Apparatus for optical distancing autofocus and imaging and method of using the same
First Claim
Patent Images
1. An automatic focusing and optical imaging apparatus for optical imaging of an object, comprising:
- at least one lens;
a first sensor comprising a distancing sensor adapted to receive light rays representative of an image of the object that travel through said at least one lens;
a second sensor comprising an imaging sensor adapted to receive light rays representative of the image that travel through said at least one lens and said imaging sensor is adapted to move; and
at least one processor coupled to the distancing sensor and the imaging sensor for controlling the movement of the imaging sensor to a position of optimal imaging, and for processing the image received by said imaging sensor, wherein the distancing sensor is a Scheimpflug optical array.
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Abstract
An automatic distancing, focusing and optical imaging apparatus for optical imaging of an object is disclosed, having at least one lens, a distancing sensor adapted to receive light rays representative of the image that travel through the lens, an imaging sensor adapted to receive light rays representative of the image that travel through the lens, and at least one processor coupled to the distancing sensor and the imaging sensor, the processor for controlling the movement of the imaging sensor to a position for optimal imaging and for processing the image received by the imaging sensor.
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Citations
55 Claims
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1. An automatic focusing and optical imaging apparatus for optical imaging of an object, comprising:
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at least one lens;
a first sensor comprising a distancing sensor adapted to receive light rays representative of an image of the object that travel through said at least one lens;
a second sensor comprising an imaging sensor adapted to receive light rays representative of the image that travel through said at least one lens and said imaging sensor is adapted to move; and
at least one processor coupled to the distancing sensor and the imaging sensor for controlling the movement of the imaging sensor to a position of optimal imaging, and for processing the image received by said imaging sensor, wherein the distancing sensor is a Scheimpflug optical array. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. An automatic focusing and optical imaging apparatus for optical imaging of an object, comprising:
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at least one lens for focusing an image of the object;
an aperture positioned downstream of said at least one lens;
a distancing sensor adapted to receive light rays representative of the image of the object that travel through said at least one lens and through said aperture;
an imaging sensor adapted to receive light rays representative of the image that travel through said at least one lens and through said aperture, said imaging sensor is adapted to move;
at least one processor coupled to the distancing sensor and the imaging sensor for controlling the movement of the imaging sensor to a position of optimal imaging, and for processing the image received by the imaging sensor; and
a beam splitter adapted to partially transmit the light rays representative of the image onto one of the distancing sensor or the imaging sensor and partially reflect the light rays representative of the image onto the other of the distancing sensor or the imaging sensor, wherein the distancing sensor is a Scheimpflug optical array. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14)
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15. An automatic focusing and optical imaging apparatus for optical imaging of an object, comprising:
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at least one lens;
a distancing sensor adapted to receive light rays representative of an image of the object that travel through said at least one lens;
an imaging sensor adapted to receive light rays representative of the image that travel through said at least one lens and said imaging sensor is adapted to move;
at least one processor coupled to the distancing sensor and the imaging sensor for controlling the movement of the imaging sensor to a position of optimal imaging, and for processing the image received by said imaging sensor;
a beam splitter adapted to partially transmit the light rays representative of the image onto one of the distancing sensor or the imaging sensor and partially reflect the light rays representative of the image onto the other of the distancing sensor or the imaging sensor, wherein the beam splitter and imaging sensor are fixed relative to each other and adapted to be moved together in response to a distance to the object determined by said distancing sensor and said at least one processor. - View Dependent Claims (16)
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17. An automatic focusing and optical imaging apparatus for optical imaging of an object, comprising:
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at least a first lens and a second lens;
a first sensor comprising a distancing sensor adapted to receive light rays representative of an image of the object that travel through said first lens;
a second sensor comprising an imaging sensor adapted to receive light rays representative of the image that travel through said second lens and said imaging sensor is adapted to move; and
at least one processor coupled to the distancing sensor and the imaging sensor for controlling the movement of the imaging sensor to a position of optimal imaging, and for processing the image received by said imaging sensor, wherein the distancing sensor is a Scheimpflug optical array wherein the imaging sensor is adapted to move and is part of an imaging mechanism and the distancing sensor is part of a separate distancing and surfacing mechanism, the separate imaging and distancing and surfacing mechanisms are separated by a predetermined distance, said separate imaging and distancing and surfacing mechanisms adapted to be fixed relative to said object, which moves at a predetermined speed past said imaging and distancing and surfacing mechanisms, said at least one processor adapted to obtain a surface profile for at least one surface of said object based on distance to object information retrieved from said distancing sensor and to timely control the movement of said imaging sensor to a position for optimal imaging based on distance to object information retrieved from said distancing sensor, said predetermined distance between said imaging and distancing and surfacing mechanisms, and said predetermined speed of said object. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27)
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28. A method for automatically focusing and optical imaging an object using an automatic focusing and optical imaging apparatus including at least one lens, comprising:
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determining distance from the optical imaging apparatus to the object using a Scheimpflug optical array as a first sensor comprising a distancing sensor adapted to receive light rays through said at least one lens in the apparatus;
adjusting position of a second sensor comprising an imaging sensor adapted to receive light rays through said at least one lens in the apparatus to an optimal position for optimal imaging based on said distance determining step; and
optically imaging the object using the imaging sensor. - View Dependent Claims (29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51)
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52. A method for automatically focusing and optical imaging an object using an automatic focusing and optical imaging apparatus including at least one lens, comprising:
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determining a distance from the automatic focusing and optical imaging apparatus to the object using a distancing sensor in the apparatus;
adjusting the position of an imaging sensor in the apparatus to a position for optimal imaging based on said distance determining step;
optically imaging the object using the imaging sensor;
using a beam splitter to transmit or reflect part of the light rays representative of an image of the object to the distancing sensor for determining the distance from the automatic focusing and optical imaging apparatus to the object and reflect or transmit part of the light rays representative of the image of the object for optically imaging the object using the imaging sensor, wherein the beam splitter and imaging sensor are fixed relative to each other, and wherein adjusting the position of an imaging sensor includes adjusting the position of the beam splitter and the imaging sensor in the apparatus to a position of optimal imaging based on said distance determining step. - View Dependent Claims (53)
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54. An automatic focusing and optical imaging apparatus for optical imaging of an object, comprising:
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at least one lens;
a first sensor comprising a distancing sensor adapted to receive light rays representative of an image of the object that travel through said at least one lens;
a second sensor comprising an imaging sensor adapted to receive light rays representative of the image that travel through said at least one lens and said imaging sensor is adapted to move;
at least one processor coupled to the distancing sensor and the imaging sensor for controlling the movement of the imaging sensor to a position of optimal imaging, and for processing the image received by said imaging sensor, wherein said distancing sensor is adapted to rotate about at least different axes to find a best CMF plane and wherein said imaging sensor is adapted to rotate said at least two different axes to a position corresponding to the best CMF plane.
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55. A method for automatically focusing and optical imaging an object using an automatic focusing and optical imaging apparatus including at least one lens, comprising:
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determining a distance from the automatic focusing and optical imaging apparatus to the object using a first sensor comprising a distancing sensor in the apparatus;
rotating said distancing sensor about at least two different axes to find a best CMF plane;
adjusting the position of a second sensor comprising an imaging sensor in the apparatus to a position for optimal imaging based on said distance determining step;
rotating said imaging sensor about at least two different axes to an orientation corresponding to the best CMF plane as determined in the rotating said distancing sensor step;
optically imaging the object using the imaging sensor.
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Specification