Patent ID: 8320661

Claim:
An apparatus for information extraction from electromagnetic energy via multi-characteristic spatial geometry processing to determine three-dimensional aspects of an object from which the electromagnetic energy is proceeding, said apparatus including: means for receiving the electromagnetic energy, the received electromagnetic energy having a plurality of spatial phase characteristics; means for separating the plurality of spatial phase characteristics of the received electromagnetic energy; means for identifying spatially segregated portions of each of the plurality of spatial phase characteristics, with each spatially segregated portion for each of the plurality of spatial phase characteristics corresponding in a point to point relationship to a spatially segregated portion for each of the other of the plurality of spatial phase characteristics in a group; means for quantifying each segregated portion to provide a spatial phase metric of each segregated portion for providing a data map of the spatial phase metric of each separated spatial phase characteristic of the plurality of spatial phase characteristics; and means for processing the spatial phase metrics to determine surface contour information for each segregated portion of the data map.