Patent ID: 8199335

Claim:
A three-dimensional shape measuring apparatus for measuring a three-dimensional shape of a target object by analyzing an optical pattern projected onto the target object, the three-dimensional shape measuring apparatus comprising: optical pattern projecting means that projects the optical pattern onto a portion of a measurement surface on which the target object is placed, the optical pattern having brightness changing periodically according to a position; a first line sensor that images an optical pattern-emitted region onto which the optical pattern of the target object is projected; a second line sensor that images an optical pattern-non-emitted region onto which the optical pattern of the target object is not projected; and processing means that calculates a phase of the optical pattern at a pixel included in an image obtained by removing background information from images taken by the first and second line sensors based on a brightness value of the pixel and a neighboring pixel in the image, and calculates height information of the target object based on the calculated phase, wherein the first and second line sensors are arranged at such positions that the first and second line sensors can respectively image the optical pattern-emitted region and the optical pattern-non-emitted region at a time, and wherein a uniform illumination is emitted to the optical pattern-non-emitted region.