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Three-dimensional vision camera

  • US 5,502,480 A
  • Filed: 01/24/1995
  • Issued: 03/26/1996
  • Est. Priority Date: 01/24/1994
  • Status: Expired due to Term
First Claim
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1. A three-dimensional vision camera comprising:

  • a taking lens movable along its optical axis;

    taking lens driving means for moving the taking lens;

    a photographic light receiving device including photoelectric conversion elements arranged in a matrix form, said photographic light receiving device receiving a light beam transmitted by the taking lens to be incident on the photographic light receiving device so that each photoelectric conversion element outputs a video signal;

    a light emitting device which emits a light beam irradiated to a photographic object;

    a distance measuring light receiving device including photoelectric conversion elements arranged in an array form, said distance measuring light receiving device receiving a light beam emitted by the light emitting device and reflected by the photographic object so that each photoelectric conversion element outputs an electric signal;

    a first optical device rotatable about an axis vertical to the optical axis of the taking lens, said first optical device being arranged behind the taking lens on the optical axis of the taking lens and reflecting the light beam emitted by the light emitting device toward the taking lens;

    optical device rotating means for rotating the first optical device;

    a second optical device arranged between the light emitting device and the first optical device, said second optical device transmitting a light beam advancing from the light emitting device to the first optical device and reflecting a light beam advancing from the first optical device to the light emitting device toward the distance measuring light receiving device;

    controlling means for controlling the taking lens driving means so that the taking lens is stopped at a plurality of predetermined positions, said controlling means controlling the optical device rotating means to rotate the first optical device every time the taking lens is stopped at the plurality of predetermined positions so that a direction in which the light beam is reflected by the first optical device is varied, said controlling means outputting a taking lens drive amount and an optical device rotation amount; and

    three-dimensional vision signal outputting means supplied with the video signal outputted from the photographic light receiving device, the electric signal outputted from the distance measuring light receiving device and the taking lens drive amount and the optical device rotation amount outputted from the controlling means, said three-dimensional vision signal outputting means producing a distance signal representative of a distance to a photographed portion of the photographic object to which the light beam is irradiated by the light emitting device based on the taking lens drive amount and synthesizing the video signal and the distance signal into a three-dimensional vision signal when the electric signal is supplied from a predetermined photoelectric conversion element of the distance measuring light receiving device, said video signal being outputted from the photoelectric conversion element of the photographic light receiving device receiving the light beam from the photographed portion of the photographic object, said three-dimensional vision signal outputting means outputting the three-dimensional vision signal.

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