Method and device for analyzing surface structure

US6907138B1 · kind B1 · utility

Assignee

• IN-VISION Technologies AG · US

Inventors

• Peter Klaus Hoffman · Bochum, DE
• Ludwig Eckert · Nassau (Lahn), DE
• Sebastian Tölg · Herdecke, DE
• Marianne Andres · Bochum, DE
• Robert Husemann · Essen, DE

Key dates

• Filing date: Jun 15, 1998
• Grant date: Jun 14, 2005
• Expiry date: Jun 15, 2018

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G01N21/8806
• WIPO field: Measurement
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for analyzing properties of a surface by taking an image scene with a camera, wherein at least two images are taken with an illumination with directed and/or diffused light, wherein the image information of the single images is converted into digital signals, and subsequently a three-dimensional image is determined from the digital signals in computer-aided manner. Further, the image relates to an image-taking device for performing this method, comprising a video camera and a lighting appliance being associated with the video camera, the lighting appliance comprising a first lighting system generating diffused light and a second lighting system generating directed light, and a controller through which the first and the second lighting systems are controllable electronically and independently from one another. Furthermore, the invention relates to a system for performing the above-identified method comprising an image-taking device of the above kind, a video card for digitizing image information taken with the image-taking device, a data storage for storing the digitized image information, and a processing device for computer-aided determination of …