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Range finding camera

  • US 5,225,876 A
  • Filed: 12/21/1990
  • Issued: 07/06/1993
  • Est. Priority Date: 12/23/1989
  • Status: Expired due to Fees
First Claim
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1. A camera for obtaining a two dimensional range image of a field of view, comprising:

  • a light source means;

    a first, two dimensional scanning means for distributing light from the light source means into a two dimensional scanning array and including line and field scan for obtaining the distributing of the light in said field of view, serially and on a point by point basis, to produce a series of light pulses reflected by different points in the field of view;

    a second, two dimensional scanning means operating synchronously with the first scanning means for receiving light from the different points of and within the field of view according to the two dimensional scanning array of the first scanning means as duplicated by the second scanning means, and including signal means for the detection of arrival times of light as received by the second scanning means in accordance with the line and field scan by both of the scanning means;

    at least one of the scanning means including a fiber optical line scanner having one fiber ends arranged in a line and being further provided with a rotating optical element at opposite fiber ends, the latter fiber ends at the opposite end being arranged in a circle and being optically coupled to the rotating optical element;

    the field scanning of the first and the second scanning means being a shared movable optical element; and

    evaluating means connected to the first scanning means and to the signal means of the second scanning means for detecting the transit time of light pulses as fed by the first scanning means to the individual points in the field of view and as returned back by the points in the field of view to the second scanning means and for each point in the field of view separately for obtaining a two dimensional range image of that field of view.

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