Patent ID: 7415151

Claim:
A method of generating a pattern constructed by more than 3 basic colors to acquire 3D color information, wherein a common light source and a pattern light source are used to respectively acquire a projected image and a pattern image to obtain a 3D model of an object, wherein the pattern light source provides the pattern constructed by more than 3 basic colors, comprising: (a) selecting a primary encoding unit including a predetermined number of colors; (b) adding a first of the more than 3 basic colors behind the primary encoding unit to form a first new encoding unit; (c) confirming that an arrangement of the first new encoding unit follows a predetermined color sequence of adjacent colors; (d) determining whether or not the first new encoding unit corresponds to any previous encoding unit; (e) one of (e1) if the first new encoding unit corresponds to any previous encoding unit, adding a second of the more than 3 basic colors behind the primary encoding unit to form a second new encoding unit and repeating steps (c) and (d) until step (d) identifies a final new encoding unit that does not correspond to any previous encoding unit, and (e2) if the first new encoding unit does not correspond to any previous encoding unit, identifying the first new encoding unit as the final new encoding unit; (f) determining whether or not the final new encoding unit can be associated with a pre-existing cluster in accordance with a predetermined association parameter; (g) one of (g1) forming a new cluster if the final new encoding unit cannot be associated with a pre-existing cluster, (g2) assigning the final new encoding unit to the pre-existing cluster if the final new encoding unit can be associated with a pre-existing cluster, and if the final new encoding unit is spaced from pre-existing encoding units of the pre-existing cluster by a predetermined amount, and (g3) if the final new encoding unit can be associated with a pre-existing cluster, and if the final new encoding unit is not spaced from pre-existing encoding units of the pre-existing cluster by a predetermined amount, repeating steps (a) through (f) with another of the more than 3 basic colors; and (h) repeating the steps (a) through (g) until all of the more than 3 basic colors are processed.