Patent ID: 6549639
Filing Date: 2003-04-15
Classification: A43D,A61B,G06K

Abstract:
A system for imaging an object, the system comprising,a surface having patterned areas and a reference area, the object providing a object image, the object being disposed in front of patterned areas for obstructing patterned images of the patterned areas positioned relative to the reference area providing an unobstructed reference image, a camera for focusing upon the object, upon the patterned areas, and upon the reference areas from differing perspectives at respective perspective positions for capturing respective composite images each comprising the object image, the patterned images and the reference image, the camera for providing a data stream of the composite image comprising X rows and Y columns of an array of pixels, the data stream providing a series of transitions indicating regularity of the patterned images, the duration of between each transition indicating a number of pixels along one of the X rows and Y columns of the array of pixels, and a processing means for receiving the data stream and for determining along one of the rows or columns of the array of pixels the number of pixels between each of the transitions for determining an interruption in regularity of number of pixels between each of the transitions for indicating where the object obstructs the patterned areas at an obstructed pattern area of one of the patterned areas for indirectly indicating the 2D edge point of the object, and for determining a distance between the reference area and obstructed patterned area for determining the 2D edge point of the object relative to the reference area.