Eastman-Kodak Company

Louis R Gabello

Lawrence Allen Ray

Kenneth J Repich

Leon Robert Zoeller

Marek W Kowarz

John C Brazas

Joseph P DiVincenzo

Roger E Button

James P Guy

Dennis J Whipple

Thomas O Lange

A color scannerless range imaging system comprises four component systems, including an illumination system, an image capture device, an optical assembly and a controller for interconnecting and controlling the component systems. The illumination system separately illuminates a scene with modulated and unmodulated illumination, while the image capture device is positioned in an optical path of the reflected illumination from the scene for capturing a plurality of images thereof, including (a) at least one image of the reflected modulated illumination, whereby the modulation of the reflected modulated illumination incorporates a phase delay corresponding to the distance of objects in the scene from the range imaging system, and (b) at least one color image of the reflected unmodulated illumination. The optical assembly includes a first optical system for imaging a color image of unmodulated illumination from the scene and a second optical system including a modulating stage for modulating the reflected modulated illumination from the scene and generating an interference image representative of range information of the scene. The controller selectively places each of the optical systems in the optical path of the image capture device whereby both range information and color information of the scene are captured.

Method and apparatus for a color scannerless range image system

A light emitting diode (LED) illumination device for generating modulated light for a scannerless range imaging system includes circuitry for generating a drive signal having a given phase and frequency characteristic; a plurality of light emitting diodes arranged in a plurality of LED banks, wherein each LED bank comprises a plurality of light emitting diodes connected in series to the circuitry to receive the drive signal; and a switching stage for simultaneously activating the plurality of LED banks such that the LED banks generate the modulated light according to the phase and frequency characteristics of the drive signal.

LED illumination device for a scannerless range imaging system

A scannerless range imaging system includes an illumination system and an electromechanical light modulator. The illumination system illuminates objects in the scene with modulated illumination of a predetermined modulation frequency, and the modulated illumination reflected from objects in the scene incorporates a phase delay corresponding to the distance of the objects from the range imaging system. The electromechanical light modulator, which is positioned in an optical path of the reflected illumination, operates at a reference frequency that corresponds to the predetermined modulation frequency and accordingly modulates the modulated illumination reflected from the object, thereby generating a phase image from the interference between the reference frequency and the reflected modulated illumination. The system further includes an optical system that deflects the reflected illumination to the electromechanical light modulator and redirects the phase image generated by the electromechanical light modulator to an image capture section. A color image may be captured by moving the optical system out of the optical path such that reflected illumination from the object will pass directly to the image capture section without contacting the electromechanical light modulator.

Color scannerless range imaging system using an electromechanical grating

A color scannerless range imaging system includes an illumination system for illuminating the scene with modulated illumination of a predetermined modulation frequency and an image capture section positioned in an optical path of the reflected illumination from the scene for capturing a plurality of images including (a) at least one range image corresponding to the reflected modulated illumination and including a phase delay corresponding to the distance of objects in the scene from the range imaging system, and (b) at least one other image of reflected unmodulated illumination corresponding to color in the scene. The image capture section includes a color filter array arranged with a first type of color filter that preferentially transmits the reflected modulated illumination and one or more other color filters that preferentially transmit the reflected unmodulated illumination, an image intensifier receiving the reflected illumination and including a modulating stage for modulating the reflected modulated illumination from the scene, thereby generating the range information, and an image responsive element for capturing an output of the image intensifier, including the range image and the other image of reflected unmodulated image light corresponding to color in the scene. The image intensifier is structured with channels that generally correspond to the color filter array such that the intensifier provides the range image from channels corresponding to the first color filter and the other image corresponding to color in the scene from channels corresponding to the other color filters.

Method and apparatus for a color scannerless range imaging system

A color scannerless range imaging system includes an illumination system for controllably illuminating a scene with modulated illumination and an image responsive element for capturing image light from the scene, including the modulated image light. The system establishes a primary optical path for directly image light toward the image responsive element. A beamsplitter located in the primary optical path separates the image light into two channels, a first channel including an infrared component and a second channel including a color texture component, whereby one of the channels traverses a secondary optical path distinct from the primary path. A modulating element is operative in the first channel to receive the infrared component and a modulating signal, and to generate a processed infrared component with phase data indicative of range information. An optical network is provided in the secondary optical path for recombining the secondary optical path into the primary optical path such that the processed infrared component and the color texture component are directly to the image responsive element.

A camera system utilizes a line scan (linear array) camera designed to scan a moving surface and subsequently to generate and to transmit a high quality digitized video signal over a long a distance by an optical fiber. The primary function of the system is: to scan a moving surface using a 2048 or a 1024 linear array; to condition and digitize the array analog video signal; and subsequently to transmit to a computer processing unit, without a noticeable loss in fidelity, the digitized video data over a long distance by means of an optical fiber connected to the camera and the computer processing unit. The system also functions to transmit both video signals and non-video information signals over a fiber optic link from the camera to the computer processing unit.

Camera system for scanning a moving surface

A continuous process, namely the quality control of web production, is monitored and analyzed for defects with high resolution continuously, notwithstanding that the processing of signals for such continuous monitoring and analysis with high resolution requires handling of data at enormous data rates (e.g., billions of calculations per second). The system uses a computer architecture for continuous processing of the data in real time. In a first level of the architecture, signals arriving from the process (from the scanning of successive lines on the web) are digitized, and reduced to represent data corresponding to certain events, such as defects in the web. In a second level of the architecture, an array of parallel processors operate concurrently and continuously on the reduced data to provide outputs characterizing the events, for example, measurements of the locations and extents of the web defects. In a third level the data from the second level is analyzed to provide outputs representing the analysis of the effects in the process represented by the events. These outputs may be used to control the process or to provide information respecting the source of the defects and otherwise to assure that only high quality material is passed.

Growing community of inventors

Rochester, NY, United States of America

Louis R Gabello