Key blank identification system with groove scanning

Abstract
A key identification system is provided. The key identification system comprises an imaging system to capture an image of a master key, and a logic to analyze the captured image. The imaging system may be capture an image of a groove in the master key from an angle between perpendicular and parallel to the blade of said master key. The logic analyzes the captured image to compare characteristics of the groove with groove characteristics of known key blanks to determine the likelihood of a match between the master key and a known key blank. The key identification system may further compensate for displacement or orientation of the master key with respect to the imaging system when analyzing characteristics of the groove.
Description
FIELD OF ART

This invention relates generally to the field of systems for identifying objects and, more particularly to systems for utilizing electronic means for identifying key blanks that are compatible with an unknown key.


BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The art of key replication is well known. Commonly, a key intended for duplication (the master key) is copied on to an appropriately identified key blank utilizing any number of different systems known in the art. The process of identifying an appropriate key blank to use when making copies of a key can be a difficult, tedious and time consuming affair. It is important that each master key be copied onto the proper key blank so as to prevent numerous adverse consequences caused by reproducing a master key onto an inappropriate key blank. However, choosing the correct key blank can be difficult even for experts in the field.


There are hundreds, if not thousands, of key blanks, and many blanks are not readily distinguished from others. Identifying the correct key blank for use in duplication involves selecting a blank from hundreds or even thousands of possibilities, where differences between key blanks may be very subtle. These hard-to-notice subtleties significantly increase the level of difficulty for all operators of such key replication systems, both inexperienced trainees and experts alike.


Once a key blank is chosen, it goes through a cutting process. The typical cutting process simply traces the profile of the master key onto the key blank, such that the key blank will exactly match (within the error limits and accuracy of the tracing machine) the original master key. Normally, a mechanically linked cutting wheel actually cuts into the key blank while it mimics the movement of the tracer as the tracer moves longitudinally along the profile of the master key. If the incorrect key blank is provided during this process, the key blank being formed into the duplicate key may not possess the correct longitudinal length, thereby causing a failure. When this type of failure occurs, the entire process of selecting a key blank for replication and then mechanically cutting the key must begin again. Worse still, if the blank has the proper length but does not possess the appropriate thickness, contour, groove or other traits, the failure may not be discovered until the key is actually inserted into the lock.


Businesses that offer key cutting services are often times not staffed by experienced locksmiths. Instead, employees are usually trained to “eyeball” what is thought to be the correct blank and then cut a duplicate key. Such informal and imprecise key blank identification invariably increases the rate of failures for the duplication process. These failures often occur at the expense of the industry and to the extreme dismay of the key holder. Therefore, the industry would welcome an easy-to-use key blank identification system that increases the accuracy and efficiency of key replication.


Not surprisingly, numerous attempts have been made to improve identification systems and/or key replication systems. Many of these improvements include imaging systems designed to determine the proper key blank based on physical parameters of the key to be copied, such as length, shape, and groove characteristics.


While many of these systems provide useful improvements for determining a proper key blank, they still suffer from various deficiencies. Specifically, many of these systems compare scanned data from a master key to be copied with data from known key blanks in order to determine if the master key matches the key blank. However, in some instances the scanned key parameters and the key blank data are insufficient to determine a matching key blank. In such cases, additional information about the master key and the key blank would be useful in narrowing the field of prospective key blanks. Accordingly, an improved system and method for determining a key blank is needed.


SUMMARY

A key identification system is provided. The key identification system comprises an imaging system to capture an image of a master key, and a logic to analyze the image. The imaging system may be configured to capture an image of a groove in the key from an angle between perpendicular and parallel to the blade of said master key. The logic analyzes the captured image to compare characteristics of the groove with groove characteristics of known key blanks.


The key identification system may account for the orientation or positioning of the master key with respect to the imaging system or key holder to determine groove characteristics of the master key. For example, the logic may analyze a contour of the groove and determine groove characteristics of the master key based on the contour and the orientation and positioning of the master key.





DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Objects and advantages together with the operation of the invention may be better understood by reference to the following detailed description taken in connection with the following illustrations, wherein:



FIG. 1 illustrates a master key;



FIG. 2a illustrates a first example configuration of a key ID system;



FIG. 2b illustrates a second example configuration of a key ID system;



FIG. 3 illustrates an example silhouette of a key tip;



FIG. 4 illustrates an example configuration of a key ID system with reflectors;



FIG. 5 illustrates an example scanned image of a master key blade silhouette;



FIG. 6 illustrates an example projection of a tip outline onto the image of a tip;



FIG. 7 illustrates an example calculated data set of tip groove contours;



FIG. 8 illustrates an example matching comparison between master key tip contour data and stored key blank data; and



FIG. 9 illustrates an example unmatched comparison between master key tip contour data and stored key blank data.



FIG. 10 illustrates the coordinate references for the outline camera image.



FIG. 11 illustrates the coordinate references for the outline camera image including the outline vanishing point.



FIG. 12 illustrates the coordinate references for the groove camera image including the groove vanishing point relating to the y-axis projection.



FIG. 13 illustrates the coordinate references for the groove camera image including the groove vanishing point relating to the x-axis projection.



FIG. 14 illustrates an angular coordinate system for a master key.





DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Reference will now be made in detail to exemplary embodiments of the present invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. It is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and structural and functional changes may be made without departing from the respective scope of the present invention.


A system and method for identifying a key blank are provided. The system (“key ID system”) analyzes a master key to be duplicated, such as a house key, car key or other key, and determines the appropriate key blank to be used in duplicating the master key. The system and method described herein may be used independently to determine a proper key blank, or may be used in conjunction with other systems to narrow the field of prospective key blanks. Moreover, it will be understood that existing key identification systems may be modified or retrofitted to implement some or all features described herein.


The key ID system may scan a master key to determine traits and characteristics of the master key. Based on these characteristics, the key ID system may then determine the proper key blank to be used to duplicate the master key. The key ID system may include any means known in the art for determining the traits and characteristics of the master key geometry. For example, the key ID system may include an imaging system, such as a camera, laser, or any other imaging system known in the art. The imaging system may scan the master key to determine characteristics of the master key, specifically characteristics that may be unique to a specific key blank. While the key ID system is described herein as including an imaging system, it will be appreciated that other known methods or devices, such as electrical or mechanical sensors, may be used in place of or in conjunction with the imaging system to determine the traits and characteristics of the master key geometry.


With reference to FIG. 1, a master key 10 is depicted. The master key 10 may include standard key features such as a head 16 connected to a blade 18 and a groove 11. The groove 11 may comprise a channel, opening, geometric shape, or other indentation formed in the blade 18. A master key 10 may include a single groove 11 on one side of the blade 18, a single groove 11 on each side of the blade 18, multiple grooves 11 on either side of the blade 18, or any other configuration of grooves 11 with respect to the blade 18. Further, it will be appreciated, that the master key 10 may be any key and is not limited to keys having a head 16, blade 18 or groove 11.


The key ID system may include a key holder to hold the master key. The key holder may be any device capable of holding or supporting a master key. For example, as shown in FIGS. 2a and 2b, the key holder 13 may comprise a lower support 15 and an upper door 12 to close onto the key. The key holder may alternatively comprise a clamp, gripper, platform, suspension, or any other device configured to hold the master key 10.


In an embodiment, the key ID system includes a camera system. The camera system includes one or more cameras configured to record images, such as digital images, of the master key. The camera system may further include other components to assist in recording images of the master key, such as lights and mirrors. The lights may be positioned to enhance the clarity and quality of the image recorded by the camera. The mirrors may be positioned to allow a camera in a first position to record an image of the key from a second position. The mirrors may further allow a single camera to record multiple images of the master key from different angles, thereby increasing the amount of information related to the master key recorded by a single camera.


The key ID system may include a logic to analyze images captured by the imaging system. As used herein, the term “logic” includes but is not limited to a software, a firmware, an executable program, a hardware or hard-wired circuit, or combinations thereof. For example, based on a desired application or needs, a logic may include a software controlled microprocessor, discrete logic like an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), an analog circuit, a digital circuit, a programmed logic device, a memory device containing instructions, or the like. Logic may include one or more gates, combinations of gates, or other circuit components. Logic may also be fully embodied as software. Where multiple logical logics are described, it may be possible to incorporate the multiple logical logics into one physical logic. Similarly, where a single logical logic is described, it may be possible to distribute that single logical logic between multiple physical logics.


The logic may be configured to determine a correlation or likelihood of a match between a known key blank and the master key. For example, the logic may include a database to store key related information (“key data”). The key data may include characteristics of known key blanks, such as length, shape, bitting information, size, shape and location of key grooves, and other geometric and physical characteristics of known key blanks. The database may be integral with the logic, in communication with the logic, or remotely accessible to the logic. The database may associate key data with specific key blanks or with types or groups of key blanks. For example, the database may associate key data with specific key manufacturers or different types of keys such as house keys or car keys. The key ID system may access the database to compare scanned characteristics of the master key with the stored key data in the database. Key blanks that do not have characteristics consistent with those of the master key may be then ruled out as possible matches for the key blank. The key ID system may scan the master key 10 one or more angles and compare the scanned data with stored key data.


The key ID system may scan a master key 10 to determine information related to the groove 11. Keys and key blanks commonly include a groove 11 or grooves 11 in the blade 18 of the key. Characteristics of the grooves 11 may be unique to a given key blank or group of key blanks. For example, the size, location, angle, and other geometric parameters of a given groove may be unique to a key blank or blanks. Further, the location of a groove 11 on a first side of the key blade (“top groove”) may be unique with respect to the location of a groove 11 on the second side of a key blade (“bottom groove”).


The key ID system may analyze various aspects of the groove 11 of a master key 10. For example, the imaging system may capture an image of the groove 11 from a position perpendicular to the key blade 18, as illustrated by the overhead camera 20 in FIG. 2a. This camera angle provides a top view of the blade 18 and allows the overhead camera to scan the length of the groove 11. The imaging system may also capture an image of the groove 11 from the end of the tip 14 at an angle parallel to the blade 18. This angle provides a view of the groove 11 cross-section. However, neither overhead scanning of the groove 11 nor parallel scanning of the groove 11 provide sufficient contrast between the groove 11 and the rest of the key 10 to effectively determine certain parameters of the groove 11.


In many keys, a groove 11 extends from the shoulder 16 through the tip 14 of the key 10. Therefore, the shape and contours of the tip geometry reflect characteristics of the groove 11. Accordingly, unique characteristics of a master key may be determined by scanning the tip 14 from an angle designed to capture the top groove or bottom groove characteristics. This may be best accomplished by scanning the tip 14 at an angle other than perpendicular or parallel to the blade 18. For example, as shown in FIG. 2a, the key ID system may include a camera 22 facing the tip 14, and positioned at an angle slightly above parallel to the blade. In an embodiment, the camera is positioned facing the tip of the key 10, between 5 and 15 degrees from parallel to the blade of the key 10. This positioning allows the camera 22 to capture the contours of the tip 14 formed by the bottom groove 11. Alternatively, it will be appreciated that the camera may be positioned similarly underneath the key to capture the contours of the tip 14 formed by the top groove 11. As illustrated in FIG. 3, the camera 22 may capture a silhouette of the bottom groove. This silhouette may be unique to a key blank or group of key blanks, thereby narrowing the field of prospective key blanks.


It will be appreciated that configurations other than the camera configuration shown in FIG. 2a may be used to capture the tip-groove geometry. For example, the key ID system may include only a groove camera 22 without any overhead camera 20. Further, the key ID system may include a plurality of mirrors to allow a single camera at a remote position to capture multiple angles of the master key, including angles of the tip 14. In an embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, a first mirror 30 may be positioned to provide a top view of the tip 14 from behind the key 10. A mirror may be similarly positioned below and behind the key 10 to capture an image of the bottom groove 11. This view allows the camera to capture the contours of the tip 14 formed by the top groove 11. A second mirror 32 may also be positioned to provide a top view of the tip 14 from in front of the key 10. This view allows the camera to capture the contours of the tip 14 formed by the bottom groove 11. It will be appreciated that the key ID system may include any number of cameras, mirrors, and other imaging devices to capture the desired views of the contours of the tip 14.


In an embodiment, the key ID system scans the master key 10 to capture the silhouette of the blade 18, as shown in FIG. 5. This silhouette is used to determine the outline shape of the tip 14 in order to isolate groove geometry from the tip geometry. The key ID system may also scan the tip 14 from an angled position to capture the contours of the tip 14 formed by the groove 11.


As shown in FIG. 6, a trigonomic projection of the tip 14 may be used to identify the portion of the tip contour that is due to the groove shape. Specifically, contour data related to contours of the groove 11 may be determined by calculating a set of scalar variables based on image information and machine constants. As described herein, points in the image taken by the overhead camera 20 are mapped to their corresponding points from the image taken from the groove camera 22.


The contour image may be compiled from data obtained by the overhead or outline camera 20. Once the outline or contour data has been generated, the outline image is rescanned to generate a set of data points, as shown in FIGS. 7-9. For example, data points may be generated every 0.005 inches along the tip of the key. The data point interval of the rescanned or resampled image may be adjusted based on the required accuracy for groove identification and the optical characteristics of the outline and groove cameras. For example, the data point interval may be 0.002 in order to obtain a better defined sample.


The groove contour may be compared to contours of known key blanks stored in the database to determine a matching key blank. Tolerance and/or correlation values may be set to determine if the comparison yields a match. FIG. 8 illustrates a comparison between a scanned key tip contour and stored key data of a known key blank. The statistical correlation value between the data sets is approximately 0.985, indicating a match between the master key and compared key blank. FIG. 9 illustrates another comparison between a scanned key tip contour and stored key data of a known key blank. The statistical correlation value between the data sets here is approximately 0.879, indicating that the master key and compared key blank do not match.


Referring to FIG. 2a, the plane of the overhead camera 20 image intersects the groove camera 22 image at the lower edge of the door opening 12. The overhead camera 20 observes the profile of the key 10 while the groove camera 22 is focused on the tip of the key 10. With reference to FIGS. 10-13, the line at which these two images intersect, referred to as the door axis 52, is a primary axis for purposes of determining contour data. The primary reference or origin point of the door axis is located at the center of the door 12. The plane of the door also passes through this intersection and is by definition perpendicular to the overhead camera 20 image plane.


A silhouette image of the key 10 may be captured by the groove camera 22. To capture the silhouette image, the key ID system may utilize elements such as a light source 24 and a diffuse reflector element 26, as shown in FIGS. 2a and 2b. The light source 24 may be shielded with a light shield 28 to illuminate the reflector element 26 while avoiding the tip of the key 10. In an embodiment, the directional light from the light source 24 is angled to direct the light substantially on the diffuse reflector element 26, but not on the tip of the key 10.


The light source 24 may be any light source known in the art. For example, the light source 24 may be a series of discrete LED lights substantially oriented in a row. It will be appreciated, however, that the light source 24 may be any lights arranged in any configuration. The diffuse reflector element 26 may be affixed to the interior surface of the door, such that when the light from the light source 24 strikes the diffuse reflector element 26, the diffuse reflector element 26 provides a backlit area. In other words, this arrangement provides a backlit area behind the key 10 with respect to the groove camera 22 while minimizing the amount of light that is directed toward the key 10. Thus, the groove camera 22 may view the key 10 tip as a substantially dark or black feature, similar to that shown in FIG. 3. It will be appreciated, however, that the key ID system may include any additional lights, such as backlights, positioned throughout the system.


With reference to FIG. 2b, an alternative configuration for the key ID system is shown. The groove camera 22 may be mounted in a vertical camera box 23. The vertical camera box 23 mounts the groove camera 22 at the bottom directed upward toward a mirror 25 mounted at the other end of the vertical camera box 23. The mirror 25 is directed toward the key 10 tip, such that the angle of incidence is nominally about 15 degrees. However, it will be appreciated that the angle of incidence upon the key 10 of the image may be any angle, preferably between approximately 5 degrees and approximately 45 degrees.


The key 10 is not constrained to a particular orientation or position when held within the key holder 13. With reference to FIG. 14, the key may be tilted or yawed in a plane perpendicular to the orientation of the outline camera 20; tipped up or down relative to the plane defined perpendicular to the door opening 12; and rotated around the axis of the key blank it self (rolled) or combinations of any of the preceding as well as variations caused by the overall length of the key blade 10 that would position the tip of the key at various focus positions relative to the groove camera 22. Thus it is necessary to correct for the optical distortions and transform the images obtained from the two different cameras to obtain an effective image of the tip 14.


The concept of a vanishing point is used to handle the foreshortening of the key 10 when viewed by the groove camera 22. The effects of this foreshortening vary greatly as the end of the key 10 is tipped up or down slightly by the clamping action of the door 12. The distance from the door to the vanishing point may be substantially affected by this tipping action.


To compensate for the angle between the groove camera 22 and the key 10, the distance from the tip of the key to the door axis is readily determined for both the overhead camera 20 image and groove camera 22 image. The ratio of these distances (hereinafter “GrooveLR”) is dependent both on the angle between the groove camera 22 angle and the key tipping angle. The actual values of these angles may be ignored because only the ratio is required for the calculations to compensate for the key location.


In an embodiment, a groove image vanishing point may be determined by multiplying the distance to the outline image vanishing point by the ratio GrooveLR. The outline image vanishing point may first be empirically determined. For example, previous test indicate a sample outline image vanishing point to be 20 inches from the origin of the door axis. The outline image vanishing point depends on the configuration of the key ID system and the characteristics of the cameras. Vanishing points may be assumed to be on the door centerline axis. However, in other embodiments vanishing points may be offset from the door centerline axis with additional compensation.



FIGS. 10-13 illustrate a crop box 50 used for limiting the image of the key 10. An example of an outline crop box 50 is shown in FIG. 5, where the outline crop box 50 defines the outer periphery of the image. The outline crop box functions to limit the image that is actually processed by the system, even though the actual image captured by the camera is larger than the outline crop box 50. The outline vanishing point is far to the left of the outline crop box 50 along its X axis shown as point 52. The groove vanishing point is above the groove crop box 60, shown in FIG. 6, along it Y axis at point 62. The groove crop box 60, serves a similar function to the outline crop box 50, namely it reduces the overall image processed by the system to a subset of the actual image captured, in this case by the groove camera 22. This outline image vanishing point distance is combined with vOutX to calculate the x axis distance from the vanishing point to the starting point. While a specific method determining the vanishing points and associated distances is described, it will be appreciated that other methods may be used.



FIG. 10 shows the position of the starting location relative to the door axis and the Outline Camera image. vOutX and vOutY are the x and y coordinates of a point at the tip of a key image that is to be mapped to the groove image. These points correspond to the set of data points that define the tip of the key. The units of the outline camera 20 are in pixels. Thus a series of vOutX and vOutY points are created to define the tip of the key.



FIG. 11 shows the starting point translation to distances from the outline view vanishing point. This distance is multiplied by GrooveLR to yield the outline VPy shown on FIG. 11 and referred to as GVPY (groove image vanishing point distance).



FIG. 12 shows the construction of the projected tip point y axis coordinate. This projection is made on the Groove Camera image plane. The y axis projection is simply the difference between GVPY and GrooveVP.


The x axis projection calculation uses the GVPY to GrooveVP ratio as shown in FIG. 13. The Groove Door X distance may be determined from the outline image. The Groove Door X distance may be scaled by the GVPY to GrooveVP ratio and added to the Groove Crop Box Center distance to find gsx which is the x axis coordinate. A trim value may be added to enable small physical offsets to be adjusted during machine calibration.


Once each point on the outline camera 20 image has been mapped to the groove camera 22 image, the groove contour data may be determined. FIG. 6 shows a typical groove image with two rows on points drawn at its tip. The row that is touching the tip may be calculated using the method described here. The lower row may be extrapolated from the same data points.


The groove contour is found by measuring the distance from a point that is eight pixels below the mapped point to the actual white to black edge in the groove image. Giving the edge detection software the extra pixels allows it to readily find a transition and allows for small errors if the mapped points are slightly above the actual transition. The set of these distances forms the groove contour.


Various tip shapes and bittings near the tip of the key may affect the image of the grooves as seen by the groove camera 22. Therefore, it may be helpful to manipulate the groove data in an attempt to compute how the grooves would appear if the key blade was cut off square. To accommodate this manipulation, a scan of the outline data (from the outline camera 20 image) along the tip of the key may be performed with respect to a series lines that are parallel with the axis of the key. This yields a series of measurements that determine the distance from the edges of the tip of the key to some arbitrary squarely cut edge. These measurements may then be translated to the groove camera 22 image using a process described below. These translated key tip points 62 in the groove image 60 represent the tip of the key as if there were no grooves in the key. Differences between these points and the observed edge of the tip of the key in the groove image 60 represent the actual shape of the grooves as if the key blade was cut off square.


The final task of blank identification is to match the measured contour with the stored characteristics. The type of key 10 may be used to help match the contour with the appropriate data set. For symmetrical double sided keys the direction of the key insertion into the key identification system is irrelevant because the grooves and other features are symmetrical so a single characteristic reference image is stored for those symmetric keys. For most single sided keys, both sides of the key (referred to as left and right) are distinctive. In those cases, the characteristic reference images for each key includes a left and right view. When performing comparisons, right cuts are only matched to data for single cut blanks and only right cut data for those blanks. The data is also aligned so the key reference sides (e.g. in the case of a single sided key, the flat of the blank) are near each other. Often cut key data has many fewer data points so it is assumed data points opposite the reference side is where the metal (and data) have been removed. Double cut keys are matched based on the centerlines.


A series of comparisons may performed between the characteristic reference image that is stored in the database and the actual captured image to compensate for small registration errors. The comparison may be performed via a 2-D correlation analysis described in greater detail below. Specifically, the data may be moved a few data points in each direction. These points may then be compared and analyzed with the best result being chosen as the correct data point.


Small errors in image registration and performing the transpositions between the images can cause the contour data to be sloped up or down. This is called “roll” and is similar to an airplane roll where the wings are not level. Some level of roll is presumed to be dependent on unique machine set up details. To compensate for this roll, each key ID system may have a roll constant that is used to adjust its measured values. This insures that biases are not a factor when compared to stored data sets that were generated on other machines.


There also may be roll based on individual key scans. A second roll test may be used to insure the best possible match after the machine roll has been accounted for, and the best horizontal sliding position has been determined. Each comparison is done for as many as 40 different roll values to determine the best match. These calculations assure the comparison is done as accurately as possible. In other embodiments, larger numbers of roll values may be used to handle greater variation in the image captured by the groove camera 22.


Mathematical correlation may also be as the basis of contour comparison. The correlation may be done based on a standard formula. However, if a data point in the newly collected data or stored data is potentially in error it may be excluded from the correlation calculation. The actual data may have values larger than one as we begin the scan for groove edge data 8 pixels below the first expected transition point. Alternatively, different pixel offsets may be used based on the likelihood of erroneous data. If this data is set to −1 that point is excluded from the calculation. Some stored data is manually set to −1 to compensate for scan errors and to de-emphasize some features of the contours. Errors in edge detection can cause −1 values in the newly scanned data.


Other methods may be employed to compare the tip image to the reference contours. One method is to fit the contour inside an envelope based on the stored contours. Other techniques taking advantage of various basis functions are also suitable for performing the comparisons between the characteristic reference images and the captured image in order to obtain a match as well.


A secondary test may be added to the standard correlation calculation. Some key blanks have the same overall pattern of grooves, but the groove depths are exaggerated on some blanks more than others. Since correlation may be insensitive to scale, these blanks may be found to match even where there are large differences in actual groove depths. A second factor based on the standard deviation of the two contour data sets is used to aid in this differentiation. The factor is calculated by taking the difference between the two standard deviations and dividing it by the sum of the two values. This value is then subtracted from the correlation coefficient and a secondary test is performed. The resulting correlation results are used to provide an estimate as to which type of key is inserted into the key ID system. In an embodiment, the correlation results are used in conjunction with the key outline characterization to further narrow and reduce the type of key identified.


Both the standard correlation value and the adjusted correlation value are unitless and non-scaled numbers between 0 and 1. In order to provide more meaning to the values, each is rescaled to a scoring system of 0 to 100% where 0 is considered to be an impossible match and 100 is a perfect match. In an embodiment, standard correlations of 0.60 to 1.0 are rescaled to a score of 0 to 100% and adjusted correlations of 0.50 to 1.0 are rescaled to a score of 0 to 100%. Any correlations of less than the 0.60 and/or 0.50, respectively, are considered to be impossible matches. The total groove scanning score or correlation score may be a weighted average of these two individual scores.


The key ID system as described may be used in conjunction with other known key identification systems. For example, the key ID system may be used in conjunction with user interface identification systems, such as the object identification system disclosed in U.S. Publication No. 2004/0095380 and the key duplication system disclosed in U.S. Publication No. 2007/0224008, each of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.


The invention has been described above and, obviously, modifications and alternations will occur to others upon a reading and understanding of this specification. The claims as follows are intended to include all modifications and alterations insofar as they come within the scope of the claims or the equivalent thereof.

Claims
  • 1. A key identification system comprising: an imaging system including a camera configured to capture an image of the tip of a master key, wherein said image includes a contour;a logic configured to analyze said captured image to determine characteristics of said contour and compare said characteristics with characteristics of known key blanks to determine the likelihood of a match between said master key and a known key blank; andwherein said logic accounts for positional variations of said master key with respect to said imaging system to determine characteristics of said contour.
  • 2. The key identification system of claim 1, wherein said logic includes a database containing data related to characteristics of grooves of known key blanks.
  • 3. The key identification system of claim 1, wherein said imaging system includes a reflecting device.
  • 4. The key identification system of claim 1, wherein said imaging system includes a light.
  • 5. The key identification system of claim 4, wherein said light is directed toward said reflecting device.
  • 6. The key identification system of claim 5, wherein said light includes a shield to direct light away from said master key.
  • 7. The key identification system of claim 1, wherein said captured image is a digital image.
  • 8. The key identification system of claim 1, wherein said captured image comprises a silhouette of said tip of said master key.
  • 9. The key identification system of claim 1, wherein said positional variations include rolling of said master key with respect to said imaging system to determine characteristics of said contour.
  • 10. The key identification system of claim 1, wherein said positional variations include tilting of said master key with respect to said imaging system to determine characteristics of said contour.
  • 11. The key identification system of claim 1, wherein said positional variations include tipping of said master key with respect to said imaging system to determine characteristics of said contour.
  • 12. The key identification system of claim 1 wherein said captured image comprises a silhouette of the blade of said master key.
  • 13. The key identification system of claim 1, wherein said characteristics of said contour are determined based on image data from at least said two or more views of said master key.
  • 14. The key identification system of claim 13, wherein said logic calculates the geometry of the contour as seen from a view of the tip parallel to the blade based on data from at least said two or more views of said master key.
  • 15. The key identification system of claim 13, wherein said logic calculates the geometry of the contour as though the tip were squarely cut based on data from at least said two or more views of said master key.
  • 16. The key identification system of claim 1 further comprising a key holder configured to hold said master key.
  • 17. The key identification system of claim 16, wherein said key holder includes a lower support.
  • 18. The key identification system of claim 16, wherein said key holder includes an upper door.
  • 19. The key identification system of claim 16, wherein said key bolder includes a clamp.
  • 20. The key identification system of claim 1, wherein one of said views of said master key includes a view from above the master key blade of a groove in the bottom of said blade.
  • 21. The key identification system of claim 1, wherein one of said views of said master key includes a view from an angle between perpendicular and parallel to the blade of said master key and not including perpendicular or parallel to the blade of said master key.
  • 22. The key identification system of claim 1, wherein the captured image of said tip includes a contour of a groove in said master key.
  • 23. The key identification system of claim 1, wherein the logic is configured to shift data related to said characteristics of said contour to compare with said known key blank characteristics.
  • 24. The key identification system of claim 1, wherein said logic includes a tolerance range for each characteristic of said master key to determine whether a master key passes or fails to match a known key blank.
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 14/162,157 filed on Jan. 23, 2014 entitled “KEY BLANK IDENTIFICATION SYSTEM WITH GROOVE SCANNING,” which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 12/772,709 filed on May 3, 2010 entitled “KEY BLANK IDENTIFICATION SYSTEM WITH GROOVE SCANNING,” which claims the benefit of priority of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/215,152 filed on May 1, 2009, and U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/275,654 filed on Sep. 1, 2009, each of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.

US Referenced Citations (362)
Number Name Date Kind
40480 Hill Mar 1863 A
288300 Borowsky Nov 1883 A
466044 Jacobs Dec 1891 A
943806 Billings Dec 1909 A
1059545 Kunze Apr 1913 A
1081472 Tucker Dec 1913 A
1135676 Engelbert Apr 1915 A
1218653 Heldrich Mar 1917 A
1367280 Reiges Feb 1921 A
1390958 Hulbert Sep 1921 A
1440459 Greff Jan 1923 A
1628637 Shaw May 1927 A
1656295 Schechter Jan 1928 A
1674291 Malone Jun 1928 A
1702488 Baird Feb 1929 A
1750218 Falk Mar 1930 A
1752668 Johnson Apr 1930 A
1775921 Williams Sep 1930 A
1848046 Caron Mar 1932 A
1889461 Hansen Nov 1932 A
1923164 Roos Aug 1933 A
1948260 Fowler Feb 1934 A
1961516 Hansen Jun 1934 A
1978628 Hansen Oct 1934 A
1991151 Hansen Feb 1935 A
2032820 Turrell Mar 1936 A
2038949 Mintz Apr 1936 A
2098728 McPhee Nov 1937 A
2105099 Schuyler Jan 1938 A
2114597 Goddard Apr 1938 A
2148668 Yoskowitz et al. Feb 1939 A
2176106 Segal Oct 1939 A
2274012 Swayze et al. Feb 1942 A
2325541 Poole Jul 1943 A
2329269 Jacobi Sep 1943 A
2386816 Scholz Oct 1945 A
2430924 Fowle et al. Nov 1947 A
2445041 Scholz Jul 1948 A
2499124 Zipp et al. Feb 1950 A
2556577 Drake Jun 1951 A
2582012 Currier Jan 1952 A
2605294 Barnhart Jul 1952 A
2622485 Martellotti Dec 1952 A
2645978 Sejarto et al. Jul 1953 A
2707335 Falk May 1955 A
2728251 Turner Dec 1955 A
2860884 Sloan et al. Nov 1958 A
2929177 Sheps Mar 1960 A
2940183 Fromberg Jun 1960 A
3053149 Rossetti Sep 1962 A
3094039 Spain Jun 1963 A
3138999 Haggstrom Jun 1964 A
3172969 Haggstrom Mar 1965 A
3245149 Haggstrom Apr 1966 A
3257908 Haggstrom Jun 1966 A
3259022 Vietorisz Jul 1966 A
3276328 Schreiber et al. Oct 1966 A
3286596 Lieptz Nov 1966 A
3286597 Schwartz Nov 1966 A
3305100 Barbee Feb 1967 A
3323420 Roxburgh Jun 1967 A
3388619 Schreiber et al. Jun 1968 A
3418882 Brand Dec 1968 A
3424056 Stolove et al. Jan 1969 A
3429207 John Feb 1969 A
3430535 Haggstrom Mar 1969 A
3440906 Allen Apr 1969 A
3442174 Weiner et al. May 1969 A
3457831 Adler et al. Jul 1969 A
3466747 Patriquin et al. Sep 1969 A
3496636 Lieptz Feb 1970 A
3499366 Spain Mar 1970 A
RE26848 Simon Apr 1970 E
3599147 Rogers et al. Aug 1971 A
3602092 Richens Aug 1971 A
3625111 Carlo et al. Dec 1971 A
3633451 Lieptz Jan 1972 A
3651573 Kaplan Mar 1972 A
3656402 French Apr 1972 A
3675536 Hungerford, Jr. et al. Jul 1972 A
3682041 Essig Aug 1972 A
3707999 Coats Jan 1973 A
3722341 Hungerford, Jr. et al. Mar 1973 A
RE27665 Spain Jun 1973 E
3769865 Kleist Nov 1973 A
3773360 Timbers Nov 1973 A
3792639 Richens et al. Feb 1974 A
3795174 Oliver et al. Mar 1974 A
3796130 Gartner Mar 1974 A
3807276 Oliver Apr 1974 A
3810416 Nelms, Jr. May 1974 A
3826555 Matsumoto Jul 1974 A
3848235 Lewis et al. Nov 1974 A
3865011 Patriquin Feb 1975 A
3870895 Lax et al. Mar 1975 A
3880047 Dosier Apr 1975 A
3884121 Agius May 1975 A
3902382 Lieptz Sep 1975 A
3919589 Hanak Nov 1975 A
3919920 Schlage Nov 1975 A
3945298 Cockroft Mar 1976 A
3955179 Planke May 1976 A
3956968 Crasnianski May 1976 A
3978764 Patriquin Sep 1976 A
3981214 Wich Sep 1976 A
4012991 Uyeda Mar 1977 A
4019415 Wich Apr 1977 A
4023464 Zion May 1977 A
4051748 Sherman Oct 1977 A
4062261 Stahl Dec 1977 A
4088060 Johns May 1978 A
4090303 Uyeda May 1978 A
4092806 Wich Jun 1978 A
4105340 Kempf Aug 1978 A
4117763 Uyeda Oct 1978 A
4121292 Galanis et al. Oct 1978 A
4132151 Weber Jan 1979 A
D251365 Lipinski Mar 1979 S
4143582 Heimann Mar 1979 A
4166949 Pold et al. Sep 1979 A
4171161 Jung Oct 1979 A
4172632 Holmes, Jr. Oct 1979 A
4188163 Juskevic Feb 1980 A
4223791 Taggart Sep 1980 A
4233746 Troillet Nov 1980 A
D257758 Limacher Jan 1981 S
4251173 Saucedo Feb 1981 A
4256423 Juskevic Mar 1981 A
4281379 Austin Jul 1981 A
4283859 Roland Aug 1981 A
4294096 Heimann Oct 1981 A
4300042 Oldenkamp et al. Nov 1981 A
4300170 Sakamoto Nov 1981 A
4300836 Holmes et al. Nov 1981 A
4301373 Sjodin Nov 1981 A
4354780 Bougiouris Oct 1982 A
4359299 Sagarian Nov 1982 A
4373414 Agius Feb 1983 A
4426179 Jefferson Jan 1984 A
4432142 Korsak Feb 1984 A
4433487 Roland Feb 1984 A
4437150 Dahlgren, Jr. et al. Mar 1984 A
4453432 Widen Jun 1984 A
4468994 Lieptz Sep 1984 A
4472056 Nakagawa et al. Sep 1984 A
4479673 Inaba et al. Oct 1984 A
4521142 Juskevic Jun 1985 A
4525908 Bernstein Jul 1985 A
4526498 Fieldhouse Jul 1985 A
4541760 Zoueki Sep 1985 A
4545569 Schroder et al. Oct 1985 A
4551046 Kinas Nov 1985 A
4553844 Nakagawa et al. Nov 1985 A
4557488 Litherland Dec 1985 A
4558215 Kaneko et al. Dec 1985 A
4562759 Schmitt Jan 1986 A
4592683 Wu Jun 1986 A
4601185 Sheldon Jul 1986 A
4614465 Wu Sep 1986 A
4625107 Planke Nov 1986 A
4638567 Leversee Jan 1987 A
4647028 Yang Mar 1987 A
4648585 Yang Mar 1987 A
4651604 Almblad et al. Mar 1987 A
4652738 Nishihara et al. Mar 1987 A
4652765 Nishihara Mar 1987 A
4653104 Tamura Mar 1987 A
4656590 Ace Apr 1987 A
4657448 Alexander Apr 1987 A
4666351 Marchal May 1987 A
4671711 Steinbach et al. Jun 1987 A
4677835 Almblad Jul 1987 A
4679331 Koontz Jul 1987 A
4687389 Santii et al. Aug 1987 A
4697300 Warlop Oct 1987 A
4710808 Hoogenboom et al. Dec 1987 A
4717294 Grasser Jan 1988 A
4741652 Marchal May 1988 A
4767110 Yang Aug 1988 A
4780032 Uyeda et al. Oct 1988 A
4783829 Miyakawa et al. Nov 1988 A
4803371 Durland Feb 1989 A
4805224 Koezuka et al. Feb 1989 A
4809341 Matsui et al. Feb 1989 A
4821200 Oberg Apr 1989 A
4821393 Spigarelli Apr 1989 A
4839913 Annis et al. Jun 1989 A
4845764 Ueda et al. Jul 1989 A
4848116 Lizotte Jul 1989 A
4853866 Andrada Galan et al. Aug 1989 A
4868559 Pinnow Sep 1989 A
4898504 Agius et al. Feb 1990 A
4899391 Cimino et al. Feb 1990 A
4909892 Quinn et al. Mar 1990 A
4929129 Dickson May 1990 A
4929843 Chmielewski, Jr. et al. May 1990 A
4941335 Allen Jul 1990 A
4969782 Castain Nov 1990 A
4971489 Womack Nov 1990 A
4993291 Sopko Feb 1991 A
4998349 Killeen Mar 1991 A
5029459 Almblad Jul 1991 A
5043144 Gordon et al. Aug 1991 A
5056204 Bartschi Oct 1991 A
5058940 Hart Oct 1991 A
5083759 Pollak et al. Jan 1992 A
5088864 Yanagida Feb 1992 A
5094538 Reedman et al. Mar 1992 A
5096346 Ueda Mar 1992 A
5111056 Yoshimura et al. May 1992 A
5119190 Lemelson Jun 1992 A
5122018 Zion Jun 1992 A
5127532 Cimino et al. Jul 1992 A
5128531 Fadel Jul 1992 A
5130064 Smalley et al. Jul 1992 A
5139246 Yakou Aug 1992 A
5144561 Soper Sep 1992 A
5146689 Roland Sep 1992 A
5165315 Terada Nov 1992 A
5167171 Heredia Dec 1992 A
5171112 Roland Dec 1992 A
5192469 Smalley et al. Mar 1993 A
5201203 Almblad Apr 1993 A
5229619 Van Amstel Jul 1993 A
5244321 Sopko Sep 1993 A
5255199 Barkman et al. Oct 1993 A
5259708 Brice Nov 1993 A
5271698 Heredia et al. Dec 1993 A
5293687 Willoughby, Jr. et al. Mar 1994 A
5307151 Hof et al. Apr 1994 A
5308360 Neitzke et al. May 1994 A
5311286 Pike May 1994 A
5311756 Villani May 1994 A
5311758 Neitzke et al. May 1994 A
5314274 Heredia et al. May 1994 A
D348393 Neitzke et al. Jul 1994 S
5330168 Enomoto et al. Jul 1994 A
5351409 Heredia Oct 1994 A
5360299 Oliana Nov 1994 A
5363463 Kleinerman Nov 1994 A
5365812 Harnden Nov 1994 A
5382784 Eberhardt Jan 1995 A
5393967 Rice et al. Feb 1995 A
5416591 Yoshimura et al. May 1995 A
5429202 Millard et al. Jul 1995 A
5441369 Foscan et al. Aug 1995 A
5443339 Heredia et al. Aug 1995 A
5485399 Saigo et al. Jan 1996 A
5496138 Drori Mar 1996 A
5497888 Michaels et al. Mar 1996 A
5503785 Crump et al. Apr 1996 A
5515903 Hronas et al. May 1996 A
5538374 Cole et al. Jul 1996 A
5543103 Hogan et al. Aug 1996 A
5545367 Bae et al. Aug 1996 A
5552992 Hunter Sep 1996 A
5555176 Menhennett et al. Sep 1996 A
5556240 Almblad Sep 1996 A
5583443 McMurtry et al. Dec 1996 A
5592728 Susnjara Jan 1997 A
5594652 Penn et al. Jan 1997 A
5607267 Heredia et al. Mar 1997 A
5617323 Stansberry et al. Apr 1997 A
RE35518 Sussina May 1997 E
5630332 Aldieri et al. May 1997 A
5660509 Cole et al. Aug 1997 A
5671523 Juchinewicz Sep 1997 A
5676504 Mueller et al. Oct 1997 A
5677522 Rice et al. Oct 1997 A
5711643 Parr et al. Jan 1998 A
5739766 Chaloux Apr 1998 A
5764156 Chaloux Jun 1998 A
5771176 Froehlich et al. Jun 1998 A
5807042 Almblad et al. Sep 1998 A
5855836 Leyden et al. Jan 1999 A
5886775 Houser et al. Mar 1999 A
5906365 Wu May 1999 A
5908273 Titus et al. Jun 1999 A
5926388 Kimbrough et al. Jul 1999 A
5940229 Baumgarten Aug 1999 A
5964554 Drori Oct 1999 A
5966457 Lemelson Oct 1999 A
5982491 Breyer et al. Nov 1999 A
5984597 Chen Nov 1999 A
5997224 Beauregard et al. Dec 1999 A
5997795 Danforth et al. Dec 1999 A
6053677 Juchinewicz Apr 2000 A
6059495 Mueller et al. May 2000 A
6064747 Wills et al. May 2000 A
6065911 Almblad et al. May 2000 A
6082580 Mueller et al. Jul 2000 A
6094953 Evans Aug 2000 A
6152662 Titus et al. Nov 2000 A
6175638 Yanovsky Jan 2001 B1
6179531 Jaw Jan 2001 B1
6185311 Yanovsky et al. Feb 2001 B1
6186711 Mueller Feb 2001 B1
6243960 Andrews et al. Jun 2001 B1
6321430 Goldman et al. Nov 2001 B1
D455104 Hillman et al. Apr 2002 S
6406227 Titus et al. Jun 2002 B1
6415931 Mueller Jul 2002 B1
6449381 Yanovsky et al. Sep 2002 B1
6478515 Mueller Nov 2002 B1
6543972 Cimino Apr 2003 B1
6588995 Wills et al. Jul 2003 B2
6602030 Markbreit Aug 2003 B1
6612142 Capwell Sep 2003 B1
6641339 Chies et al. Nov 2003 B2
6647308 Prejean Nov 2003 B1
6687565 Wetterlin et al. Feb 2004 B2
6711557 Palaniappan Mar 2004 B1
6801829 Kawai Oct 2004 B2
6817814 Mueller Nov 2004 B2
6836553 Campbell et al. Dec 2004 B2
6839449 Campbell et al. Jan 2005 B1
6839451 Campbell et al. Jan 2005 B2
6895100 Pacenzia et al. May 2005 B1
6959862 Neumark Nov 2005 B2
6965911 Coffman et al. Nov 2005 B1
7010498 Berstis Mar 2006 B1
7111894 Kora et al. Sep 2006 B2
7114436 Mueller Oct 2006 B1
7114894 Mueller et al. Oct 2006 B2
7163364 Foscan et al. Jan 2007 B2
7214011 Ryai, Sr. et al. May 2007 B2
7484446 Gula Mar 2009 B1
7643685 Miller Jan 2010 B2
7890878 Bass et al. Feb 2011 B2
7891919 Bass et al. Feb 2011 B2
7918629 Belflower et al. Apr 2011 B2
8128322 Bass et al. Mar 2012 B2
8532809 Freeman Sep 2013 B2
8585029 Ryai, Sr. Nov 2013 B2
8634655 Thompson et al. Jan 2014 B2
8644619 Thompson et al. Feb 2014 B2
20010033781 Wills et al. Oct 2001 A1
20010056385 Timms et al. Dec 2001 A1
20020031251 Campbell et al. Mar 2002 A1
20020168241 David et al. Nov 2002 A1
20020191849 Campbell et al. Dec 2002 A1
20030145499 Tarter et al. Aug 2003 A1
20030154135 Covington et al. Aug 2003 A1
20030205070 Chaum Nov 2003 A1
20040024486 Almblad et al. Feb 2004 A1
20040036595 Kenny et al. Feb 2004 A1
20040095380 Bass et al. May 2004 A1
20040253067 Bosch Dec 2004 A1
20050000052 Byles Jan 2005 A1
20050216120 Rosenberg et al. Sep 2005 A1
20060003676 Bernard et al. Jan 2006 A1
20060147289 Gimelfarb et al. Jul 2006 A1
20070224008 Bass et al. Sep 2007 A1
20070234614 Tarter et al. Oct 2007 A1
20080145163 Freeman et al. Jun 2008 A1
20080252551 Kubo et al. Oct 2008 A1
20090074528 Hadad Mar 2009 A1
20090180664 Efstathiades et al. Jul 2009 A1
20100059484 Inoue et al. Mar 2010 A1
20100110380 Allred et al. May 2010 A1
20110262240 Mulch et al. Oct 2011 A1
20140260809 Miller et al. Sep 2014 A1
Foreign Referenced Citations (22)
Number Date Country
673612 Mar 1990 CH
2951065 Jul 1981 DE
0053730 Oct 1981 EP
0133091 Feb 1985 EP
0835720 Apr 1998 EP
1976656 Oct 2014 EP
2017240 Jan 1991 ES
2499435 Aug 1982 FR
2276106 Sep 1994 GB
S59201708 Nov 1984 JP
S63-311108 Dec 1988 JP
S63-311109 Dec 1988 JP
H04-250911 Sep 1992 JP
291113 Jan 2007 MX
WO199003867 Apr 1990 WO
WO199113535 Sep 1991 WO
WO199619309 Jun 1996 WO
WO2001057472 Aug 2001 WO
WO200201480 Jan 2002 WO
WO2005042196 May 2005 WO
WO2007087389 Aug 2007 WO
WO2012096685 Jul 2012 WO
Non-Patent Literature Citations (34)
Entry
Chinese Office Action, Application No. 200780009675.0, Hy-Ko Products Company, dated Dec. 4, 2009.
Chinese Office Action, Application No. 201080024166.7, Hy-Ko Products Company, dated Dec. 6, 2013.
Chinese Office Action, Application No. 201080024166.7, Hy-Ko Products Company, dated Sep. 30, 2014.
Chinese Office Action, Application No. 201080024163.3, Hy-Ko Products Company, dated Aug. 1, 2013.
Supplementary European Search Report, Application No. 07709849.9-1702/ 1976656, Hy-Ko Products Company, dated May 15, 2013.
Extended European Search Report, Application No. 07709849.9-1702/ 1976656, Hy-Ko Products Company, dated Apr. 26, 2013.
European Communication pursuant to Article 94(3) EPC, Application No. 10 770 489.2-1901, Hy-Ko Products, dated Jun. 27, 2014.
Supplementary European Search Report, Application No. 10770489.2-1901/ 2424690, Hy-Ko Products, dated Nov. 12, 2013.
Extended European Search Report, 10770489.2-1901 / 2424690, Hy-Ko Products, dated Oct. 25, 2013.
European Communication pursuant to Article 94(3) EPC, Application No. 12 003 030.9-1702, Hy-Ko Products Company, dated Mar. 20, 2014.
European Communication pursuant to Article 94(3) EPC, Application No. 12 003 030.9-1702, Hy-Ko Products Company, dated Jul. 30, 2013.
Extended European Search Report, Application No. 12003030.9-2302, Hy-Ko Products Company, dated Sep. 4, 2012.
European Communication pursuant to Article 94(3) EPC, Application No. 03 767 220.1-2201, Hy-Ko Products, dated Aug. 18, 2010.
European Supplementary Search Report, Application No. 03767220.1-2201, Hy-Ko Products, dated Jul. 18, 2007.
Mexican Office Action, Application No. MX/A/2011/011630, Hy-Ko Products, dated Nov. 18, 2014.
Mexican Office Action, Application No. MX/A/2011/011630, Hy-Ko Products, dated Apr. 28, 2014.
International Preliminary Report on Patentability, PCT/US2011/034564, Mutch, William R. et al., dated Jul. 16, 2013.
International Search Report and the Written Opinion of the International Searching Authority, PCT/US2011/034564, Hy-Ko Products Company, dated Jul. 15, 2011.
International Preliminary Report on Patentability, PCT/US2010/033414, Hy-Ko Products et al., dated Nov. 1, 2011.
International Search Report and the Written Opinion of the International Searching Authority, PCT/US2010/033414, Hy-Ko Products, dated Aug. 18, 2010.
International Preliminary Report on Patentability, PCT/US2007/002015, Hy-Ko Products Company, dated Jul. 29, 2008.
International Search Report and the Written Opinion of the International Searching Authority, PCT/US2007/02015, Hy-Ko Products Company, dated Sep. 28, 2007.
International Preliminary Report on Patentability, PCT/US2010/033421, Hy-Ko Products et al., dated Nov. 1, 2011.
International Search Report and the Written Opinion of the International Searching Authority, PCT/US2010/033421, Hy-Ko Products, dated Sep. 17, 2010.
Giuliani Productivity Through Flexibility, Multicode CCE-1, 2 pages.
Giuliani Productivity Through Flexibility, Multicode CCE-2, 3 pages.
Farzin Mokhtarian and Hiroshi Murase, Silhouette-Based Object Recognition through Curvature Scale Space, IEEE, Proceedings from Fourth International Conference on Computer Vision, 1993, pp. 269-274.
Ihtisham Kabir, A Computer Vision System Using Fast, One Pass Algorithms, (Thesis), Graduate Division of the University of California, Davis, 1986 pp. 1-164.
Roger D. Quinn et al., Design of an Agile Manufacturing Workcell for Light Mechanical Applications, Apr. 1996, pp. 858-863, Proceedings from the 1996 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation, Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Anil K. Jain, Fundamentals of Digital Image Processing, Ch. 9, Image Analysis and Computer Vision, University of California, Davis, 1989, pp. 342-430, Prentice Hall, Inc., Englewood Cliffs, NJ.
Amir Novini, Fundamentals of Machine Vision Lighting, IEEE, Proceedings of Northcon 93 Electrical and Electronics Convention, 1993, pp. 38-46.
Wesley E. Snyder, Industrial Robots Computer Interfacing and Control, Ch., 13 Computer Vision, North Carolina State University, 1985, pp. 248-283, Prentice-Hall, Inc., Englewood, NJ.
European Search Report for European Patent Application No. 12 00 3030, dated Aug. 27, 2012.
International Preliminary Report on Patentability for International Patent Application No. PCT/US2011/034564, dated Jul. 25, 2013.
Related Publications (1)
Number Date Country
20170061240 A1 Mar 2017 US
Provisional Applications (2)
Number Date Country
61215152 May 2009 US
61275654 Sep 2009 US
Continuations (2)
Number Date Country
Parent 14162157 Jan 2014 US
Child 15351634 US
Parent 12772709 May 2010 US
Child 14162157 US