Optoelectronic system using spatiochromatic triangulation

Abstract

In accordance with the teachings of the present invention, an optoelectronic system ( ) is provided for surface digitization of an object using spatiochromatic triangulation. The optoelectronic system ( ) includes an illuminating subsystem ( ) for illuminating a measuring space ( ) that contains an object ( ) to be measured, as well as a viewing subsystem ( ) for collecting the light reflected by this object ( ) and for generating a three-dimensional topography of the object ( ) using in depth chromatic coding of the object. More specifically, relay optics ( ) are used to image a polychromatic light source ( ) onto a source slit ( ) which in turn passes images from the slit image onto a dispersing element ( ). The object to be measure is illuminated with a continuum of monochromatic images along a cutting, plane (x,z) within the measuring space ( ). A color coded (x, &lgr;) representation, generated by the intersection of the cutting plane ( ) and the surface of the measured object ( ), is imaged onto a viewing slit of an imaging spectrograph. A relay lens ( ) is used for projecting this image onto the viewing slit ( ). A grayscale imaging array ( ) located in the image plane of the spectrograph ( ) registers the color coded representation, and by using spectrophotometric analysis, an image processor ( ) translates this representation into a plane section of the three-dimensional topography of the measured object ( ).