Patent ID: 8823770

Claim:
A method for acquiring a two-dimensional image of a three-dimensional object including the steps of: (a) providing a camera for obtaining images of the object; (b) calculating the width of the object by determining the location of a left edge and a right edge of the object by analyzing pixels in a horizontal row of pixels across the image, the left edge being located by designating a first pixel known to be to the left of the object as a subject pixel, and designating a plurality of pixels positioned to the left of the subject pixel as reference pixels, comparing at least one pixel property of the subject pixel with the pixel property of the reference pixels, determining that the left edge of the image is not located at the subject pixel when the subject pixel and the reference pixel have the same pixel property, determining that the left edge of the image does begin at the subject pixel when the subject pixel and the reference pixels do not have the same pixel property, and when the subject pixel is determined as not being the left edge of the image, a second pixel to the right of the first pixel is then designated as the subject pixel, and the process of comparing the pixel property between the reference pixels and the subject pixel is repeated, wherein the process of comparing the pixel property and the subsequent re-designation of the subject pixel is repeated until the left edge of the image is located, the right edge being located by designating a first pixel known to be to the right of the object as a subject pixel, and designating a plurality of pixels positioned to the right of the subject pixel as reference pixels, comparing at least one pixel property of the subject pixel with the pixel property of the reference pixels, determining that the right edge of the image is not located at the subject pixel when the subject pixel and the reference pixel have the same pixel property, determining that the right edge of the image does begin at the subject pixel when the subject pixel and the reference pixels do not have the same pixel property, and when the subject pixel is determined as not being the right edge of the image, a second pixel to the left of the first pixel is then designated as the subject pixel, and the process of comparing the pixel property between the reference pixels and the subject pixel is repeated, wherein the process of comparing the pixel property and the subsequent re-designation of the subject pixel is repeated until the right edge of the image is located, and the width of the object is then determined once the left and right edges have been located; (c) determining the width of an image stripe based upon the width of the object, the width of the image stripe being less than the width of the object; (d) capturing a first image stripe of the object; (e) rotating the object to a second position; (f) capturing a second image stripe of the object; and (g) stitching together the first and second image stripes of the object to form the two-dimensional image.