Patent · US Expired

Scanning apparatus and method

US6611617B1 · kind B1 · utility

248Cited by
14References
11Claims
0Family size

Inventor

Key dates

Filing dateMay 26, 1998
Grant dateAug 26, 2003
Priority date
Expiry dateMay 26, 2018

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG01B11/2518
  • WIPO fieldMeasurement
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

A scanning apparatus and method for generating computer models of three-dimensional objects comprising means for scanning the object to capture data from a plurality of points on the surface of the object so that the scanning may capture data from two or more points simultaneously, sensing the position of the scanning means, generating intermediate data structures from the data, combining intermediate data structures to provide the model; display, and manually operating the scanning apparatus. The signal generated is structured light in the form of a stripe or an area from illumination sources such as a laser diode or bulbs which enable data for the position and color of the surface to be determined. The object may be on a turnable and may be viewed in real time as rendered polygons on a monitor as the object is scanned.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.