Abstract:
An apparatus for three-dimensional investigation of an object including an illuminating grid located in an illumination plane and generating a plurality of points of light when illuminated by a light source; an optical imaging system that images the illuminating grid in a focal plane at the location of the object to be measured and also images light radiated from the object into a receiver plane; a receiver array with photosynthesis areas that records the light transmitted by optical imaging system and the light that is reflected in or at the object or is emitted by fluorescence; and an array of anamorphic lenses located in front of receiver array.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to a device for three-dimensional investigation of an object. 
     A device of this kind is known from DE 40 35 799. In that patent, an illuminating grid with a pixel size is imaged on a receiver array, which matches the pixel size of the photosensitive areas of the receiver array or is a whole-number multiple of said array. The diaphragm action of the receiver array is utilized. A system of this kind has the disadvantage that during the evaluation of images taken from various object planes to determine the depth values, the absolute brightness values are always evaluated and their maximum must be determined. 
     A device that makes it possible to determine the distance of a measured location with zero signal detection and with anamorphic imaging of a point is also known. The light from a laser diode is imaged on the object to be illuminated and the light reflected from the object is imaged by an anamorphic lens in such fashion that an approximately circular image of the point results in an intermediate plane between the two focal planes defined by the anamorphic lens. Outside this intermediate plane, with sufficient evaluation of the image by radiation receivers designed for the purpose, a system of this kind supplies a directional signal that indicates in which direction the position of the measured object differs from the set position. Systems of this kind are used in compact disk players. However, only a single point on the object is picked up in the course of this process. Therefore, measurements using a system of this kind require a great deal of time in metrology, with many measurement points having to be detected in a short time. This is especially true when large areas of the object are to be measured. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention has the goal of providing a device that makes it possible to determine the set interval using zero signal detection and in this way to detect many measurement points at the same time. 
     The system according to the invention has the advantage that the spacing of the individual measurement points is determined for example by zero signal detection and that very many measurement points are detected simultaneously. This is performed economically because receiver arrays, preferably CCD arrays and arrays made of anamorphic lenses, are used as the radiation receivers, which can be manufactured economically by compression molding for example. 
     Signal detection is implemented by the arrangement of the receiver array relative to the array of anamorphic lenses in such fashion that, at the set spacing, the image of the light reflected from the illuminated point on the sample and imaged by an anamorphic lens falls in the shape of a circle on four radiation receivers (pixels) of the receiver array in such fashion that each radiation receiver receives the same amount of light or an amount of light that is determined relative to the amounts of light that fall on the radiation receiver or receivers associated with this point. 
     The system according to the invention differs from the system described in Patent DE 40 35 799 in that the diaphragm function of the radiation receivers arranged in an array is utilized in the latter, with the photosensitive areas of said receivers being separated from one another by gaps. Spacing detection is performed by evaluating the intensity maximum detected on each pixel of the radiation receiver array. For this purpose, a measurement series is performed that stores the values for several different z-positions of the object in the computer. For each pixel, this determines the z-position at which its intensity has its maximum. The spacing value to be determined is obtained from the latter. In the present invention, on the other hand, the difference or a set ratio of the signals of adjacent pixels of the receiver array is evaluated. The place where the zero value or the set ratio is reached is the set position that supplies the depth value to be determined. Receiver arrays are used for this purpose that have no zone that is insensitive to light, or only a very small zone of this kind, between adjacent pixels. For detecting the spacing signal in the present invention, it is necessary to use receiver arrays with photosensitive areas that are directly adjacent to one another. For this reason, the system according to the present invention differs basically from that described in the abovementioned DE. 
     The system according to the invention is especially suitable for three-dimensional measurement of mechanical parts in incident light and for recording 3-D images of fluorescent objects. For mechanical parts, a semi-transparent mirror is placed in known fashion in the beam path to separate the illuminating light from the light reflected from the object. For fluorescence applications, a dichroic mirror is used in a manner known of itself, and possibly light filters as well, to separate the illuminating light and the light emitted by fluorescence from the object. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRWINGS 
     The invention will now be described in greater detail with reference to the embodiments shown in FIGS. 1 to  24 . 
     FIG. 1 is a design in which the illuminating grid is produced by a glass plate with holes; 
     FIG. 2 shows a glass plate with holes; 
     FIG. 3 shows an anamorphic lens in two side views; 
     FIG. 4 shows an array with anamorphic lenses; 
     FIG. 5 shows a receiver array on the same scale; 
     FIG. 6 shows a receiver quadruple with the image of the illuminated point at the set position; 
     FIG. 7 shows a receiver quadruple with the image of the illuminated point outside the set position; 
     FIG. 8 shows a receiver quadruple with a blackened center and the image of the object point in the set position; 
     FIG. 9 shows a receiver quadruple with a blackened center and the image of the object point outside the set position; 
     FIG. 10 shows a plurality of light cones in the vicinity of the receiver array; 
     FIG. 11 shows a telecentric diaphragm designed as a full pupil; 
     FIG. 12 shows a telecentric diaphragm designed as an annular pupil; 
     FIG. 13 shows an array of anamorphic lenses with light-permeable gaps; 
     FIG. 14 shows a system with illumination of the holes with a lens array; 
     FIG. 15 shows a system with a light source array for illumination; 
     FIG. 16 shows an illuminating system for generating the point grid without using a hole grid; 
     FIG. 17 shows a system in which, by means of a lens array, a diaphragm is multiply imaged in the illumination plane; 
     FIG. 18 shows an example of a diaphragm for the system in FIG. 17; 
     FIG. 19 shows the curve of the difference signal of a radiation receiver quadruple as a function of the deviation from the set point; 
     FIGS. 20 and 21 show a mechanical part that serves as an example to explain the measurement strategy, and 
     FIGS. 22 and 24 show the positions of various image sequences relative to the part to be measured. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     In FIG. 1,  11  refers to a light source, for example a halogen lamp, which, with the aid of condenser  11   k  and possibly with a filter  11   f  (to separate out a sufficiently narrow range of the spectrum), holes  121  in a layer  12   s . A layer of this kind can be produced in known fashion for example from chromium on a glass plate  12   g . The holes  121  are arranged in a layer  12   s  in the same grid shape as the photosensitive areas of receiver array  17 . For example, if a receiver array with 512×512 receivers is used, said receivers being arranged in the form of a grid at a distance of 11 μm, the layer then has 256×256 holes spaced 22 μm apart and with a hole size of 4 μm×4 μm for example. Hence, the holes are much smaller than their spacing. The spacing of the holes or areas from center to center is termed the grid size. 
     The illuminating grid that is generated by illuminated holes  121  in layer  12   s  lies in illumination plane  11   b . This plane is imaged by lenses  13   o ,  13   u  in focal plane  13   f , so that in the latter object  14  is illuminated with points of light arranged in the form of a grid. In the case of objects that are not transparent, only surface  14   o  can be illuminated, while in transparent objects, layers  14   s  inside can also be illuminated with the light points. The light beams reflected from the object in plane  13   f  are imaged by lenses  13   u ,  13   o  through a beam splitter  16  in receiver plane  17   b . Diaphragms are produced in the plane of anamorphic lenses  66  by the edges of the anamorphic lenses that are separated from one another by gaps. Between lenses  13   o ,  13   u , a so-called telecentric diaphragm  13   t  is usually provided, said diaphragm ensuring that center beam  13   m  strikes object  14  parallel to optical axis  10  so that the positions of the points of light on the object do not change if object  14  is moved in the direction of optical axis  10 . 
     The above-mentioned beam splitter  16  is made in the form of a semi-transparent mirror for incident light applications. For fluorescence applications, a dichroic mirror is used in known fashion. 
     Object  14  can be moved by an adjusting device  15  in all three directions in space, so that various layers  14   s  of object  14  can be scanned. The movement in the x- and y-directions can be selected to be less than the grid size of light points if a position measurement is specified that has a higher resolution than that provided by the grid size. Of course, the movement of object  14  in the z-direction can also be produced by shifting lenses  13   o ,  13   u  in the direction of optical axis  10  and similarly, instead of moving the object in the x- and y-directions, the layer  12   s  with the holes  121 , lens array  66 , and receiver array  17  can be moved accordingly as well. 
     The signals from receiver array  17  are transmitted through a connecting line  17   v  to a computer  18  which performs the evaluation in known fashion and displays the results of the evaluation on a screen  18   b , for example in the form of graphic images. Computer  18  can also control the shifting of measurement plane  13   f  in the object and scanning in the x- and y-directions through connecting line  18   v . This control can be provided in the computer as a fixed program or can be performed as a function of the results of the evaluation. 
     FIG. 2 shows a glass plate  12   g  in a top view, with an illumination point  121  being shown enlarged. The provision of the illumination points in the shape of an array is merely indicated; in reality, as already mentioned, with a grid-type arrangement, for example, there are 128 lines with 128 illuminated points each. 
     In FIG. 3, a single anamorphic lens  60   a ,  60   b  is shown in two side views. Arrows A (corresponding to  60   a ) and B (corresponding to  60   b ) in FIG. 4 indicate the directions of the views. 
     FIG. 4 shows an array of anamorphic lens  66  in a top view. A single lens  60  is shown enlarged. It is advantageous to provide as many anamorphic lenses as there are illumination points. 
     FIG. 5 shows, on the same scale, the corresponding receiver array  17 . A receiver quadruple  6  is associated with each anamorphic lens, said quadruple consisting of receiver pair  8   a ,  8   b  and receiver pair  9   a ,  9   b  and hence of a total of four individual receivers  8   a ,  8   b ,  9   a ,  9   b . 
     Of course, this is only an example. Systems with only two radiation receivers (pixels) per anamorphic lens are also possible, for example. 
     FIG. 6 shows the image generated by an anamorphic lens for the case in which the corresponding measurement location on the object is at the set distance. It is evident that its image in the example shown is circular and that receivers  8   a  and  8   b  and receivers  9   a  and  9   b  receive the same amounts of light. Hence, the set distance is obtained when the illumination point is focused on object  14  and its image in receiver plane  17   b  is circular. It should be noted in particular that proper function of a system according to the invention does not require providing the circular shape shown here for the set position. It merely represents one possible and favorable form of the image of the object point. Procedures in which a specified elliptical shape is specified for the set position and the evaluation proceeds accordingly can also be used. 
     Outside the set position in the example explained here, more light falls on one of the receiver pairs than on the other. This is shown in FIG.  7 . Receivers  9   a  and  9   b  receive more light than receivers  8   a  and  8   b . The lack of symmetry is reversed if the position of sample  14  deviates in the other direction from the set position. Then receivers  8   a  and  8   b  receive more light than receivers  9   a and  9   b . Thus the direction signal is obtained. For example, it can be obtained by calculation from the equation 
     
       
           ud= ( L 8 a+L 9 b )−( L 9 a+L 9 b )  
       
     
     Here, 
     ud is the interval signal, which assumes a predetermined value, zero for example, in the set position; 
     L 8   a  is the signal that is proportional to the amount of light striking receiver  8   a;    
     L 8   b  is the signal that is proportional to the amount of light striking receiver  8   b;    
     L 9   a  is the signal that is proportional to the amount of light striking receiver  9   a;    
     L 9   b  is the signal that is proportional to the amount of light striking receiver  9   b.    
     The interval signal can be used to calculate the set position from the value ud within a measurement range. Therefore, setting the exact set interval in a series of measurements can be eliminated. It can also be used for example to measure by scanning objects  14  that are larger than the visual field of the system in a manner known of itself. It is possible while moving object  14  to calculate a signal representing the average deviation from the set position and to adjust the z-position of the object relative to the measurement system in a coordinate measuring device in such fashion that it follows the surface contours of the object. If this is done at a specific speed such that the computer always controls which receiver displays the partial areas of the object in the visual field at different points in time, it is possible in a form of “drag” to cover an entire strip on the object quickly and to evaluate the peaks from the recorded data. This is explained further below with reference to an example. 
     FIG. 8 shows an embodiment of the receiver quadruple  8   a ,  8   b ,  9   a ,  9   b  with an area  7  that is blackened and therefore insensitive to light and with the circular image that is produced in the set position by the corresponding anamorphic lens. In FIG. 9, the same system is shown but with the elliptical appearance that results outside the set position. It is evident that receiver pair  8   a ,  8   b  in this case receives no light whatever. This is advantageous because as a result the measurement system has a greater sensitivity for detecting deviation from the set position than would be the case if it were not blackened. 
     FIG. 10 is intended to explain in detail the purpose of imaging the beam path as it is done by anamorphic lenses. It is important to locate the array of anamorphic lenses at a suitable distance in front of the receiver array. The light cones from several object points illuminated simultaneously in front of the detector array and their midlines  81  are shown. In area  87 , the light cones overlap, while in area  86  they are separate from one another. The array of anamorphic lenses is advantageously located approximately in the center  86   m  of an area  86 . Then the distance between the light cones is sufficiently large and the distance from the receiver array is likewise sufficient. 
     FIG. 11 shows the full pupil of the telecentric diaphragm. It is based on the explanations above. Since the middle beams contribute little to the z-resolution, however, it can be advantageous to screen them out, using an annular diaphragm. An example of this is shown in FIG.  12 . Only ring  4   t  is permeable to light, so that the light beams close to the center are not imaged. The dynamic range of the radiation receiver array can be better utilized as a result, so that a greater deviation signal is obtained outside the set position. To this extent, the annular telecentric diaphragm has an effect similar to the blackening of the center of a receiver quadruple explained with reference to FIG.  8 . 
     FIG. 13 shows another embodiment of the array of anamorphic lenses. The anamorphic lenses  64  in array  68  are here delimited in the shape of a circle. The gaps  88  are not transparent to light. Thus a portion of the light that comes from object points located far outside the focus is screened from the receiver array. As a result, noise signals are suppressed. This noise signal suppression, as indicated by the above remarks, is produced by a diaphragm function that is exercised by the marginal boundaries of the circular areas. In contrast to the previously known arrangement according to DE 40 35 799, the diaphragm function follows from the array of anamorphic lenses according to the invention and not from the receiver array. In addition, the diaphragm function in the present invention is not absolutely necessary. It has only a function-improving effect. 
     In FIG. 14, a lens array  22   a  is located between condenser  11   k  and filter  11   f  and layer  12   s  with holes  121 , said array containing the same number of small lenses  221  as layer  12   s  has holes  121 . Lenses  221  have the purpose of imaging the images of the luminous filaments of light source  11  in the holes, thus giving the points of light a greater intensity. 
     Lens array  22   a  and layer  12   s  with holes  121 , as indicated, can be combined into one common part  22   g . The manufacture of suitable lens arrays is known for example from a publication by K. Koizumi (SPIE, Volume 1128, 74). 
     An especially advantageous version of the illuminating grid is shown in FIG.  15 . In that FIG. 31 represents a light source array, which can consist for example of light-emitting diodes (LEDs)  31 . In this case also, it can be advantageous to locate in plane  11   b  a layer  32   s  with holes  321  so that the points of light have dimensions that are sufficiently small. Except for lens  31   o  for imaging, a field lens  31   f  is advantageous for additional imaging in the beam path. 
     It is advantageous to use integrated LED arrays for the illuminating grid, like those described for example in a paper by J. P. Donnelly (SPIE 1043, 92 (1989)). Such LED arrays have the advantage that certain partial quantities of LEDs can be switched on and off. In both cases, the switching on and off is controlled by computer  18  through switching device  19 . 
     The beam path shown in FIGS. 1,  14  and  15  between illuminating plane  11   b,  focal plane  13   f  and diaphragm plane  17   b  is only a special embodiment of several known beam paths in which the invention can be used in a manner that is immediately apparent to the individual skilled in the art. In addition, in the beam path shown, an image of illuminating plane  11   b  is not necessary in focal plane  13   f  on a scale of 1:1. Instead, not only reduction, as is known from microscopes, but also enlargements are possible, for which reason the term “microscope” was not used in the above. 
     In FIG. 16, the illuminating grid is formed by a lens array  53 , which, thanks to its sufficiently good imaging properties, produces sufficiently small points of light  54  in illuminating plane  11   b  from a nearly point-shaped light source  51 . Condenser lens  52  causes lens array  53  to be traversed by a parallel bundle, so that each individual lens  531  is utilized optimally. A hole grid plate is not required here. 
     FIG. 17 shows a system in which a diaphragm  61  is multiply imaged in illuminating plane  11   b  by a lens array  53 . This diaphragm is illuminated by light source  11  through condenser  62  and diffuser  63 . A wide variety of embodiments is possible for the diaphragm. As an example, FIG. 18 shows a diaphragm  61  with a square boundary for light-permeable area  71  and a light-impermeable center  72  for an illuminating grid. 
     FIG. 19 shows schematically the curve  103  of the difference signal ud from a sensor quadruple as a function of the distance of the object. It is evident that the signal is equal to zero at the set position  100  and runs approximately linearly in a range  101  to  103 . By a calibration process, the slope can be determined relative to the shift and the distance can be determined by calculation in the computer even without taking a picture. In arrangements in which there is no linear curve but a reproducible curve, a calibration curve (look-up table) may be used. In arrangements in which there is no linear curve but a reproducible curve, a calibration curve (look-up table) may be used*. This is a very important advantage over known confocal systems. 
     * Repetition in orginal German. Translator&#39;s Note.  
     FIGS. 20 and 21 show a mechanical part  105  in two views that serves as an example for explaining advantageous measurement strategies. 
     In FIG. 22, section A—A through part  105  is shown enlarged and the sequence of different image planes  110  is shown, said planes being superimposed on one another in the measurement direction (z-direction). 
     FIG. 23, like FIG. 22, shows another sequence  110  of different image planes superimposed on one another for measuring another area of mechanical part  105 . 
     In a procedure as in FIGS. 22 and 23, after the first measurement sequence is recorded, a longer path 
       * Repetition in original German. Translator&#39;s Note. ds must be traveled which makes a rapid drive for the relative movement between the workpiece and the sensor seem desirable.  
     In FIG. 24, a sequence  1  to  22  of image planes is shown of which some ( 5  to  11 ) are located on top of one another and others ( 11  to  22  for example) are arranged so that they overlap at an angle. Recording images that overlap at an angle is advantageous if the measuring device in which the sensor according to the invention is used does not have a rapid drive for x-y movement of the sensor relative to the object or of the object relative to the sensor. Thus, the shifts can take place discontinuously or quasi-continuously without a rapid drive being required that would permit rapid acceleration and rapid stops. Without adversely influencing the measurement speed, by using the measurement strategy outlined in FIG. 24, measurements can be made rapidly using economical measurement systems.