Document imaging system
First Claim
1. An imaging system for imaging a document, comprising:
- a support surface for a document to be imaged, a light stripe projector arranged to project a plurality of diverging sheets of light that extend from the projector towards the support surface for forming a series of stripes across the document, a camera having a detector array for capturing an image of the document and of light stripes projected onto the document, and a processor arranged to receive from the detector array data representative of images of the document and of the light stripes and to calculate therefrom a three-dimensional profile of the document relative to a reference surface, and wherein the relative divergence of adjacent sheets of light varies laterally across the sheets so that the stripes are concentrated where the divergence is relatively low.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
The present invention relates to the use of a camera and a structured light pattern in a platenless document imaging system (1) to capture the image of a page or of a bound book together with depth information that can be inferred from the light pattern. The imaging system (1) comprises a support surface (12) for a document (30) to be imaged, a light stripe projector (4) arranged to project a plurality of diverging sheets of light that extend from the projector (4) towards the support surface (12) for forming a series of stripes across the document (30), a camera (2) having a detector array (22) for capturing an image of the document (30) and of light stripes projected onto the document (30), a processor (25) arranged to receive (23) from the detector array (22) data representative of images of the document (30) and of the light stripes and to calculate therefrom a three-dimensional profile of the document (30) relative to a reference surface, characterised in that the relative divergence of adjacent sheets of light varies laterally across the sheets so that the stripes are concentrated where the divergence is relatively low.
49 Citations
10 Claims
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1. An imaging system for imaging a document, comprising:
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a support surface for a document to be imaged, a light stripe projector arranged to project a plurality of diverging sheets of light that extend from the projector towards the support surface for forming a series of stripes across the document, a camera having a detector array for capturing an image of the document and of light stripes projected onto the document, and a processor arranged to receive from the detector array data representative of images of the document and of the light stripes and to calculate therefrom a three-dimensional profile of the document relative to a reference surface, and wherein the relative divergence of adjacent sheets of light varies laterally across the sheets so that the stripes are concentrated where the divergence is relatively low. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A method of imaging a document using a document imaging system comprising a support surface a light stripe projector, a camera having a detector array, a processor, in which the method comprises the steps of:
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i) placing the document on the support surface;
ii) using the light stripe projector to project a plurality of diverging sheets of light that extend from the projector towards the document;
iii) arranging the light stripe projector so that the sheets of light fall on the document to produce a series of light stripes on the document;
iv) using the camera to capture with the detector array an image of the document and of light stripes projected onto the document;
v) sending from the detector array to the processor data representative of the captured image of the document and of the light stripes; and
vi) using the processor to calculate therefrom a three-dimensional profile of the document relative to a reference surface;
wherein the light stripe projector projects adjacent sheets of light with a relative divergence that varies laterally across the sheets so that the stripes are concentrated on the document where the divergence is relatively low.
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Specification