Minolta Company, Ltd.

Hiroshi Uchino

Toshio Norita

Eiichi Ide

Koichi Kamon

Takashi Kondo

Fumiya Yagi

Hideki Tanabe

Makoto Miyazaki

Takuto Joko

Tetsuya Katagiri

Akira Yahashi

Yuzuru Tanaka

Eiiehi Ide

The purpose of the present invention is to realize a compact three-dimensional measurement device of high resolution. In the present invention, a pulse light is projected on an object, the light reflected from the object is received by a solid state area sensor having a plurality of photoelectric conversion elements, the area sensor is controlled with a timing synchronized with the projection of the pulse light, and the distance to each photoelectric conversion element is measured based on the output of the solid state area sensor.

Three-dimensional measurement device and three-dimensional measurement method

An object is to provide a three-dimensional data input apparatus that enables data currently required by the user to be easily extracted from the stored past three-dimensional data, shooting position data or shooting direction data. When the user provides the three-dimensional measuring devicewith a measurement instruction, the portions operate through control by the central processing portionto obtain the three-dimensional data SS and the two-dimensional image data SN of the object Q. The group of the three-dimensional data SS, the two-dimensional image data SN, the position data SP and the attitude data SA that are in the one-to-one correspondence with one another as described above are stored in the storage portionevery time the three-dimensional data of the object Q is measured. In a case where a fixed point observation of the object is repetitively performed by use of the three-dimensional measuring deviceby extracting from the storage portionthree-dimensional data SSK and two-dimensional image data SNK obtained in the past and comparing them with the present three-dimensional data SSG and two-dimensional image data SNG, the change in the configuration of the object during that period can be found.

Three-dimensional data input apparatus

In order to reproduce a three-dimensional shape of an object accurately while maintaining measuring accuracy and high speed, in a three-dimensional measuring method of projecting a stripe pattern having colored stripes on the object and measuring the three-dimensional shape of the object based on stripe positions on the imaged image corresponding to the stripes on the stripe pattern, colors of the stripes on the stripe pattern are set according to a predetermined rule, and a plurality of stripes having a predetermined positional relationship are extracted from the image, and correspondence with stripes on the stripe pattern based on the color arrangement of the extracted plural stripes.

Three-dimensional measuring method and device, and computer program

In a distance measuring apparatus having a projector that projects pulse light P outside and a light receiver that receives the pulse light being reflected in the outside and performs photoelectric conversion, and outputting measurement data DL responsive to a time Tf from the transmission point of time to the reception point of time of the pulse light, the following are provided: determining means for determining whether a received light waveform DP is correct or includes at least two incorrect waveforms based on an output signal SP of the light receiver ; and warning data outputting means for outputting warning data DE responsive to the result of the determination when the determining means determines that the received light waveform DP is incorrect.

Distance measuring apparatus

A method and apparatus for inputting three-dimensional data are provided, in which operation for obtaining incident angles is not required and accuracy of three-dimensional data can be improved. The method includes steps of irradiating a reference light beam from a first starting point A to an object by a first angle &thgr;A, irradiating a reference light beam from a second starting point B separated from the first starting point A to the object by a second angle &thgr;B, moving the first and the second starting points A, B in one direction so as to perform sub scanning of an imaginary plane VS, detecting time points TA, TB when the reference light beam reflected by the object Q passes each sampling section of the imaginary plane; and calculating the position of the object for each sampling section in accordance with positions of the first and second starting points A, B in each of the detected time points TA, TB and first and second angles &thgr;A, &thgr;B.

Method and apparatus for inputting three-dimensional data

An object is to provide a three-dimensional data input apparatus that enables data currently required by the user to be easily extracted from the stored past three-dimensional data, shooting position data or shooting direction data. When the user provides the three-dimensional measuring device with a measurement instruction, the portions operate through control by the central processing portion to obtain the three-dimensional data SS and the two-dimensional image data SN of the object Q. The group of the three-dimensional data SS, the two-dimensional image data SN, the position data SP and the attitude data SA that are in the one-to-one correspondence with one another as described above are stored in the storage portion every time the three-dimensional data of the object Q is measured. In a case where a fixed point observation of the object is repetitively performed by use of the three-dimensional measuring device by extracting from the storage portion three-dimensional data SSK and two-dimensional image data SNK obtained in the past and comparing them with the present three-dimensional data SSG and two-dimensional image data SNG, the change in the configuration of the object during that period can be found.

A three-dimensional data input apparatus has a first and a second modes. In the first mode, images of an object are taken from two view points being apart from each other, the position of the object is calculated with high accuracy in accordance with the distance between the view points and the directions from each view point to the irradiated part of the object by the method of triangulation, and the calculated data or the data for calculation is output. In the second mode, the position of a part of the object is calculated in accordance with the irradiation angle and the reception angle in the same way as the conventional method of triangulation. In the first mode that does not use the irradiation angle information for calculating the position.

A 3D measuring apparatus is disclosed, in which a light beam is projected in such a manner as to raster scan toward a virtual surface. Specific data corresponding to the angle of incidence of the light beam is output, which light beam is reflected from an object of measurement at the time point of passing through each of a plurality of sampling sections into which the virtual surface is segmented in the main scanning direction X and the subsidiary scanning direction Y. With the position data Xg in the main scanning direction and the position data Yg in the subsidiary scanning direction for each sampling section as an address, the specific data are written in a memory. Also, the incident light beam is received by a photo-electric conversion device of one-dimensional position detection type, and the optical image of the object is compressed unidirectionally and formed on the photo-detection surface of the photo-electric conversion device.

Three-dimensional measuring apparatus

An apparatus and method for detecting a three-dimensional image. The apparatus includes a projector which projects a reference light on an object; an image sensor which senses an image of the object; and a controller for controlling the projector and the image sensor, wherein the image sensor includes an aperture that restricts the passage of entering light; and an aperture controller for setting an aperture value for the aperture when receiving a two-dimensional image input, and setting an aperture value for the aperture when receiving a three-dimensional image input. The aperture value is set based on the intensity of received reference light. A processing unit determines the position of the object based on a relationship between an illumination direction of the reference light at the determined time center Npeak and an entrance direction of the reference light relative to the target pixel. A flicker detector detects a change frequency in light received by the image sensor, and the controller controls the image sensor to sense frames of an image at a frequency which is a multiple of the detected change frequency.

Three-dimensional input device

A three-dimensional measurement apparatus includes an optical system for scanning a reference beam across a target object to be measured, a light sensor which receives light reflected from the target object, and a processor for calculating a three-dimensional shape of the target object from the received light. An image for calculating the three-dimensional shape of the target object and an image for displaying the target object are both captured by the same sensor. The displayed image is a grayscale image that is based on a centroid that is calculated from multiple data samples taken for each pixel in the image as the target is being scanned.

Three dimensional measurement apparatus

A three-dimensional measurement device employs a slit ray projection technique to optically determine a three-dimensional image. The device offers a choice in operating modes between high-speed measurement, high-resolution measurement and large dynamic range in the depth direction, to accommodate various situations. The different modes of operation are achieved by selectively modifying one or more of the scanning speed of a projected reference beam, the readout speed of a photosensor, the line width or line spacing of the photosensor, and the number of lines per image frame.

Three-dimensional measurement apparatus

In a three dimensional measurement system, a three dimensional pickup apparatus picks up an object repeatedly to generate image information including a shape of the object, and an information processor receives image frame signals and digital signals from the pickup apparatus to process the image information. Image information is sent as image frame signals through a first output terminal, and digital signals are sent through a second output terminal in correspondence to output of the image information through the first output terminal. In the information processor, an input controller receives the digital signals from the first output terminal and receives the image frame signals suitable for transmission of moving images in correspondence to the received digital signals from the second output terminal. For example, the pickup conditions for a next period are set based on the pickup information obtained in a current period. For example, a distance sensor is provided further to adjust the pickup conditions in various ways in continuous pickup mode.

Three dimensional measurement system and pickup apparatus

A three-dimensional measuring system comprises an optical system for emitting a light and optically scanning an object, a measuring sensor having an image pickup surface consisting of a plurality of picture elements and adapted to receive the light reflected on the surface of the object, a galvanometer mirror for changing a direction in which the light irradiates the object, a system controller for driving the measuring sensor so as to allow the same to output information on the quantity of light incident on each of the picture elements, and a barycentric calculation circuit for finding an instant when the light traverses each of the picture elements. This instant is found by implementing a barycentric calculation on the basis of outputs of the measuring sensor taken for a prescribed period of time and an instant at which each of the outputs is taken. The measuring system further comprises a host computer for finding a position on the surface of the object corresponding to each of the picture elements. This position is found on the basis of a relationship between a direction in which the light irradiates the object at an instant when the light traverses each of the picture elements and a direction in which the light reflected on the surface of the object is incident on each of the picture elements.

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Kyoto, Japan

Hiroshi Uchino