Patent Document ID: 10113977
Application ID: 15413134
Patent Status: 1

Claim One:
1. An apparatus for acquiring a two-dimensional image of an external surface of a three-dimensional object, comprising: a conveyor that displaces the object along a path; a camera for capturing images of portions of the object surface; a friction member that engages with the object to cause the object to rotate about an axis of rotation to vary the object surface that is exposed to the camera to provide a plurality of exposed portions of the object surface, wherein the camera is configured to capture images corresponding to the exposed portions of the object surface, and wherein the camera is configured to capture the images as respective single frames; a source of illumination; and an electronic control unit adapted, for each single frame, to: read out a sub-frame from the single frame, the sub-frame corresponding to a respective individual portion of the exposed portion of the object surface, whereby the sub-frames correspond to individual portions of the object surface; and assemble the sub-frames into an assembled frame corresponding to a two-dimensional image of a surface area of the object, wherein the object is a cylindrical capsule with a circular cross section along a central axis of the type used in pharmaceutical or healthcare applications, the conveyor includes at least one spacing member that spaces the object apart from a second three-dimensional object being displaced by the conveyor and a driving member adapted to move the spacing member relative to the friction member to displace the object along the path, wherein the friction member is arranged to contact locally the external surface of the object when the object is displaced along the path by the conveyor, and wherein the friction member has a first side and a second side, and the camera is positioned on the first side of the friction member and the source of illumination is positioned on the second side.