Measuring system with improved method of reading image data of an object

• US 6,243,165 B1
• Filed: 04/30/1997
• Issued: 06/05/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Minolta Corporation Limited (Konica Minolta Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Minolta Corporation Limited (Konica Minolta Inc.)
• Inventors: Yagi, Fumiya, Norita, Toshio, Hirose, Satoru
• Primary Examiner(s): Pham, Hoa Q.
• Application Number:
  US08/841,560
• Time in Patent Office: 1,497 Days
• Field of Search: 356/372, 356/375, 356/376, 250/201.2, 250/236, 250/559.23, 250/559.22, 250/559.31, 359/213
• US Class Current: 356/337
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 11/2518 Projection by scanning of the object
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/521 from laser ranging, e.g. using interferometry; from the projection of structured light

Abstract

When a scanning start position set signal is input in an area image sensor, the content is transferred to a vertical scanning circuit, and the scan start position is set. Image of a desired row is read by horizontal scanning. Then, one shift signal for vertical scanning is input, the position of scanning is shifted by one row, and horizontal scanning is performed. Thus image of the next row is read. By repeating this operation, a desired strip-shaped image is read. The shape of the object is determined and when a portion is determined to have complicated shape, the image data is input by means of a lens having long focal length, and image data of other portions are input by means of a lens having short focal length. By putting together a plurality of input image data, image data as a whole is generated.

Claims

1. A measuring system, comprising:

a light projector which projects a light toward an object; and

an area sensor which receives light including the light reflected from the object, said area sensor having an entire detecting area and a particular detecting area, the particular detecting area being smaller than the entire detecting area and having a selectable size, said area sensor allowing selective reading of signals from only the particular detecting area and not requiring reading of signals from the area sensor generated outside the particular detecting area, wherein the light reflected from the object is received within the particular detecting area.

2. A measuring system claimed in claim 1, wherein the area sensor is a CCD which outputs signals from an area except the particular detecting area into an overflow drain.

3. A measuring system claimed in claim 2, wherein the area sensor has a horizontal scanning direction parallel to the sense row along which charges are coupled and a vertical scanning direction perpendicular to the horizontal scanning direction, wherein the light reflected from the object is scanned across the area sensor in the vertical scanning direction.

4. A measuring system claimed in claim 1, wherein the light projector scans the light on the object, wherein the particular detecting area on the area sensor is shifted in response to the scanned light, and wherein the system measures a three-dimensional shape of the object on the basis of the output signals from the area sensor.

5. A measuring system claimed in claim 1, wherein the light projector which projects light toward an object projects a slit shaped light.

6. A measuring system claimed in claim 1, wherein said selective reading reads said signals out from said sensor.

7. A measuring system claimed in claim 1, wherein said particular detecting area is specified by instructions generated external to said area sensor.

8. A measuring system claimed in claim 1, wherein said signals comprise accumulated charge signals.

22. A measuring system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the object is measured using a single scan of light projected from the light projector.

9. A measuring system comprising:

a light projector which projects a light toward an object; and

an area sensor which receives light including the light reflected from the object, said area sensor allowing selective reading of signals from only a particular area including the reflected light, wherein the area sensor is an image sensing device which is operated according to an X-Y address method, and is able to set a start address for outputting the signals depending on the location of the reflected light.

10. A measuring system claimed in claim 9, wherein the image sensing device is a MOS or CMD device.

11. A measuring system claimed in claim 9, wherein said start address is set in a scan start set register.

12. A measuring system, comprising:

a light projector which projects a light toward an object; and

an area sensor which receives light including the light reflected from the object, said area sensor allowing selective reading of signals from only a particular area including the reflected light, wherein the area sensor is divided into a plurality of groups each of which is capable of outputting signals;

the system further comprising;

a multiplexer which selects one of the groups for outputting the signals depending on location of the reflected light.

13. A measuring system, comprising:

a light projector which projects a slit shaped light toward an object; and

a CCD area sensor which receives light including the slit shaped light reflected from the object, said area sensor having a horizontal scanning direction parallel to the sensor rows along which charges are coupled, wherein the alit shaped light reflected from the object is projected onto the CCD area sensor substantially parallel to the horizontal scanning direction.

14. A measuring system claimed in claim 13, wherein the light projector scans the slit shaped light on the object;

the system measuring a three-dimensional shape of the object on the basis of the output signals from the area sensor.

15. A measuring system claimed in claim 13, further comprising:

a position detector which detects a position in the CCD area sensor with respect to a sub-scanning direction, the position receiving the reflected slit shaped light.

16. A measuring system claimed in claim 15, wherein the light projector scans the slit shaped light on the object, the system measuring a three-dimensional shape of the object on the basis of the position.

17. A measuring system comprising:

a light projector which projects a light toward an object; and

an area sensor which receives light including the light reflected on the object, said area sensor allowing selective reading of signals from only a particularly area including the reflected light, wherein said area sensor which allows selective reading of signals from only said particular area performs random access selective reading.

18. A measuring system comprising:

a light projector which projects a light toward an object; and

an area sensor which receives light including the light reflected from the object, said area sensor allowing selective reading of signals from only a particular area including the reflected light, wherein the area sensor is a CCD which outputs signals from an area except the particular area into an overflow drain, further including an integration clear gate for discharging charges to said overflow drain.

19. A measuring system comprising:

a light projector which projects a slit shaped light toward an object; and

a CCD area sensor which receives light including the slit shaped light reflected from the object said area sensor having a horizontal scanning direction parallel to the reflected slit shaped light, wherein the horizontal scanning direction is faster than a vertical scanning direction, and wherein said horizontal scanning direction is made parallel to the reflected slit shaped light.

20. A measuring system comprising:

a light projector which projects a alit shaped light toward an object;

a CCD area sensor which receives light including the slit shaped light reflected from the object, said area sensor having a horizontal scanning direction parallel to the reflected slit shaped light; and

a position detector which detects a position in the CCD area sensor with respect to a sub-scanning direction, the position receiving the reflected slit shaped light, wherein the light projector scans the slit shaped light on the object, the system a three dimensional shape of the object on the basis of the position, wherein the position detector detects the position by means of comparing output signals within a predetermined area with respect to the sub-scanning direction.

21. A measuring system comprising:

a light projector which projects a light toward an object; and

an area sensor which receives light including the light reflected from the object, said area sensor having an entire area and a particular area, the particular area being smaller than the entire area and having a selectable size, said area sensor allowing selective reading of signals from only the particular area and not requiring reading of signals from the area sensor generated outside the particular area, wherein the light reflected from the object is received within the particular area, the particular area having a first number of pixels and the entire area having a second number of pixels, the second number of pixels being greater than the first number of pixels, wherein signals are read from only the first number of pixels corresponding to the particular area of the area sensor.

23. A measuring system comprising:

a light projector for projecting a light toward an object;

a sensor for receiving light reflected from the object;

wherein the sensor has a plurality of picture elements for reading the received light; and

a controller for controlling the sensor so that only particular picture elements of the plurality of picture elements read the received light.