Patent ID: 8477320

Claim:
A method for measuring the shape of at least a section of an object ( 8 ), in particular of a semi-transparent object such as at least a section of a tooth, using at least one light source to generate light with preferably a broad-band spectrum, a device to generate a multi-focus illumination pattern, an objective lens with high chromatic aberration to image the foci of the illumination pattern onto the object, and a detector unit to determine the wavelength spectra of the foci imaged confocally onto the object by the objective lens, whereby for each focus the spectral peak position of each focus is determined from the corresponding wavelength spectrum, from which the spatial extent of the object along the direction of the imaging beam (z coordinate) is computed, whereby the multi-focal illumination pattern is generated by light guides that are arranged between the light source and the objective lens with high chromatic aberration, whereby the object lens images the ends of the light guides on the objective side onto the object and images light returned by the object onto the ends of the light guides on the object side, and whereby returned light that is conducted through the light guides is directed onto the detector device, characterized in that one creates an arrangement of the ends of the light guides on the object side that is different from the arrangement of the ends of the light guides on the illumination or detection side so that one obtains a measuring point distribution on the object side that is independent of the distribution of microlenses or pinholes on the illumination or detection side.