlling the measurement device 1 based on the diameter of the light emitted from the optical comb interferometer 11 and reflected by the mirror 13. The control parameter may be a parameter that sets the manner of rotation of the mirror 13 in the measurement device 1 around the rotation axis.

The control parameters for controlling the measuring device 1 may include at least one of the interval (pitch) between adjacent light trajectories R on the surface PL, the maximum range over which the light is irradiated, and the angular range of the rotation axis around which the mirror 13 rotates. The pitch can also be referred to as the beam spacing. The control device 2 may set the pitch based on the diameter of the light, for example, so that the pitch value is less than the diameter of the reflecting member 5. The control device 2 may also set the control parameters for controlling the measuring device 1 based on the diameter of the reflecting member 5. Setting the pitch value less than the diameter of the reflecting member 5 can prevent a state in which the reflecting member 5 is positioned between two beams of light and therefore the light is not irradiated. For example, the control device 2 may set the pitch value less than the diameter of the reflecting member 5. The control device 2 may also set the control parameters for controlling the measuring device 1 based on the diameter of the light. Setting the pitch based on the diameter of the light allows the light to be irradiated so that it remains within the range of the reflecting member 5, preventing light leakage. Furthermore, when light from the measurement device 1 is irradiated near the outer edge of the reflecting member 5, the light reflected by the reflecting member 5 indicates a position that is offset from the center of the reflecting member 5, making it difficult for the measurement system 100 to properly measure the position of the reflecting member 5. By setting the pitch based on at least one of the diameter of the light and the diameter of the reflecting member, the control device 2 can control the measurement device 1 to properly measure the reflecting member 5.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart of the first measurement process. The measurement system 100 may execute the first measurement process for measuring the reflective member 5 according to the following flowchart.

First, the control device 2 of the measurement system 100 acquires initial information (also referred to as "first initial information") regarding the first reflecting member 51 (step S11). The control device 2 may acquire initial information regarding the relative positions of the first reflecting member 51, the second reflecting member 52, and the third reflecting member 53. The first initial information may be coordinate information of the position where the first reflecting member 51 is estimated to be located in the measurement coordinate system. The control device 2 acquires the first initial information by reading it from the memory 22. The control device 2 may also acquire the initial information regarding the reflecting member 5 based on an image obtained by the imaging device 3 capturing an image of an area including the reflecting member 5. The control device 2 may also acquire the initial information regarding the reflecting member 5 by communicating with an external device outside the measurement system 100.

Next, the control device 2 causes the measurement device 1 to emit light (step S12). The control device 2 controls the direction of light emitted from the measurement device 1 so that light is emitted to a range including the position where the first reflecting member 51 is estimated to be present. At this time, the control device 2 may control the direction of light emitted from the measurement device 1 so as to search for the first reflecting member 51. The control device 2 may acquire the position where the first reflecting member 51 is estimated to be present based on the first initial information. The control device 2 may acquire the position where the first reflecting member 51 is estimated to be present based on the imaging results of the imaging device 3. The control device 2 may control the direction of light emitted from the measurement device 1 so that the light trajectory R on a plane intersecting the optical path of the light from the measurement device 1 shows a predetermined pattern. The control device 2 may control the direction of light emitted from the measurement device 1 by controlling the mirror 13 of the measurement device 1 to rotate in a predetermined manner according to at least one of the first rotation axis and the second rotation axis. The light trajectory R in the predetermined pattern may be any of a spiral pattern, a raster pattern, and a non-periodic pattern. The light irradiation in step S12 is an example of a first scan.

The control device 2 also acquires information about the position of the first reflecting member 51 based on the results of receiving the light reflected by the first reflecting member 51 (step S13). First, the control device 2 acquires the results of receiving the light reflected by the first reflecting member 51 from the measurement device 1. The results of receiving the light reflected by the first reflecting member 51 may be, for example, information contained in a signal output by the light-receiving element 14 of the measurement device 1. Based on the results of receiving the received reflected light, the control device 2 can determine the position of the first reflecting member 51 in the measurement coordinate system, for example, based on the distance to the first reflecting member 5 obtained according to an interferometry method and the angle of the light irradiated onto the first reflecting member 51 by the mirror 13. The information about the position of the first reflecting member 51 acquired based on the results of receiving the light reflected by the first reflecting member 51 can also be referred to as first position information.

Then, based on the first initial information and the first position information, the control device 2 controls the direction of light irradiation from the measurement device 1 so that light is irradiated onto the second reflecting member 52 (step S14). For example, the control device 2 calculates the difference between the position of the first reflecting member 51 included in the first initial information and the position of the first reflecting member 51 based on the light reception results. Then, according to this difference, the control device 2 corrects the initial information regarding the position of the second reflecting member 52 (also referred to as "second initial information") stored in memory 22 and estimates that the second reflecting member 52 is located at the corrected position. Furthermore, the control device 2 does not need to estimate the position where the second reflecting member 52 is located. In this case, the control device 2 may set an irradiation range for irradiating light so that light is irradiated onto the second reflecting member 52 based on the first initial information and the first position information. Based on the first initial information and the first position information, the control device 2 may acquire translation information for translating from a position corresponding to the first initial information to the position of the first reflecting member 51, and may control the direction of light irradiation from the measurement device 1 to search for the second reflecting member 52 based on this translation information. Furthermore, based on the first initial information and the first position information, the control device 2 may set a start position for irradiating light whose trajectory shows a predetermined pattern so that light is irradiated onto the second reflecting member 52. The control device 2 may acquire the estimated position where the second reflecting member 52 is located based on the imaging results of the imaging device 3. The light irradiation in step S14 is an example of a second scan.

The control device 2 controls the direction of light emitted from the measurement device 1 so that the light is emitted onto the second reflecting member 52. At this time, the control device 2 may control the direction of light emitted from the measurement device 1 so as to search for the second reflecting member 52. The control device 2 may control the direction of light emitted from the measurement device 1 so that the trajectory R of light on a plane intersecting the optical path of the light from the measurement device 1 shows a first pattern. The control device 2 may control the direction of light emitted from the measurement device 1 by controlling the mirror 13 of the measurement device 1 to rotate in a first manner along at least one of the first and second rotation axes. The trajectory R of light in the first pattern may show any one of a spiral pattern, a raster pattern, and a non-periodic pattern.

The control device 2 may control the direction of light irradiation from the measurement device 1 so that the light trajectory R on a plane intersecting with the optical path of the light from the measurement device 1 shows a first pattern, and then further control the direction of light irradiation from the measurement device 1 so that the light trajectory R on a plane intersecting with the optical path of the light from the measurement device 1 shows a second pattern. The control device 2 may obtain the result of receiving light reflected by the second reflecting member 52, with the trajectory R showing the first pattern, and control the direction of light irradiation from the measurement device 1 so that the light trajectory R shows the second pattern based on this light reception result. Information regarding the position of the second reflecting member 52 obtained based on the result of receiving light reflected by the second reflecting member 52, with the trajectory R showing the first pattern, may also be referred to as temporary position information of the second reflecting member 52. The control device 2 may set, as the second pattern, a pattern with a narrower pitch than the first pattern or a narrower irradiation range than the first pattern when compared on the same plane. The second pattern can also be said to be a pattern with higher precision than the first pattern. In other words, the control device 2 may perform a fine scan of the second reflecting member 52 based on the results of the rough scan of the second reflecting member 52. When the control device 2 receives light that was irradiated to represent the first pattern and reflected by the second reflecting member 52, it may stop irradiating the light that represents the first pattern midway and start irradiating the light that represents the second pattern.

The control device 2 acquires information regarding the position of the second reflecting member 52 based on the results of receiving light reflected by the second reflecting member 52 (step S15), and terminates the measurement process. Acquiring information regarding the position of the second reflecting member 52 based on the results of receiving light reflected by the second reflecting member 52 is similar to acquiring information regarding the position of the first reflecting member 51 based on the results of receiving light reflected by the first reflecting member 51, as described in step S13, and therefore will not be described in detail again. Information regarding the position of the second reflecting member 52 acquired based on the results of receiving light reflected by the second reflecting member 52 can be referred to as second position information. Furthermore, information regarding the position of the second reflecting member 52 acquired based on the results of receiving light reflected by the second reflecting member 52, where the trajectory R indicates a first pattern, can be referred to as provisional position information of the second reflecting member 52. Similarly, information regarding the position of the second reflecting member 52 acquired based on the results of receiving light reflected by the second reflecting member 52, where the trajectory R indicates a second pattern, can be referred to as final position information of the second reflecting member 52. The control device 2 may control the direction of light irradiation to show the second pattern based on the temporary position information of the second reflecting member 52.

The first measurement process may further include, between step S15 and the end of the process, a step in which the control device 2 controls the direction of light irradiation from the measurement device 1 so that light is irradiated onto the third reflecting member 53, which is measured after the second reflecting member 52, and acquires position information regarding the position of the third reflecting member 53 based on the result of receiving the light reflected by the third reflecting member 53.

The control device 2 may control the direction of light emitted from the measurement device 1 so as to search for the third reflecting member 53. The control device 2 may control the direction of light emitted from the measurement device 1 based on the first position information and the second position information. The control device 2 may control the direction of light emitted from the measurement device 1 further based on the first initial information and the second initial information. Based on the first initial information, the second initial information, the first position information, and the second position information, the control device 2 may acquire rotation information for rotating and moving the positions corresponding to the first initial information and the second initial information to positions corresponding to the first position information and the second position information, respectively, and may control the direction of light emitted from the measurement device 1 so as to search for the third reflecting member 53 based on this rotation information. The control device 2 may calculate rotation information relative to the initial information for the third reflecting member 53 based on initial information regarding the relative positional relationship between the first reflecting member 51 and the second reflecting member 52 and position information regarding the relative positional relationship between the first position information and the second position information, and control the direction of light irradiation from the measurement device 1. The control device 2 may also calculate rotation information relative to the initial information for the reflecting member 5 based on information regarding the position or posture of the movable body 4 to which the reflecting member 5 is attached.

When irradiating light onto the first reflecting member 51, the control device 2 may obtain the results of receiving light reflected by the first reflecting member 51, with the trajectory R showing a first pattern, and, based on this light reception result, control the direction of light irradiation from the measurement device 1 so that the light trajectory R shows a second pattern. The control device 2 may also perform a fine scan of the second reflecting member 52 based on the results of the rough scan of the first reflecting member 51.

When searching for the second reflecting member 52, the control device 2 may perform at least one of a rough scan and a fine scan on the second reflecting member 52.

When searching for the third reflecting member 53, the control device 2 may obtain information regarding the position of the third reflecting member 53 based on the results of receiving light reflected by the third reflecting member 53, without performing either a rough scan or a fine scan.

By performing the first measurement process in this manner, the measurement system 100 can efficiently measure the position of the reflecting member 5.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart of the second measurement process. The measurement system 100 may execute the second measurement process for measuring the reflective member 5 according to the following flowchart.

First, the control device 2 of the measurement system 100 controls the direction of light irradiation so that the light trajectory R on the surface PL intersects with the optical path of the light from the measurement device 1 shows a first pattern (step S21). The control device 2 may control the direction of light irradiation so that the light whose trajectory R shows the first pattern on the surface PL is irradiated to a range including the first reflecting member 51 and the second reflecting member 52. Two or more reflecting members 5 may be included in the irradiation range of the light whose trajectory R shows the first pattern on the surface PL. The light trajectory R in the first pattern may show any of a spiral pattern, a raster pattern, and a non-periodic pattern. The control device 2 may control the direction of light irradiation so that the position where the reflective member 5 is estimated to be present on the optical path of the light irradiated from the measurement device 1 includes the position where the reflective member 5 is estimated to be present on the optical path of the light irradiated to any position of the light trajectory showing the first pattern on the surface PL. In other words, the control device 2 controls the direction of light irradiation so that the position where the reflective member 5 is estimated to be present is included on the optical path of the light irradiated to any position of the light trajectory showing the first pattern on the surface PL. The light irradiation in step S21 is another example of the first scan.

Next, the control device 2 controls the direction of light irradiation so that the light trajectory R on the surface PL indicates a second pattern different from the first pattern (step S22). The control device 2 may control the direction of light irradiation so that light on the surface PL, whose trajectory R indicates the second pattern, is irradiated onto an area including the first reflecting member 51. The light trajectory R in the second pattern may indicate any one of a spiral pattern, a raster pattern, and a non-periodic pattern. After the control device 2 receives the light whose trajectory R indicates the first pattern and is reflected by the reflecting member 5, the control device 2 may control the direction of light irradiation so that the trajectory R indicates the second pattern. In this case, the control device 2 may control the direction of light irradiation based on the result of receiving the light whose trajectory R indicates the first pattern and is reflected by the reflecting member 5. The light irradiation in step S22 is another example of a second scan.

The control device 2 receives the light reflected by the reflective member 5, acquires information about the position of the reflective member 5 based on the light reception results (step S23), and terminates the measurement process. For example, the control device 2 acquires information about the position of the reflective member 5 based on the light reception results of light whose trajectory R indicates the second pattern and is reflected by the reflective member 5. If the light irradiation direction on the surface PL is controlled so that light whose trajectory R indicates the first pattern is irradiated onto a range including the first reflective member 51 and the second reflective member 52, and the light irradiation direction is controlled so that light whose trajectory R indicates the second pattern is irradiated onto a range including the first reflective member 51, the control device 2 may acquire information about the position of the second reflective member 52 based on the light reception results of light whose trajectory R indicates the first pattern and is reflected by the first reflective member 51, and the light reception results of light whose trajectory R indicates the second pattern and is reflected by the first reflective member 51.

The second measurement process may further include, between step S23 and the end of the process, a step of controlling the direction of light irradiation so that the light trajectory R on the surface PL indicates a third pattern different from the first pattern, and acquiring position information regarding the position of the third reflecting member 53 based on the result of receiving the light reflected by the third reflecting member 53. In this case, the control device 2 may control the direction of light irradiation so that light whose trajectory R indicates the first pattern is irradiated onto an area on the surface PL including the first reflecting member 51 and the second reflecting member 52, light whose trajectory R indicates the second pattern is irradiated onto an area including the first reflecting member 51, and light whose trajectory R indicates the third pattern is irradiated onto an area including the second reflecting member. The third pattern may be the same as the second pattern. Here, with regard to patterns, "same"/"different" corresponds to whether the trajectories R on the same surface PL are the same. Patterns whose trajectories R on the same surface PL are similar are mutually different patterns. In this step, the control device 2 controls the measurement device 1 to irradiate the area where multiple reflective members are present with light whose trajectory R indicates the first pattern (rough scan), and then, based on the results of receiving the light reflected by each reflective member, to irradiate the area where each reflective member is estimated to be present with light whose trajectory R indicates the second or third pattern (fine scan). By controlling in this manner, the control device 2 can obtain provisional position information for each reflective member through a rough scan, and then perform a fine scan based on the provisional position information, thereby efficiently obtaining definitive position information for each reflective member.

Note that the targets and ranges of the rough scan and fine scan are not limited to the above examples. It is preferable that the number of targets for the fine scan be the same or fewer than the number of targets for the rough scan. For example, the control device 2 may perform a rough scan on one reflective member 5, and then control the measuring device 1 to perform a fine scan on that reflective member 5. Furthermore, the control device 2 may perform a rough scan on multiple reflective members 5, and then control the measuring device 1 to perform a fine scan on at least some of the multiple reflective members 5. The reflective members 5 to be fine-scanned do not have to be the reflective members 5 that were the target of the rough scan. By estimating the position of the reflective member 5 to be fine-scanned based on the provisional position information of the reflective member 5 that was the target of the rough scan, the control device 2 can efficiently perform a fine scan on the target reflective member 5. In other words, the control device 2 may obtain information regarding the position of the reflective member 5 by fine scanning and rough scanning that reflective member 5, or by fine scanning that reflective member 5, or may obtain information regardless of either fine scanning or rough scanning that reflective member 5 (based on the results of fine scanning or rough scanning of other reflective members 5).

Furthermore, it is preferable that the fine scan range is the same as or narrower than the rough scan range. For example, the control device 2 may control the measuring device 1 to perform a fine scan over the same range as the rough scan range. Alternatively, the control device 2 may control the measuring device 1 to perform a fine scan over a range included in the range where the rough scan was performed. Furthermore, the fine scan range does not have to be included in the rough scan range. By estimating the position of the reflective members 5 present within the fine scan range based on position information of the reflective members 5 included in the rough scan range, the control device 2 can efficiently perform a fine scan on the target reflective members 5.

By performing the second measurement process in this manner, the measurement system 100 can efficiently measure the position of the reflecting member 5.

Figure 13 is a flowchart of the third measurement process. The measurement system 100 may execute the third measurement process for measuring the reflective member 5 according to the following flowchart.

First, the control device 2 of the measurement system 100 controls the measurement device 1 to rotate the irradiation device of the measurement device 1 in a first manner to irradiate light (step S31). The control device 2 may control the measurement device 1 so that the light irradiated by rotating the irradiation device in the first manner is irradiated onto a range including the first reflecting member 51 and the second reflecting member 52. When the control device 2 controls the measurement device 1 to rotate the irradiation device in the first manner, the irradiation device rotates along at least one of the first rotation axis and the second rotation axis intersecting the first rotation axis. As a result, the light trajectory R on the plane PL intersecting the optical path of the light from the measurement device 1 exhibits a first pattern. The light trajectory R in the first pattern may exhibit any one of a spiral pattern, a raster pattern, and a non-periodic pattern. The control device 2 may control the measurement device 1 to rotate the irradiation device in the first manner to irradiate light so that the optical path of the light irradiated from the measurement device 1 includes a position where the reflecting member 5 is estimated to be present. In other words, the control device 2 controls the rotation of the irradiation device by the measurement device so that a position where the reflective member 5 is estimated to be present is included on the optical path of the light irradiated at any position on the trajectory of light representing the first pattern on the surface PL. The irradiation of light in step S31 is another example of a first scan.

Next, the control device 2 controls the measurement device 1 to rotate the irradiation device in a second mode different from the first mode and irradiate light (step S32). The control device 2 may control the measurement device 1 so that the light irradiated by rotating the irradiation device in the second mode is irradiated onto a range including the first reflecting member 51. By the control device 2 controlling the measurement device 1 to rotate the irradiation device in the second mode, the irradiation device rotates along at least one of the first rotation axis and a second rotation axis intersecting the first rotation axis. As a result, the light trajectory R on the plane PL intersecting the optical path of the light from the measurement device 1 exhibits a second pattern different from the first pattern. The light trajectory R in the second pattern may exhibit any one of a spiral pattern, a raster pattern, and a non-periodic pattern. The control device 2 may control the measurement device 1 to rotate the irradiation device in the second mode after receiving the light irradiated by rotating the irradiation device in the first mode and reflected by the reflecting member 5. At this time, the control device 2 may cause the measurement device 1 to control the rotational mode of the irradiation device based on the results of receiving light that is irradiated by rotating the irradiation device in the first mode and reflected by the reflecting member 5. The light irradiation in step S32 is another example of the second scan.

The control device 2 receives the light reflected by the reflecting member 5 and acquires information about the position of the reflecting member 5 based on the light reception results (step S33), completing the measurement process. For example, the control device 2 acquires information about the position of the reflecting member 5 based on the light reception results of the light irradiated by rotating the irradiation device in the second mode and reflected by the reflecting member 5. If the light irradiation direction is controlled so that the light irradiated by rotating the irradiation device in the first mode is irradiated onto a range including the first reflecting member 51 and the second reflecting member 52, and the light irradiation direction is controlled so that the light irradiated by rotating the irradiation device in the second mode is irradiated onto a range including the first reflecting member 51, the control device 2 may acquire information about the position of the second reflecting member 52 based on the light reception results of the light irradiated by rotating the irradiation device in the first mode and reflected by the second reflecting member 52, and the light reception results of the light irradiated by rotating the irradiation device in the second mode and reflected by the first reflecting member 51.

The third measurement process may further include, between step S33 and the end of the process, a step of controlling the measurement device 1 to rotate the irradiation device in a third state different from the first state and irradiate light, and acquiring position information regarding the position of the third reflecting member 53 based on the result of receiving light irradiated by rotating the irradiation device in the third state and reflected by the reflecting member 5. In this case, the control device 2 may control the irradiation direction of light so that the light irradiated by rotating the irradiation device in the first state is irradiated onto a range including the first reflecting member 51 and the second reflecting member 52, the light irradiated by rotating the irradiation device in the first state is irradiated onto a range including the first reflecting member 51, and the light irradiated by rotating the irradiation device in the first state is irradiated onto a range including the second reflecting member. The third state may be the same as the second state. According to this step, the control device 2 controls the measurement device 1 to rotate the irradiation device in a first mode to irradiate an area where a plurality of reflective members are present (rough scan), and then, based on the results of receiving light reflected by each reflective member, to rotate the irradiation device in a second or third mode to irradiate an area where each reflective member is estimated to be present (fine scan). By controlling in this manner, the control device 2 can acquire provisional position information of each reflective member by rough scanning, and then perform a fine scan based on the provisional position information, thereby efficiently acquiring definitive position information of each reflective member.

By performing the third measurement process in this manner, the measurement system 100 can efficiently measure the position of the reflecting member 5.

The control device 2 can control the movable body 4 based on the acquired information about the position of the reflecting member 5. The control device 2 may, for example, control at least one of the position and orientation of the movable body 4. Therefore, the measurement system 100 can also be said to be a control system that controls the movable body 4 based on the acquired information about the position of the reflecting member 5.

The following additional notes are provided regarding the embodiment described above.

[Appendix 1]
A measuring device that measures the positions of at least two reflective members out of a plurality of reflective members provided on an object that reflect incident light in a direction opposite to the incident direction, by performing a first scan on each of the reflective members, and then performing a second scan different from the first scan based on the results of the first scan.

[Appendix 2]
The measuring device described in Appendix 1, wherein the first scan is a scan at a first interval along a trajectory having a first shape for a first range corresponding to the reflective member, and the second scan is a scan at a second interval along a trajectory having a second shape for a second range corresponding to the reflective member, and at least one of the first range and the second range, the first shape and the second shape, and the first interval and the second interval is different.

[Appendix 3]
3. The measurement device of claim 2, wherein the second range is smaller than the first range.

[Appendix 4]
4. The measurement device of claim 2 or 3, wherein the second shape is different from the first shape.

[Appendix 5]
5. The measuring device of claim 2, wherein the second distance is smaller than the first distance.

[Appendix 6]
a measuring device that emits light in a predetermined irradiation direction and receives light reflected from an object illuminated by the light;
at least one processor;
at least one memory having computer program code stored therein;
The at least one processor executes the computer program code to cause the measurement device to:
irradiating a region including a position where a first reflecting member is estimated to be present with light;
irradiating the light onto an area including a position where a second reflecting member different from the first reflecting member is estimated to be present based on a result of receiving the light reflected by the first reflecting member;
A measurement system that performs a process including the steps of:

[Appendix 7]
a measuring device that can irradiate a reflecting member with light and receive the light reflected by the reflecting member;
at least one processor;
at least one memory having computer program code stored therein;
The at least one processor executes the computer program code to
controlling an irradiation direction of the light from the measurement device so that a trajectory of the light on a plane intersecting an optical path of the light shows a first pattern;
controlling an irradiation direction of the light from the measurement device so that a trajectory of the light on the surface shows a second pattern different from the first pattern;
acquiring information about the position of the reflecting member based on the result of receiving the light;
A measurement system that performs a process including the steps of:

[Appendix 8]
a measuring device having an irradiation device capable of irradiating a reflecting member with light and capable of receiving the light reflected by the reflecting member;
at least one processor;
at least one memory having computer program code stored therein;
The at least one processor executes the computer program code to
rotating the irradiation device in a first manner along at least one of a first rotation axis and a second rotation axis intersecting the first rotation axis to irradiate the light;
rotating the light source in a second direction different from the first direction about at least one of the first rotation axis and the second rotation axis, and irradiating the light;
acquiring information about the position of the reflecting member based on the result of receiving the light;
A measurement system that performs a process including the steps of:

[Appendix 9]
irradiating a region including a position where a first reflecting member is estimated to be present with light;
estimating a position where a second reflecting member different from the first reflecting member is present based on a result of receiving the light reflected by the first reflecting member;
irradiating the light onto an area including the estimated position;
Measurement methods that include:

[Supplementary Note 10]
controlling an irradiation direction of the light so that a trajectory of the light on a plane intersecting an optical path of the light for irradiating the reflecting member shows a first pattern;
controlling the irradiation direction of the light so that the trajectory of the light on the surface exhibits a second pattern different from the first pattern;
acquiring information about the position of the reflecting member based on the result of receiving the light;
Measurement methods that include:

[Appendix 11]
an irradiation device capable of irradiating a reflecting member with light is rotated in a first manner about at least one of a first rotation axis and a second rotation axis intersecting the first rotation axis to irradiate the reflecting member with the light;
the irradiation device is rotated about at least one of the first rotation axis and the second rotation axis in a second direction different from the first direction to irradiate the light;
acquiring information about the position of the reflecting member based on the result of receiving the light;
Measurement methods that include:

[Appendix 12]
a measuring device that emits light in a predetermined irradiation direction and receives light reflected from an object illuminated by the light;
a control device that controls the measuring device,
the measuring device receives the light reflected by the first reflecting member;
the control device causes the measurement device to irradiate the light in a first search mode and a second search mode that searches a narrower area than that in the first search mode, so as to search for a second reflecting member different from the first reflecting member based on a result of receiving the light reflected by the first reflecting member.
Measurement system.

[Appendix 13]
a measuring device that emits light in a predetermined irradiation direction and receives light reflected from an object illuminated by the light;
a control device that controls the measuring device,
the measuring device receives the light reflected by the first reflecting member;
the control device causes the measurement device to irradiate the light in a first search mode and a second search mode that searches more densely than the first search mode, so as to search for a second reflecting member different from the first reflecting member based on a result of receiving the light reflected by the first reflecting member.
Measurement system.

It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various changes, substitutions, and alterations can be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.

100 Measurement system 1 Measurement device 2 Control device 3 Imaging device 4 Movable body 5 Reflecting member

Claims (64)

a measuring device that emits light in a predetermined irradiation direction and receives light reflected from an object illuminated by the light;
a control device that controls the measuring device,
the measuring device receives the light reflected by the first reflecting member;
the control device controls the irradiation direction of the light from the measurement device based on a result of receiving the light reflected by the first reflecting member so that the light is irradiated onto a second reflecting member different from the first reflecting member.
Measurement system. The measurement system described in claim 1, wherein the control device controls the direction of irradiation of the light from the measurement device so as to search for the second reflecting member. The measurement system described in claim 2, wherein the control device acquires first position information regarding the position of the first reflecting member based on the result of receiving light reflected by the first reflecting member. The measurement system described in claim 3, wherein the control device controls the direction of light irradiation from the measurement device based on the first position information. The measurement system described in claim 4, wherein the control device controls the direction of light irradiation from the measurement device based on first initial information regarding the first reflecting member and the first position information acquired in advance. The control device
acquiring translation information for translating a position corresponding to the first initial information to a position corresponding to the first position information, based on the first initial information and the first position information;
controlling the irradiation direction of the light for searching the second reflecting member based on the translation information;
The measurement system according to claim 5 . The measurement system described in any one of claims 3 to 6, wherein the control device acquires second position information regarding the position of the second reflecting member based on the result of receiving the light reflected by the first reflecting member. The control device
controlling an irradiation direction of the light so that a trajectory of the light on a plane intersecting an optical path of the light from the measurement device shows a first pattern, and acquiring information about the second reflecting member based on a result of receiving the light reflected by the second reflecting member;
controlling an irradiation direction of the light based on the information regarding the second reflecting member so that a trajectory of the light on the surface shows a second pattern different from the first pattern, and acquiring the second position information based on a light reception result of the light reflected by the second reflecting member.
The measurement system of claim 7 . The measurement system described in any one of claims 3-7, wherein the control device controls the irradiation direction of the light from the measurement device so that the trajectory of the light on a plane intersecting the optical path of the light from the measurement device exhibits a first pattern, and then controls the irradiation direction of the light from the measurement device so that the trajectory of the light on the plane exhibits a second pattern different from the first pattern. The measurement system of claim 9, wherein the line segment connecting the starting point of the trajectory of the light representing the first pattern on the surface to the point on the trajectory that is the furthest distance from the starting point of the light representing the first pattern is longer than the line segment connecting the starting point of the trajectory of the light representing the second pattern on the surface to the point on the trajectory that is the furthest distance from the starting point of the light representing the second pattern. The measurement system of claim 10, wherein the distance between the point where the line segment and the trajectory intersect with the first pattern and the next point of intersection on the surface is greater than the distance between the point where the line segment and the trajectory intersect with the second pattern and the next point of intersection on the surface. The measurement system of claim 9, wherein the distance between the first and second intersecting points of the normal to the surface and the locus at any point of the locus for the first pattern is greater than the distance between the first and second intersecting points of the normal to the surface and the locus at any point of the locus for the second pattern. The measurement system of claim 9, wherein the length per unit area in the plane of the light trajectory representing the second pattern is longer than the length per unit area in the plane of the light trajectory representing the first pattern. the measurement device includes an irradiation device that irradiates the light,
The control device controls the irradiation direction of the light from the measurement device to change the irradiation direction of the light by rotating the irradiation device along at least one of a first rotation axis and a second rotation axis intersecting the first rotation axis. The measurement system according to any one of claims 1 to 13. the measurement device includes an irradiation device that irradiates the light,
the control device is capable of controlling the measurement device to change the irradiation direction of the light by rotating the irradiation device along at least one of a first rotation axis and a second rotation axis intersecting the first rotation axis;
the control device rotates the irradiation device in a first manner about at least one of the first rotation axis and the second rotation axis, and then controls the irradiation direction of the light from the measurement device so as to rotate the irradiation device in a second manner different from the first manner about at least one of the first rotation axis and the second rotation axis.
A measurement system according to any one of claims 2 to 13. The measurement system described in claim 15, wherein the maximum angular range of rotation about the first rotation axis of the irradiation device in the first embodiment is greater than the maximum angular range of rotation about the first rotation axis of the irradiation device in the second embodiment. The measurement system described in claim 15 or 16, wherein the maximum angular range of rotation about the second rotation axis of the irradiation device in the first embodiment is greater than the maximum angular range of rotation about the second rotation axis of the irradiation device in the second embodiment. the irradiation device is capable of rotating about the first rotation axis and rotating about the second rotation axis,
the control device controls the measurement device so that a difference between a rotation angle about the second rotation axis when the arbitrary rotation angle about the first rotation axis is reached for the first time and a rotation angle about the second rotation axis when the arbitrary rotation angle about the first rotation axis is reached for the second time in the first mode is larger than a difference between a rotation angle about the second rotation axis when the arbitrary rotation angle about the first rotation axis is reached for the first time and a rotation angle about the second rotation axis when the arbitrary rotation angle about the first rotation axis is reached for the second time in the second mode.
The measurement system of claim 15. the measurement device includes an irradiation device that irradiates the light,
the control device is capable of controlling the measurement device to change the irradiation direction of the light by rotating the irradiation device along at least one of a first rotation axis and a second rotation axis intersecting the first rotation axis;
the control device controls the measurement device to rotate the irradiation device in a first manner about at least one of the first rotation axis and the second rotation axis so that the locus on the surface shows the first pattern, and then controls the measurement device to rotate the irradiation device in a second manner different from the first manner about at least one of the first rotation axis and the second rotation axis so that the locus on the surface shows the second pattern.
A measurement system according to any one of claims 8 to 13. the rotation of the irradiation device in the first mode causes the locus on the surface to show the first pattern;
the rotation of the irradiation device in the second mode causes the locus on the surface to show the second pattern;
a maximum angular range of rotation about the first rotation axis of the irradiation device in the first aspect is greater than a maximum angular range of rotation about the first rotation axis of the irradiation device in the second aspect;
20. The measurement system of claim 19. the rotation of the irradiation device in the first mode causes the locus on the surface to show the first pattern;
the rotation of the irradiation device in the second mode causes the locus on the surface to show the second pattern;
a maximum angular range of rotation about the second rotation axis of the irradiation device in the first aspect is greater than a maximum angular range of rotation about the second rotation axis of the irradiation device in the second aspect;
21. The measurement system according to claim 19 or 20. the rotation of the irradiation device in the first mode causes the locus on the surface to show the first pattern;
the rotation of the irradiation device in the second mode causes the locus on the surface to show the second pattern;
the irradiation device is capable of rotating about the first rotation axis and rotating about the second rotation axis,
the control device controls the measurement device so that a difference between a rotation angle about the second rotation axis when the arbitrary rotation angle about the first rotation axis is reached for the first time and a rotation angle about the second rotation axis when the arbitrary rotation angle about the first rotation axis is reached for the second time in the first mode is larger than a difference between a rotation angle about the second rotation axis when the arbitrary rotation angle about the first rotation axis is reached for the first time and a rotation angle about the second rotation axis when the arbitrary rotation angle about the first rotation axis is reached for the second time in the second mode.
20. The measurement system of claim 19. The measurement system described in any one of claims 8-13 and 19-22, wherein the control device sets control parameters for controlling the measurement device based on the diameter of the light so that the trajectory on the surface indicates at least one of the first pattern and the second pattern. The measurement system described in any one of claims 8-13 and 19-23, wherein the control device sets control parameters for controlling the measurement device based on the diameter of the second reflecting member so that the trajectory on the surface indicates at least one of the first pattern and the second pattern. The measurement system described in any one of claims 15-22, wherein the control device sets control parameters for controlling the measurement device so that the irradiation device rotates in at least one of the first and second modes based on the diameter of the light. The measurement system described in any one of claims 8-13 and 19-24, wherein the control device sets control parameters for controlling the measurement device based on the diameter of the second reflecting member so that the trajectory on the surface indicates at least one of the first pattern and the second pattern. The measurement system described in any one of claims 2-26, wherein the control device controls the direction of light irradiation in the measurement device so that the trajectory of the light on a plane intersecting the optical path of the light from the measurement device shows a predetermined pattern. The measurement system of claim 27, wherein the pattern indicated by the trajectory on the surface is a spiral shape. The measurement system described in claim 28, wherein the spiral shape is a shape based on a circle. The measurement system described in claim 28, wherein the spiral shape is based on an ellipse. The measurement system described in claim 28, wherein the spiral shape is a polygon-based shape. The measurement system described in claim 27, wherein the light trajectory on the surface exhibits a raster pattern. The measurement system described in claim 2, wherein the trajectory of the light in a plane intersecting the optical path of the light from the measurement device exhibits a non-periodic pattern. The measurement system described in any one of claims 1-33, wherein the control device controls the direction of light irradiation from the measurement device so that the light is irradiated onto a third reflecting member, which is measured after the second reflecting member, based on first position information regarding the first reflecting member obtained based on the result of receiving light reflected by the first reflecting member and second position information regarding the second reflecting member obtained based on the result of receiving light reflected by the second reflecting member. The measurement system described in claim 34, wherein the control device controls the direction of irradiation of the light from the measurement device based on first initial information regarding the first reflecting member, the first position information, second initial information regarding the second reflecting member, and the second position information, which have been acquired in advance. The measurement system described in claim 35, wherein the control device controls the direction of light emitted from the measurement device so as to search for the third reflecting member. The control device
acquiring rotation information for rotating and moving the position corresponding to the first initial information and the position corresponding to the second initial information to the position corresponding to the first position information and the position corresponding to the second position information, respectively, based on the first initial information, the first position information, the second initial information, and the second position information;
controlling the irradiation direction of the light for searching the third reflecting member based on the rotation information;
36. The measurement system of claim 35. The measurement system described in any one of claims 34-37, wherein the control device acquires position information regarding the position of the third reflecting member based on the result of receiving the light reflected by the third reflecting member. The control device
controlling an irradiation direction of the light so that a trajectory of the light shows a fourth pattern on a plane intersecting an optical path of the light from the measurement device; and acquiring information about the third reflecting member based on a result of receiving the light that is the light from the measurement device reflected by the second reflecting member;
based on the information on the third reflecting member, controlling the irradiation direction of the light so that the trajectory of the light shows a fifth pattern different from the fourth pattern on a plane intersecting with the optical path of the light from the measurement device, and acquiring position information on the position of the third reflecting member based on a result of receiving the light reflected by the third reflecting member from the measurement device.
38. The measurement system according to claim 36 or 37. the measurement device includes an imaging device capable of imaging an object,
the control device acquires at least one of a position where the first reflecting member is estimated to be present and a position where the second reflecting member is estimated to be present based on an imaging result obtained by the imaging device;
A measurement system according to any one of claims 1 to 39. The measurement system described in claim 40, wherein the control device controls the direction of irradiation of the light from the measurement device based on the imaging results of the imaging device so that the light is irradiated onto at least one of the first reflecting member and the second reflecting member. At least one of the first reflecting member and the second reflecting member is attached to a movable body,
the control device controls the movable body based on at least one of a result of receiving the light reflected by the first reflecting member and a result of receiving the light reflected by the second reflecting member.
A measurement system according to any one of claims 1 to 41. The measurement system described in claim 42, wherein the control device controls at least one of the position and orientation of the movable body. A measurement system according to any one of claims 1 to 43,
The control device is a control system that controls a movable body to which at least one of the first reflecting member and the second reflecting member is attached, based on information regarding the position of at least one of the first reflecting member and the second reflecting member obtained by the measurement system. a measuring device that irradiates a reflecting member with light and receives the light reflected by the reflecting member;
a control device that controls the irradiation direction of the light from the measurement device,
The control device controls the direction of irradiation of the light so that the trajectory of the light on a plane that intersects with the optical path of the light from the measurement device shows a first pattern, and then controls the direction of irradiation of the light so that the trajectory of the light on the plane shows a second pattern different from the first pattern, and obtains information regarding the position of the reflective member based on the result of receiving the light. The measurement system described in claim 45, wherein the control device controls the direction of light emitted from the measurement device so that the trajectory of the light on the surface shows the first pattern, and after the light reflected by the reflecting member is received by the measurement device, controls the direction of light emitted from the measurement device so that the trajectory of the light on the surface shows the second pattern. The measurement system described in claim 45 or 46, wherein the control device includes a position where the reflective member is estimated to be present on the optical path of the light emitted from the measurement device, and controls the direction of light emitted from the measurement device so that the trajectory of the light on the surface shows the first pattern. the reflecting member includes a first reflecting member and a second reflecting member different from the first reflecting member,
the control device controls the irradiation direction of the light from the measurement device so that the trajectory of the light on the surface shows the second pattern, and then controls the irradiation direction of the light from the measurement device so that the trajectory of the light on the surface shows a third pattern different from the first pattern;
the control device controls the irradiation direction of the light from the measurement device so that the light, whose locus on the surface indicates the first pattern, is irradiated onto a range including the first reflecting member and the second reflecting member, the light, whose locus on the surface indicates the second pattern, is irradiated onto a range including the first reflecting member, and the light, whose locus on the surface indicates the third pattern, is irradiated onto a range including the second reflecting member.
A measurement system according to any one of claims 45 to 47. The measurement system of claim 48, wherein the second pattern and the third pattern represent the same pattern. the reflecting member includes a first reflecting member and a second reflecting member different from the first reflecting member,
The control device
controlling an irradiation direction of the light from the measurement device so that light whose locus indicates the first pattern on the surface is irradiated onto a range including the first reflecting member and the second reflecting member, and light whose locus indicates the second pattern on the surface is irradiated onto a range including the first reflecting member;
acquiring information about the position of the second reflecting member based on a result of receiving light reflected by the first reflecting member and whose locus indicates the first pattern, a result of receiving light reflected by the second reflecting member and whose locus indicates the first pattern, and a result of receiving light reflected by the first reflecting member and whose locus indicates the second pattern;
A measurement system according to any one of claims 45 to 49. a measuring device that irradiates a reflecting member with light and receives the light reflected by the reflecting member;
a control device that controls the irradiation direction of the light from the measurement device,
the measurement device includes an irradiation device that can irradiate the light in a predetermined direction under control of the control device,
the control device is capable of changing the irradiation direction of the light from the measurement device by rotating the irradiation device along at least one of a first rotation axis and a second rotation axis intersecting the first rotation axis;
the control device controls the irradiation device to rotate in a first manner according to at least one of the first rotation axis and the second rotation axis to irradiate the light, and then controls the irradiation device to rotate in a second manner different from the first manner according to at least one of the first rotation axis and the second rotation axis to irradiate the light, and acquires information regarding the position of the reflective member based on a result of receiving the light. The measurement system described in claim 51, wherein the control device controls the measurement device to irradiate light from the irradiation device rotating in the second mode after the light irradiated from the irradiation device rotating in the first mode and reflected by the reflecting member is received by the measurement device. The measurement system described in claim 51 or 52, wherein the control device controls the direction of light emitted from the irradiation device rotating in the first mode so that the position where the reflective member is estimated to be present is included on the optical path of the light emitted from the irradiation device. the reflecting member includes a first reflecting member and a second reflecting member different from the first reflecting member,
the control device controls the irradiation direction of the light by rotating the irradiation device in a third aspect different from the first aspect around at least one of the first rotation axis and the second rotation axis after irradiating the light in the second aspect;
the control device controls the irradiation direction of the light from the irradiation device so that the light from the irradiation device rotating in the first aspect is irradiated onto a range including the first reflecting member and the second reflecting member, the light from the irradiation device rotating in the second aspect is irradiated onto a range including the first reflecting member, and the light from the irradiation device rotating in the third aspect is irradiated onto a range including the second reflecting member.
A measurement system according to any one of claims 51 to 53. The measurement system described in claim 54, wherein the second aspect and the third aspect represent the same aspect. the reflecting member includes a first reflecting member and a second reflecting member different from the first reflecting member,
The control device
controlling an irradiation direction of light from the irradiation device so that the light irradiated from the irradiation device rotating in the first aspect is irradiated onto a range including the first reflecting member and the second reflecting member, and the light irradiated from the irradiation device rotating in the second aspect is irradiated onto a range including the first reflecting member;
acquiring information about the position of the second reflecting member based on a result of receiving the light reflected by the first reflecting member and irradiated from the irradiation device rotating in the first aspect, a result of receiving the light reflected by the second reflecting member and irradiated from the irradiation device rotating in the first aspect, and a result of receiving the light reflected by the first reflecting member and irradiated from the irradiation device rotating in the second aspect;
A measurement system according to any one of claims 51 to 53. the measurement device includes an imaging device;
the control device acquires the position where the reflective member is estimated to be present based on the image capturing result obtained by the image capturing device;
A measurement system according to any one of claims 45 to 56. The measurement system described in claim 57, wherein the control device controls the direction of light emitted from the measurement device so that light from the measurement device is emitted at a position where the reflective member is estimated to be present based on the imaging results of the imaging device. The reflecting member is attached to a movable body,
the control device controls the movable body based on a result of receiving the light reflected by the reflecting member.
A measurement system according to any one of claims 45 to 58. The measurement system described in claim 59, wherein the control device controls at least one of the position and orientation of the movable body. A measurement system comprising: the measurement system according to any one of claims 45 to 58; and a movable body to which the reflecting member is attached;
The control device is a control system that controls the movable body based on information about the position of the reflecting member. The measurement system described in claim 45, wherein the measurement device irradiates laser light having a predetermined beam diameter as the light. The measurement system described in claim 62, wherein the control device acquires information regarding the position of the reflecting member by receiving light reflected from the reflecting member. the control device controls the measurement device so that, when a plurality of trajectories of the light on a plane intersecting with the optical path of the light from the measurement device are included in a predetermined area on the plane, an interval between the trajectories of the light becomes a beam interval set based on the beam diameter.
64. The measurement system of claim 62 or 63.