STEREOSCOPIC FORM READER
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A system for taking stereoscopic views of an example of a known form, the system comprising:
- a camera with at least one optical opening encompassing two distinct optical paths, each path accepting light reflected from the same scene on the form;
a photo-sensitive area defining two separate photo-sensitive surfaces, wherein each optical path leads to one of the two separate photo-sensitive surfaces and a captured optical image of the same scene is formed on each of the two separate photo-sensitive surfaces;
a digitizer that converts the two captured optical images into two captured digital images;
a memory that receives and stores the two captured digital images, wherein the memory contains a model of the known form and the locations of printed marks on the model of the known form; and
a comparator that compares the mark at a known location on the model to the corresponding marks in the two captured digital images, wherein if the comparison is accepted, the digital images are further processed.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A stereoscopic optical reader of a form example is provided where two images are captured of the same scene on a known form example taken from two different angles. The stereoscopic images are amenable to parallax calculations that may help determine that the form example is flat. If the two captured images are congruent with each other and/or with a stored digital model of the form, the entire form example may be read. If the images are not congruent, the form may be rejected as not being flat, and/or the image data may be further processed via parallax operations and/or other such projections to yield a virtual flat form.
-
Citations
15 Claims
-
1. A system for taking stereoscopic views of an example of a known form, the system comprising:
-
a camera with at least one optical opening encompassing two distinct optical paths, each path accepting light reflected from the same scene on the form; a photo-sensitive area defining two separate photo-sensitive surfaces, wherein each optical path leads to one of the two separate photo-sensitive surfaces and a captured optical image of the same scene is formed on each of the two separate photo-sensitive surfaces; a digitizer that converts the two captured optical images into two captured digital images; a memory that receives and stores the two captured digital images, wherein the memory contains a model of the known form and the locations of printed marks on the model of the known form; and a comparator that compares the mark at a known location on the model to the corresponding marks in the two captured digital images, wherein if the comparison is accepted, the digital images are further processed. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
-
-
10. A method for processing forms comprising the steps of:
-
storing a model, a digital image, of a form, and example of which is to be processed; accepting light reflected from two different angles of the same scene on the form being processed, the reflected light defining two optical images of the scene; directing the accepted light onto two separate photo-sensitive surfaces; converting the two captured optical images into two captured digital images; and comparing a mark at a known location on the model to a corresponding mark in the two captured digital images, wherein if the comparison is acceptable, the captured digital images are available for further processing. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
-
Specification