Three dimensional imaging method and device
US4627734A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Jan 16, 1986 |
| Grant date | Dec 9, 1986 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jan 16, 2006 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG01S17/89
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A three dimensional imaging system operating in accordance with the known active triangulation method employs a laser beam that is projected onto an area of a surface the profile of which is to be examined. A beam reflected from such area is received in a position sensitive detector. With synchronised scanning of the projected and detected beams by a system of mirrors, the detected position in the detector remains unchanged when the surface under examination is a flat reference plane, changing only as a measure of the degree of deviation of each examined area from such reference plane in a direction Z. The system is characterised by this basic scanning being carried out in such a way that the beams are scanned in a direction X lying in the beam plane, i.e. the plane defined by the beams, and by a further simultaneous and synchronous scanning that takes place in a direction Y. The directions X, Y and Z are all mutually perpendicular. The system has the advantage over prior systems of enabling surface profiling by means of a device that is compact, has a large field of view and can be arranged to have extremely rapid operation, i.e. a small fraction of a second to record a full image…
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.