Patent ID: 6373963
Filing Date: 2002-04-16
Classification: A61B,G01B

Abstract:
A method of obtaining, via a computing environment, a three-dimensional data set that is representative of a surface of a three-dimensional object, wherein the computing environment includes at least one sensor, storage means for storing images captured by each sensor, and processing means for processing images captured by each sensor, wherein the at least one sensor comprises a detector having a lens and an array of pixels for capturing images of the object, and a projector having a lens and that is configured to project first and second grating patterns onto the surface of the object, wherein the first grating pattern has a sinusoidally varying intensity pattern period that is longer than a sinusoidally varying intensity pattern period of the second grating pattern, the method comprising the steps of:projecting the first grating pattern onto the surface of the object; capturing and storing a first plurality of two-dimensional deformed grating images of an area segment of the object surface, wherein each of the first plurality of two-dimensional deformed grating images are shifted, relative to each other, by a predetermined portion of the period of the first sinusoidally varying intensity pattern; creating a first two-dimensional array of optical phase values, wherein each optical phase value in the first array corresponds with a respective pixel in the detector array of pixels; projecting the second grating pattern onto the surface of the object; capturing and storing a second plurality of two-dimensional deformed grating images of the area segment of the object surface, wherein each of the second plurality of two-dimensional deformed grating images are shifted, relative to each other, by a predetermined portion of the period of the second sinusoidally varying intensity pattern; creating a second two-dimensional array of optical phase values, wherein each optical phase value in the second array corresponds with a respective pixel in the detector array of pixels; and using optical phase values in the first and second two-dimensional arrays to generate a plurality of three-dimensional data points that represent respective points on the surface of the object, wherein each three-dimensional data point corresponds with a respective pixel in the detector array of pixels.