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Planar laser illumination and imaging (PLIIM) based camera system for producing high-resolution 3-D images of moving 3-D objects

  • US 20030052169A1
  • Filed: 02/26/2002
  • Published: 03/20/2003
  • Est. Priority Date: 06/07/1999
  • Status: Active Grant
First Claim
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670. A planar laser illumination and imaging (PLIIM) based camera system for producing high-resolution 3-D images of 3-D object surfaces of arbitrary surface geometry moving relative to said PLIIM based camera system, said PLIIM-based camera system comprising:

  • a system housing having first, second, third and fourth light transmission apertures linearly aligned with and optically isolated from each other, and said third light transmission aperture being disposed between said first and second light transmission apertures;

    an LADAR-based object profiling subsystem, disposed within said system housing, for projecting an amplitude modulated (AM) laser beam through said fourth light transmission aperture, and scanning said laser beam across an 3-D object surface of arbitrary surface geometry moving past said fourth light transmission aperture, so as to measure the surface profile of said moving 3-D object surface and produce a series of linear 3-D surface profile maps thereof as said 3-D object surface moves past said system, wherein each said linear 3-D surface profile map comprises a set of 3-D coordinates specifying the location of sampled points along said moving 3-D object surface;

    a linear imaging subsystem, disposed within said system housing, for producing a series of linear high-resolution 2-D images of said moving 3-D object surface as said 3-D object surface moves past said system, wherein each said linear high-resolution 3-D image comprises a set of pixel intensity values, and each said pixel intensity value being assigned a set of two-dimensional coordinates specifying the location of the pixel in said linear high-resolution 2-D image, and wherein said linear imaging subsystem includes a linear image formation and detection module having image formation optics with a field of view projectable through said third light transmission aperture and onto said 3-D object surface moving relative to said first, second and third light transmission apertures during object illumination and imaging operations, and a pair of planar laser illumination arrays (PLIAs) disposed in said system housing, each said planar laser array (PLIA) including a plurality of laser diodes arranged together in a linear manner and said planar laser illumination arrays being arranged in relation to said linear image formation and detection module, and for producing a pair of planar laser illumination beams (PLIBs), and projecting said pair of stationary planar laser illumination beams through said first and second light transmission apertures and oriented such that the plane of said planar laser illumination beams is coplanar with the field of view of said linear image formation and detection module so that the object can be simultaneously illuminated by said planar laser illumination beams and imaged within said field of view of said linear image formation and detection module; and

    an image processing computer, for constructing high-resolution 3-D images of said 3-D object surface using said linear 3-D surface profile maps and said high-resolution 2-D linear images of said moving object surface.

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