Granted Patent B2

US 12,748,499 · App. 19/026,259 · Granted Sep 29, 2026

Inventor: David S. Holz (San Francisco, CA)

Assignee: SIM IP HXR LLC

G06F3/017G06F3/0304G06V10/145G06V40/113G06F2218/08

Abstract

Claims (36)

1 . A computer-implemented method for conducting machine control, the method comprising:

coordinating (i) directing an emission cycle to a region of interest in accordance with a scan pattern, (ii) detecting a time-variable reflection signal indicative of a reflection of the emission cycle, and (iii) acquiring images of the region of interest, the directing, the detecting, and the acquiring being coordinated by controlling a variance of the scan pattern according to a detected attribute of an object, wherein the varied scan pattern varies intensities of the emission cycle according to the detected attribute of the object; and

processing the time-variable reflection signal and the images to (i) determine a presence of the object and object attributes and (ii) infer machine-control information from the object attributes.

2 . The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the acquiring the images implements one or more cameras to acquire the images of the region of interest.

3 . The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the detecting the time-variable reflection signal indicative of the reflection implements a photosensitive element to detect the reflection.

4 . The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the detecting the time-variable reflection signal indicative of the reflection extracts the time-variable reflection signal based at least in part upon the reflection.

5 . The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the detected attribute of the object is at least one of a color of the object, a translucence of the object, an opacity of the object, a reflectivity of the object and an absorptivity of the object.

6 . The computer-implemented method of claim 5 , wherein the detected attribute of the object dictates whether a finer or coarser scan pattern is required.

7 . The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , further comprising:

detecting that the object is of a certain minimum size; and

responsive to the detection that the object is of the certain minimum size, varying the scan pattern to cover only a fraction of the region of interest.

8 . A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium having a program recorded thereon, the program, when executed by a computer, causes the computer to perform a method comprising:

coordinating (i) directing an emission cycle to a region of interest in accordance with a scan pattern, (ii) detecting a time-variable reflection signal indicative of a reflection of the emission cycle and (iii) acquiring images of the region of interest, the directing, the detecting, and the acquiring being coordinated by controlling a variance of the scan pattern according to a detected attribute of an object, wherein the varied scan pattern varies intensities of the emission cycle according to the detected attribute of the object; and

processing the time-variable reflection signal and the images to (i) determine a presence of the object and object attributes and (ii) infer machine-control information from the object attributes.

9 . The non-transitory computer-readable recording medium of claim 8 , wherein the acquiring the images implements one or more cameras to acquire the images of the region of interest.

10 . The non-transitory computer-readable recording medium of claim 8 , wherein the detecting the time-variable reflection signal indicative of the reflection implements a photosensitive element to detect the reflection.

11 . The non-transitory computer-readable recording medium of claim 8 , wherein the detecting the time-variable reflection signal indicative of the reflection extracts the time-variable reflection signal based at least in part upon the reflection.

12 . The non-transitory computer-readable recording medium of claim 8 , wherein the detected attribute of the object is at least one of a color of the object, a translucence of the object, an opacity of the object, a reflectivity of the object and an absorptivity of the object.

13 . The non-transitory computer-readable recording medium of claim 12 , wherein the detected attribute of the object dictates whether a finer or coarser scan pattern is required.

14 . The non-transitory computer-readable recording medium of claim 8 , further comprising:

detecting that the object is of a certain minimum size; and

responsive to the detection that the object is of the certain minimum size, varying the scan pattern to cover only a fraction of the region of interest.

15 . A system for conducting machine control, the system comprising:

a controller including a processor configured to coordinate:

(i) directing an emission cycle to a region of interest in accordance with a scan pattern;

(ii) detecting a time-variable reflection signal indicative of a reflection of the emission cycle; and

(iii) acquiring images of the region of interest;

the directing, the detecting, and the acquiring being coordinated by controlling a variance of the scan pattern according to a detected attribute of an object, wherein the varied scan pattern varies intensities of the emission cycle according to the detected attribute of the object; and

a computational facility including a processor configured to (i) process the time-variable reflection signal and the images to determine a presence of the object and object attributes and (ii) infer machine-control information from the object attributes.

16 . The system according to claim 15 , wherein the acquiring the images implements one or more cameras configured to acquire the images of the region of interest.

17 . The system according to claim 15 , wherein the detecting the time-variable reflection signal indicative of the reflection comprises a photosensitive element configured to detect the reflection.

18 . The system according to claim 15 , wherein the detecting the time-variable reflection signal indicative of the reflection extracts the time-variable reflection signal based at least in part upon the reflection.

19 . The system of claim 15 , wherein the processor configuration of the controller includes the detected attribute of the object is at least one of a color of the object, a translucence of the object, an opacity of the object, a reflectivity of the object and an absorptivity of the object.

20 . The system of claim 15 , the processor configuration of the controller further comprising:

detecting that the object is of a certain minimum size; and

responsive to the detection that the object is of the certain minimum size, varying the scan pattern to cover only a fraction of the region of interest.

Assignments (6)

Continuity (38)

References Cited (400)