Three-dimensional shape and color detecting apparatus

• US 20030107747A1
• Filed: 12/06/2002
• Published: 06/12/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 12/07/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Brother Industries Limited)
• Original Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Brother Industries Limited)
• Inventors: Iwasaki, Takeo
• Granted Patent: US 6,760,116 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 356/601
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 11/24 for measuring contours or curvatures

Abstract

A three-dimensional shape and color detecting apparatus that detects a three-dimensional shape of an object and a color thereof is provided with an illuminating system that emits light to illuminate the object, and a light receiving device that receives a reflected component of the light from the object. In this structure, the illuminating system is configured to emit the light from a surface having a predetermined area to the object.

Claims

1. A three-dimensional shape and color detecting apparatus that detects a three-dimensional shape of an object and a color thereof, comprising:

an illuminating system that emits light to illuminate the object; and

a light receiving device that receives a reflected component of the light from the object,

wherein said illuminating system emits the light from a surface having a predetermined area to the object.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said light receiving device includes a two-dimensional image capturing element.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said surface includes, when viewed from the object side, portions facing each other with the light receiving device located therebetween.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a solid angle formed by the predetermined area with respect to a center of the object is one steradian or larger.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the light illuminating the object includes diffused light.

6. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the diffused light is white light.

7. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the illuminating system includes:

a light source; and

a light diffusing member that diffuses the light emitted by said light source.

8. The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said light source is arranged, when viewed from the object side, behind said light diffusing member.

9. The apparatus according to claim 7, where said light source is arranged, when viewed from the object side, on a near side of said light diffusing member.

10. The apparatus according to claim 1, further including a rotary table on which the object is held.

11. The apparatus according to claim 1, further including a light shielding member that prevents ambient light from being incident on the object.

12. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a slit light beam emitting system that emits a slit beam to the object; and

a three-dimensional shape detecting system that detects the three-dimensional shape of the object in accordance with an image of an object at a portion illuminated by the slit beam.

13. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein said light receiving device receives the image of the illuminated portion of the object.

14. The apparatus according to claim 12,

wherein light emission of said illuminating system is inhibited when the three-dimensional shape of the object is measured, and

wherein emission of the slit beam of said slit light beam emitting system is inhibited when the color of the object is measured.

15. The apparatus according to claim 12, further includes a scanning system that moves said slit beam emitting system and said light receiving device relative to the object in a direction perpendicular to an extending direction of the slit beam so as to scan the object with the slit beam.

16. A three-dimensional shape and color detecting apparatus that detects a three-dimensional shape of an object and a color thereof, comprising:

a slit beam emitting system that emits a slit beam to the object, cross section of the slit beam being extending in a predetermined direction;

an illuminating system that emits illuminating light having substantially an even intensity distribution toward entire area of the object; and

a light receiving device that receives an illuminated portion of the object,

wherein, when the three-dimensional shape of the object is detected, the slit beam is emitted to the object and the reflected beam is received by said light receiving device, and

wherein, when the color of the object is detected, the illuminating light is emitted to the object and the reflected beam is received by said light receiving device.

17. The apparatus according to claim 16, wherein said illuminating system includes a surface light source.

18. The apparatus according to claim 17, wherein a solid angle formed by an area of said surface light source with respect to a center of the object is at least one steradian.

19. The apparatus according to claim 16, further includes a scanning system that moves said slit beam emitting system and said light receiving device relative to the object in a direction perpendicular to an extending direction of the slit beam so as to scan the object with the slit beam.

20. The apparatus according to claim 16, further comprising a controller that controls said illuminating system and said slit beam emitting system to operate,

said controller inhibiting light emission of said illuminating system when the three-dimensional shape of the object is measured, and

said controller inhibiting emission of the slit beam of said slit light beam emitting system when the color of the object is measured.