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.
-
Citations
10 Claims
-
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. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
-
-
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:
-
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.
-
Specification