GB2461999A

GB2461999A - Cargo Measurement

Info

Publication number: GB2461999A
Application number: GB0912560A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Karl Edward Berlin; Ashley Paul Berlin
Original assignee: AUTOTRAKKER Ltd
Current assignee: AUTOTRAKKER Ltd
Priority date: 2008-07-21
Filing date: 2009-07-20
Publication date: 2010-01-27
Also published as: GB0912560D0; GB0813320D0; WO2010010379A1

Abstract

Apparatus (10) for measuring large objects and in particular for measuring cargo to be loaded on a shipping vessel for transportation. The apparatus (10) includes scanner assemblies (11) arranged to scan the cargo (22). Each scanner assembly (11) has a range finder adapted to calculate the distance and angle to a plurality of points on the surface of the cargo (22). Control means (16, 17) connected to each scanner assembly (11) receive the distance and angle calculations therefrom and are adapted to determine the dimensional data (29) of the cargo and to display the data (29) and a three dimensional image (28) of the cargo (22) to an operator.

Description

CARGO MEASUREMENT

The present invention relates to apparatus and method for the measurement, analysis and three dimensional representation of items. The items are predominately but not exclusively pieces of cargo and the present invention will be described in relation to cargo.

Items often need to be measured before they are loaded into a holding/storage space. This is particularly so for cargo to be loaded on a shipping vessel for transportation. Accurate cargo measurement is essential because the stowage space must be utilised efficiently so that the cargo fits in the vessel and a minimum of space is wasted. Generally, a proportion of cargo is stored in containers, which are of standard dimensions, and the measurements are already known. For these only the weight need be measured, and that is easily done using a weighbridge. However, not all cargo is stored in containers. Non-containerisable cargo, also known as general or general break bulk' cargo can be difficult to accurately measure.

This type of cargo is usually transported by Roll-on/Roll-off (RoRo) transport vessels. RoRo vessels have numerous decks, with varying height clearances and load capacities and do not require special dockside cranes or hoists to load and unload. Break bulk cargo having wheels, such as vehicles, are simply wheeled onto the vessel. To cope with non-wheeled break bulk cargo, specialised trailers such as Mafi trailers that can take a load of 200 tonnes are used. The nature of RoRo vessels means that the load distribution must be carefully monitored to ensure that the vessel is stable and not in danger of capsizing, particularly in rough weather. In particular, heavy cargo should be placed as low as possible in the ship. However, in RoRo vessels, the height of the decks decrease with the depth of the deck within the vessel.

The current practice for cargo measurement is very basic and comprises measurement by hand using a standard tape measure and/or measuring pole, or ruler. This method of measurement is inherently problematic. Measurement by hand is not only time consuming, often taking upwards of ten minutes per item of cargo, but it is also labour intensive and inaccurate. This method is particularly problematic if the cargo is irregularly shaped, leading to difficulties in getting accurate dimensions using just a tape measure. As briefly detailed above, in order to establish the load of the cargo for balancing purposes, the cargo is weighed using a weighbridge.

Shipping companies also use the measurements in order to calculate the charging band for the cargo. It is therefore in the interests of both the shipping company and the client that the measurements be as accurate as possible.

Solutions to the above identified measurement problems have been provided by specialised machine vision' measurement systems designed to automatically obtain dimension data of objects. Machine vision is concerned with the integration of mechanical, electronic, software and more importantly optical systems to examine objects. These existing measurement systems are not widely used as they have found to be inadequate predominately due to the fact that they rely on cameras in order to obtain measurements. These systems are limited in the size of the objects that they can accurately measure.

In such systems, lasers scan the object to be measured and the reflected laser light is received by the cameras. The lasers and cameras are connected to a computer which is adapted to calculate the dimensional data of the object. In order to calculate the dimensional data, the camera needs to take multiple images. Intense manipulation of the data of those images is then required by the computer to calculate the co-ordinates of the points on the surface of the objects. There are various problems which need to be overcome when using cameras in combination with laser measurement. The main problems are as follows: i) Lens distortion -all camera lenses distort images to some extent and this is a standard problem in optics. The quality and type of lens determine the extent of distortion.

ii) Parallax -when recording an image on a flat plane using a camera, objects of differing sizes and which are located at varying distances from the lens, can appear to be the same size. Of course this is a major problem when attempting to calculate the dimensions of an object.

iii) Depth of field -using a camera to calculate the dimensions of an object requires that the image be in focus. If it is not, the image recorded is blurry and not suitable for use in measuring. Often in order to overcome such an issue, short focal lenses are used.

However, this not only produces greater peripheral distortion of the image but also affects the height at which the object to be measured may be placed. Essentially, the methods used in current systems to address depth of field problems limit the width and length of objects that can be measured.

iv) Noise -Various types of noise can be present in camera based measurement systems. The noise may cause random errors in the recorded image and so affect the accuracy of the measurement. This problem can be addressed by implementing various filters. However, too strong filters can cause sharp edges to become rounded.

All of the above problems of the prior art measuring systems have to be addressed in order to produce suitable measurements. Furthermore, with the prior art camera measuring systems, a single camera system is not capable of measuring on its own. As such, a minimum of two cameras working as a single unit have to be present covering a single region of the object. If multiple camera systems are used to cover different parts of a large object, lens distortion is likely to occur at the edge of the image. If the height of the cameras is increased so as to view a large object with one camera system, the camera system would have to be located at a great height above the object, which is highly impractical and would cause major implementation problems.

The use of a camera also means that the object to be measured needs to be well illuminated, thus these systems additionally require high wattage light sources. Moreover, the cameras in such systems are often fixed in position which can cause further problems as the object to be measured will most likely be occluded.

It is a principal aim of the present invention to provide a system for the measurement of cargo and large mobile objects and a method which enables the accurate and precise measurement of such objects, and in particular of cargo for placement on a vessel and which overcomes the drawbacks of existing measurement systems.

According to this invention, there is provided object scanning apparatus for scanning cargo and large mobile objects which provides dimensional data of the object and produces a three-dimensional image thereof, the apparatus comprising: -at least one scanner assembly arranged with respect to a scanning area into which an object is positioned, the or each scanner assembly comprising a range finder adapted to scan the object and calculate the distance and angle to a plurality of points on the surface thereof; and -control means adapted to receive the distance and angle calculations from the or each scanner assembly and to calculate the dimensional data of the object therefrom and display the dimensional data and a three-dimensional image of said object to an operator.

The present invention has been principally developed for the measurement and representation of cargo for shipping transportation, and therefore will be described herein with particular emphasis on this application.

It is envisaged however, that the apparatus and method of the present invention may be applied to the measurement and representation of objects for stowage generally or items of cargo for substantially all types of transportation.

In particular, the present invention has been developed for the measurement and representation of large mobile objects, that is objects in excess of 4m (length) by 4m (depth) by 2m (height). The term "mobile objects" as used herein should be construed accordingly as meaning objects which are capable of being positioned within the scanning area and this includes objects which are moveable only by using additional transport means, such as a trailer or hoisting apparatus.

The scanning area is most conveniently of generally-rectangular outline and large enough to accommodate the item of cargo to be stored, but it clearly may be of other regular or irregular outline in plan view.

Whilst the present invention is operable with only one scanner assembly, in order to obtain more accurate measurements of the whole of the cargo, at least two scanner assemblies are preferred. Ideally, the object scanning apparatus comprises a minimum of four scanner assemblies, each scanner assembly positioned at a respective corner of the scanning area. A larger number of scanner assemblies allows the cargo to be more accurately scanned. The number of scanner assemblies may vary depending on the particular application -more scanner assemblies may be required for larger items of cargo, as each scanning assembly has a limit to its scanning field.

Alternatively, the scanner assemblies may be adapted to move during the scan to cover a wider area.

Preferably, each scanner assembly comprises a scanning head and a body section. The scanner assemblies may be mounted upon a fixed column to enable them to be raised from the ground, ensuring an optimum scanning angle. Such mounting may be achieved by attaching the body section to the column. This has the advantage of providing a good angle to scan items of a range of different sizes and further to distance the scanner assemblies from any dirt on the ground, which would interfere with the scanning. The size of the cargo to be transported will of course vary and can range from very small to very large. Smaller items can of course be easily measured by hand, and in most cases, for very small objects, this will be the adopted course of action.

However, it is important that the scanning apparatus is capable of measuring a wide range of different sizes of cargo. Ideally, the scanning apparatus is capable of measuring objects ranging from at least O.5m (length) x O.5m (depth) x O.5m (height) to a least 20m (length) x 2Orn (depth) x lOm (height). The scannable length can be increased by introducing additional scanners. As such, the apparatus of the present invention is capable of scanning objects even as long as lOOm in length. Whilst not preferable, the or each range finder could be placed as little as O.05m from the object. However, in order to reduce occlusion, it is preferable that the scanners are placed at least O.5m above the object to be measured.

Measurement of cargo takes place at the port of loading. Ideally, the relevant part of the port area will be in fairly clean condition. However, it is more likely that the port will be a rather polluted area as it is likely to be dirty due to the constant stream of cargo moving therethrough. Pollution in the air reduces the lifetime of equipment if dirt gets into the internal parts thereof.

Preferably therefore each scanner assembly is environmentally sealed so as to provide protection from the atmosphere.

Most preferably the range finder is within or comprises the scanning head. The range finder is adapted to measure the distance and angle to a plurality of points on the surface of the object to be measured. The range finder may use various measuring technologies. Types of range finder may include, but are not limited to laser, radar, ultrasound or acoustic range finders.

If, as is preferable, a laser range finder is used, the scanning head may comprise a laser, adapted to emit a pulsed laser light beam and a receiver for receiving reflected laser light. The laser may be an infra-red laser or any other form of laser technology. The scanner assemblies are configured to scan objects positioned in the scanning area. The laser may emit a pulsed laser beam which is reflected when it hits the object, with the measurement calculated using a "time of flight" method or any other form of measuring method such as "phase based" methods. To produce a suitable scan, the beam preferably needs to be moved across the object being scanned. To achieve this, if laser scanners are implemented, the scanning head may contain an internal rotating mirror to deflect the laser beam. This may achieve a scan in one or more plane. Alternatively or additionally the scanning head may be rotated relative to the body section. It is preferable that the beam is moved using an internal rotating mirror and a rotating scanning head, in combination, to scan the beam in perpendicular planes. A mirror will be lighter than the scanning head and thus faster and easier to control. The scanning head may be positioned so that the rotating mirror scans the object in a vertical plane and that rotation of the scanning head relative to the body section causes a horizontal scan.

Whilst, with regard to the present invention, a particular emphasis is placed upon laser measurement, it is to be understood that any range finder technology suitable for measuring distance may be used and this would not depart from the scope of this invention.

In order to achieve a full and accurate scan it is desirable either for the range finder to be rotated or the object to be moved relative thereto. It is preferred that the range finder is moveable in both vertical and horizontal planes to achieve a full scan. To facilitate this, the scanning head is preferably rotatable relative to the body section. The scanning head may be both Is horizontally and vertically rotatable with respect to the housing section. If a laser range finder is used it may be preferable for the scanner head section to be rotatable in one of either a horizontal or vertical plane, with movement of the laser beam in the alternative direction facilitated by internal mirrors.

Alternatively, the scanner assemblies may be fixed in position with the scanning heads stationary and the cargo moved along the scanning area to enable a full scan. The apparatus of the present invention is particularly suitable for measuring large objects. However, it has been found that a method which involves moving the object past fixed scanners is wholly far less suitable for measuring large objects, and it is therefore preferred that the scanners are rotatable rather than relying on object movement.

If the scanning head is required to rotate to perform a full scan, drive means to enable rotation of the scanner head may be provided at a suitable location within the scanner assembly or between the scanner assembly and its mounting. The body section preferably houses the drive means to rotate the scanner head relative to the body section. Rotation of the scanning head may be achieved by any means capable of driving such rotation. Preferably, the drive means comprises a motor. More preferably, to enable accurate rotation of the scanner head section, the motor is a stepper motor -though, it is to be understood that such a device is merely one of many possible ways of achieving rotation of the scanning head.

Sensors may be provided associated with the drive means. Such sensors provide feedback to the control means with respect to the function and position of the motor and hence the scanning head. They could for example be required in an instance where the scanner heads do not return to their starting positions at the end of a scan and the units are switched off. Unless memory is provided, the position of the scanning head relative to the housing section will not be known when the assembly is turned back on, but sensors associated with the drive means can prevent this problem.

The scanner assembly may be configured so that the dimensional data is internally processed before transmission to the control means. Alternatively, and in a preferred form of the present invention, the raw distance and angle measurement data is output directly to the control means for processing therein.

The control means receives the data from each scanner assembly collates these and calculates the appropriate dimensional data. Essentially, the range finders calculate the polar co-ordinates of points on the surface of the cargo and the co-ordinates from multiple scanners are then converted to a common co-ordinate system using the control means. The dimensional data and a three-dimensional image of the scanned cargo can then be displayed to an operator.

The control and display means may also record and store the data received from the scanner assemblies and/or the measurement data and/or the three-dimensional image.

So that movement of the scanning heads can be controlled, in a preferred form of this invention, the control means is arranged to transmit control signals to the drive means to control movement of the scanning head section.

The control means may comprise a purpose built device adapted to perform all the required functions. Alternatively, the control means may cornpri se: -a processor; -display means; and -a control interface.

The processor may be programmed to calculate the appropriate dimensional data of the scanned object and process the data for display by the display means and the control interface may be adapted to act as an interface for data and control signals moving between the processor and the scanner assemblies.

The display means and processor may be provided by a computer provided with appropriate software to perform the calculation and display. The control interface may be connected to the computer.

is The cargo scanning apparatus of the present invention provides precise measurements of the cargo. Nevertheless, it is advantageous for recording purposes that an additional form of identification is provided. Therefore, it is preferable that the cargo scanning apparatus further comprises an imaging device to automatically capture a two dimensional image of the item in the scanning area. The imaging device and the two dimensional image obtained therefrom form no part of the process of determining the dimensions of the cargo, but merely serve as affirmation that the data retrieved is for a particular piece of cargo. The imaging device may take any suitable form, but preferably is a stills camera, or video camera. More preferably, the imaging device is a digital camera, which produces a digital photograph of the cargo.

It is preferable that the scanner assemblies are environmentally sealed thus providing protection against the effects of weather if the invention is used outside. However, it is possible that the scanner assemblies may have reduced efficiency in some weather conditions such as rain or snow.

Therefore, in a preferred embodiment of this invention, the cargo scanning apparatus further comprises a roof positioned over the scanning area, so as to -10-provide additional protection against the affects of weather. By providing the scanning apparatus outside, it ensures that very large items of cargo can be accommodated in the scanning area without difficulty and thus does not restrict the size of cargo that can be measured. Additionally, a piece of cargo which is too large to be measured in its entirety by the scanning apparatus may still be measured by incorporating several independent scans of the cargo. If the apparatus were confined to an indoor arrangement, this adaptability may not be possible.

The load distribution in a vessel or vehicle must be carefully monitored and as such, cargo must be weighed before it is loaded. This is usually achieved by means of a weighbridge. To this end, a weighbridge may be linked to the control means to transmit load data of the cargo thereto. In this way, all of the cargo measurement data can be stored in a common place, and accessed together. The weighbridge may be provided in the scanning area such that the weight may be measured as the scanning is taking place.

The cargo scanning apparatus of the present invention is particularly suitable for the measurement, analysis and three dimensional representation of large items, for instance items in excess of 4rn (length) by 4m (depth) by 2m (height). The apparatus requires one operator only and thus enables cargo to be measured safely, accurately, economically and in less than five minutes -considerably faster than conventional measuring methods.

According to a second embodiment of the present invention there is provided a method of scanning objects using scanning apparatus comprising: -establishing a scanning area around which is arranged at least one scanner assembly comprising a range finder, linked to control means adapted to receive data from the or each scanner assembly; -introducing the object into the scanning area; -controlling the or each scanner assembly to enable the range finder to scan the object and calculate the distance and angle to a plurality of points on the surface of the object; -transmission of the distance and angle calculations of the or each scanner assembly to the control means; -calculation of dimensional data and a three-dimensional image of the object; and -displaying the image and dimensional data to an operator.

Optionally manipulation of the image may be possible, for example to eliminate features thereof.

The readings from each scanner assembly may be converted to a common coordinate system and combined to form a three-dimensional image of the object. In order to calculate the maximum dimensions of the object, the control means computes a so called "bounding box", (a box defining the outer edges of the object). The image may be rotated in three dimensions and can be enlarged or reduced in size. Preferably, the image produced by the display means can be manipulated to eliminate features of said image. In this way, the is control means may re-calculate the dimensional data of the object without these features. This may be achieved by moving the "bounding lines" on the image to indicate the areas which are to be included in the calculation. This is particularly advantageous when cargo is being measured which is non-wheeled break bulk cargo and thus is loaded on a specialised trailer for movement into the scanning area. In this case, the trailer may be simply eliminated so that the measurements of only the cargo can be calculated.

This moreover, has a further important advantage as it enables multiple objects to be scanned at the same time but yet provides separate measurements for each. The user can split such an image into multiple sections by moving the bounding lines on the image so that a trailer that contains, for example four items of cargo can be split into four separate images and four separate sets of measurements calculated and four images stored.

The data of the measurement points are stored along with any edited bounding lines.

An initial set-up process may be required as part of establishing the scanning area in order for the system and method to operate as required.

-12 -Such initial setup steps may include one or more additional steps selected from: A) levelling the scanner assemblies by means of an external levelling device; B) measuring the distance and angles between each of the scanning assemblies; and/or C) scanning the scanning area with no object therein to establish a

background view to be excluded from future scans.

In order to provide accurate measurements it is advantageous that the scanning assemblies are in alignment with each other. Any form of levelling device may be used in step A to perform this operation.

An additional measuring device, such as a laser scanner, may be provided to calculate the distances between the scanner assemblies. The measurements produced in step B are provided to the control means to help calculate the exact three-dimensional position of the scanning assemblies in relation to each other. To this end, an alignment program may be provided on the control means which can be used to control the position of each assembly and to measure the angles between each of the measurements.

As part of the initial set up, the scanning area advantageously needs to be scanned to a high precision with no object therein. The scanning in step C) can be done for all scanners simultaneously or one at a time. The readings taken are stored in the control means as the background image. This allows the processor to eliminate the background as an object is scanned. Unlike the prior art measuring systems, the scanning apparatus of this invention does not require extensive calibration and as such can be set-up in a relatively short period of time.

By way of example only, one specific embodiment of the first aspect of the present invention and a method according to the second aspect will now be described in more detail, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:- -13-Figure 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of cargo scanning apparatus of the present invention; Figure 2 is a perspective view of a scanner assembly mounted upon a fixed column; Figure 3 is a partially exposed perspective view of the internal workings of the body section of the scanner assembly; Figure 4 is a perspective view of a piece of cargo on a trailer being scanned by the cargo scanning apparatus of Figure 1; Figure 5 is a view showing an image of an item of scanned cargo being formed by the control means and displayed on a screen; Figure 6 is a similar view to Figure 5 showing an image of a piece of scanned cargo on a trailer along with the measurements thereof; Figure 7 is a similar view to Figure 6 of the image without the trailer, achieved by moving the bounding lines; Figure 8 is a view of the image of Figure 7, along with the recalculated measurements; Figure 9 is a view of the image of the scanned cargo, along with the dimensional data thereof, wherein the image has been rotated; Figure 10 is plan view of the cargo scanning apparatus of the present invention; and Figure 11 is a perspective view of a roof cover for the cargo scanning apparatus of the present invention.

Referring initially to Figure 1, there is shown cargo scanning apparatus generally indicated 10. Four scanner assemblies 11 are arranged with respect to a scanning area 12. Each scanner assembly 11 comprises a scanning head 13 and a body section 14. The scanning head 13 is rotatable relative to the body section 14. Each scanner assembly 11 is mounted on a fixed column 15.

Control means are located in a position close to the scanning area 12. The control means comprises a computer 16 provided with display means, which in Figure 1 is a computer screen 17. The computer 16 is in connection with the scanning assemblies 11.

-14 -An initial set-up process is required before any scanning takes place. In order to set up the apparatus 10 each scanning head 12 is levelled so that all four scanner assemblies 11 are aligned with each other. The operator then issues commands from the computer 16 to operate each scanner assembly 11 one at a time to scan the scanning area 12 with no cargo therein. The data collected by the scanner assemblies is transmitted to the computer 16 and is recorded and stored thereon as the background image.

Each scanner assembly 11 is connected to a fixed column 15 as is illustrated in Figure 2. Figure 3 shows the internal workings of the body section of the scanner assembly. As can be seen, housed within the body section 14 of each scanner assembly 11 is a stepper motor 18 and drive assembly that facilitate rotation of the scanner head 13 with respect to the body section 14.

Connection means 19 facilitate the scanner assemblies 11 to connect to a column 15. The connection means may be loosened to engage the column and is then tightened around it. A casing 20 covers the rear of the body section and conceals the connection means 19. The scanning head 13 is provided with a dust/scatter shield 21.

Figure 4 illustrates an item of cargo placed in the scanning area 12. The cargo comprises a boat 22 which is supported on a specialised trailer 23 and brought into the scanning area. To start the scanning process the operator issues a command from the computer 16 to start the scanning process. The computer sends signals to the motors in the housing section of all of the scanning assemblies to start the laser beam and to control rotation of the scanning head 13. The commands issued by the computer 16 are translated into control signals for the stepper motors 18 which are configured to enable all of the assemblies 11 to rotate in unison to precise known positions. Each scanning head comprises a laser range finder which emits an infra-red beam 24 and which contains an internal rotating mirror which operates to deflect the beam in a vertical fan-shaped arc over the cargo. When the beam strikes an object from which at least some infra-red light is reflected, a receiver in the range finder of the scanning head section 13 detects this. The time taken for -15-the range finder to receive the reflected beam after emission thereof is used to calculate the distance between the laser and the object. The polar co-ordinates from each scanning assembly 11 are sent to the computer 16 for calculation. Figure 5 shows an image of the scanned cargo 28 being displayed on the computer screen 17 as it is formed by the computer. The fully formed image 28 is illustrated in Figure 6 with the dimensional data 29 of the cargo 22 also displayed. As shown, the image 28 comprises the boat 22 and the trailer 23. The computer computes a "bounding box", (a box defining the edges of the object). In order that the dimensional data 29 of the cargo 22 may be known without the trailer 23, the operator may eliminate the trailer 18 from the image 28, as shown in Figure 7, by simply moving the bounding lines 30 on the computer screen 17 to crop the trailer 18 from the image 28. As illustrated in Figure 8, the computer 17 can then recalculate the dimensional data 29 and display the new measurements on the computer screen 17.

is The present invention provides both accurate and fast measurements. It also provides a three-dimensional image that may be manipulated and/or recorded. Manipulation can include rotation of the image in any plane as well as size changes and cropping. Figure 9 shows a three-dimensional image 28 of the scanned cargo 22 along with the dimensional data 29 thereof, but the image 28 has been rotated relative to that shown in the previous figures.

As shown in the schematic plan view of Figure 10, the scanning area 12 is generally rectangular in plan view, with each scanner assembly 11 arranged in a respective corner thereof. A control station 25 housing the computer 16 and screen 17 is located near the scanning area 12.

Figure 11 illustrates a cover structure 26 for use with the cargo scanning apparatus 10, if set up outside. The cover structure 26 is large enough to fully cover the cargo scanning apparatus 10 and thus provide additional protection against the effects of the weather. Lights 27 are provided for effective use of the apparatus at night. Walls may also be provided. The apparatus could also be located within a building. -16-

Claims

CLAIMS1. Object scanning apparatus for scanning cargo and large mobile objects which provides dimensional data of the object and produces a three-dimensional image thereof, the apparatus comprising: -at least one scanner assembly arranged with respect to a scanning area into which an object is positioned, the or each scanner assembly comprising a range finder adapted to scan the object and calculate the distance and angle to a plurality of points on the surface thereof; and -control means adapted to receive the distance and angle calculations from the or each scanner assembly and to calculate the dimensional data of the object therefrom and display the dimensional data and a three-dimensional image of said object to an operator.
2. Object scanning apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein each scanner assembly comprises a scanning head mounted on a body section.
3. Object scanning apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein the scanning head comprises a laser range finder adapted to emit a pulsed laser light beam and to receive reflected laser light.
4. Object scanning apparatus as claimed in claim 2 or claim 3, wherein the scanning head is rotatable relative to the body section.
5. Object scanning apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein, the body section comprises drive means to rotate the scanner head.
6. Object scanning apparatus as claimed in claim 5, wherein the drive means comprises a motor.
7. Object scanning apparatus as claimed in claim 6, wherein the motor is a stepper motor.
8. Object scanning apparatus as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the control means is arranged to transmit control signals to the scanner assemblies, which controls movement of the scanning head.
9. Object scanning apparatus as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the control means comprises: -a processor; -17- -display means; and -a control interface.
10. Object scanning apparatus as claimed in claim 9, wherein the display means comprises a computer screen connected to the processor and arranged to display the dimensional data of a scanned object and a three-dimensional image thereof.
11. Object scanning apparatus as claimed in any of the preceding claims, further comprising an imaging device automatically to capture a still or moving two dimensional image of the object in the scanning area.
12. Object scanning apparatus as claimed in claim 11, wherein the imaging device is a digital camera.
13. Object scanning apparatus, as claimed in claim 11 or claim 12, wherein the imaging device is connected to the control means and the image captured is stored thereon in association with the scanning data.
14. Object scanning apparatus as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the apparatus comprises four scanner assemblies.
15. Object scanning apparatus as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein a weighbridge is linked to the control means to provide weight data of the object thereto.
16 Object scanning apparatus as claimed in claim 1 and substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
17. A method of scanning objects using scanning apparatus comprising: -establishing a scanning area around which is arranged at least one scanner assembly comprising a range finder, linked to control means adapted to receive data from the or each scanner assembly; -introducing the object into the scanning area; -controlling the or each scanner assembly to enable the range finder to scan the object and calculate the distance and angle to a plurality of points on the surface of the object; -18- -transmission of the distance and angle calculations of the or each scanner assembly to the control means; -calculation of dimensional data and a three-dimensional image of the object; and -displaying the image and dimensional data to an operator.
18. A method as claimed in claim 17 in which one or more of: A) levelling the scanner assemblies by means of an external levelling device; B) measuring the distance and angles between each of the scanning assemblies; and/or C) scanning the scanning area with no object therein to establish abackground view to be excluded from future scans;is also performed as part of establishing the scanning area.
19. A method as claimed in claim 17 or claim 18, further comprising the following additional step of manipulating the image to eliminate or separate features thereof.