Patent ID: 7583391

Claim:
A three-dimensional measuring apparatus for measuring a measurement object, the three-dimensional measuring apparatus comprising: pattern forming means for forming a pattern for light to be projected onto the measurement object, said pattern comprising a combination of N individual patterns having an intensity Ii (i=1, 2, 3, . . . , N), respectively, said combination including a pattern employing either an optimal combination which provides a maximum difference in an intensity of the relative maximums between a target individual pattern and an individual pattern adjacent thereto, or a second optimal combination which provides a sufficiently large difference in an intensity of the relative maximums between a target individual pattern and an individual pattern adjacent thereto; projecting means for projecting a pattern of light in the pattern formed by the pattern forming means onto the measurement object; imaging means for capturing an image of the measurement object illuminated with the pattern of light; projected pattern light detection means for detecting the projected pattern of light on the image; direction angle computing means for comparing the projected pattern of light and an original pattern of light to compute a direction angle of the projected pattern of light; dividing means for dividing the projected pattern of light at every cycle; phase value computing means for computing a phase value at a measuring point from the divided projected pattern of light; distance computing means for computing a depth distance of the measuring point from the computed phase value; and three-dimensional information computing means for computing three-dimensional information on the measurement object using the computed depth distance of the measuring point.