Method for generating image information

• US 8,261,989 B2
• Filed: 05/07/2007
• Issued: 09/11/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/24/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dr. Wirth Grafische Technik Gmbh & Co. Kg
• Original Assignee: Dr. Wirth Grafische Technik Gmbh & Co. Kg
• Inventors: Huemoeller, Hans
• Primary Examiner(s): LEE, SEUNG H
• Application Number:
  US12/301,987
• Publication Number:
  US 20100238525A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,954 Days
• Field of Search: 235/462.14, 235/462.01, 235/462.1, 235/462.15, 235/494
• US Class Current: 235/462.14
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 11/24 for measuring contours or curvatures
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 26/10 Scanning systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/55 from multiple images

Abstract

A method for generating image information from an object to be scanned by means of a scanning device, wherein the object to be scanned can comprise one or a plurality of surfaces, one or a plurality of bodies and/or a space, wherein the scanning device or at least parts of the scanning device or the object itself is moved during the scanning operation, and wherein the object to be scanned is scanned by the scanning device in the region of a scanning layer, is configured with regard to a simplest possible scanning operation in such a way that the beam path that scans the object is set in a manner oriented at any desired angle with respect to the scanning layer, and/or that the scanning layer is chosen in any desired position with respect to the object to be scanned.

Claims

1. Method for generation of image information from an object being scanned by means of a scanning device, in which the object being scanned can include one or more surfaces, at least one of one or more bodies and a space, in which the scanning device, or at least parts of the scanning device, or the object itself are moved during the scanning process, and in which the object being scanned is scanned by the scanning device in the region of a scanning layer,

wherein at least one of:

the beam path that scans the object is oriented at an arbitrary angle to the scanning layer; and

the scanning layer is chosen in an arbitrary position relative to the object being scanned; and

wherein;

a two-dimensional representation is calculated from recorded two-and three-dimensional image information; and

in the transition to two-dimensional representation, the recorded three-dimensional image information is combined with the recorded two-dimensional image information, so that a three-dimensional impression of the calculated two-dimensional representation is achieved.

2. Method according to claim 1, wherein:

the object being scanned by the scanning device is recorded with respect to two-dimensional image information, such as color, color blending and color contrasts; and

the object being scanned by the scanning device is recorded with respect to three-dimensional information, such as relief or height profile of the object, in which the scannings can be carried out simultaneously, largely simultaneously or in succession with respect to two-dimensional and three-dimensional image information.

3. Method according to claim 1, wherein the distortions that are produced by the arbitrary angle between the scanning beam path and the scanning layer are equalized by means of a telecentric optics at least one of already during the scanning process and by subsequent image processing.

4. Method according to claim 1, wherein the partial images arising because of the arbitrary angle between the scanning beam path and the scanning layer overlap.

5. Method according to claim 1, wherein the object during the scanning process is illuminated by means of an illumination device and/or the illumination device is moved with the scanning device or the moved parts of the scanning device.

6. Method according to claim 5, wherein the illumination intensity and/or illumination direction of the illumination device are kept constant during movement or adjusted as a function of the corresponding position of the illumination device with reference to the object being scanned.

7. Method according to claim 1, wherein the object is scanned along several scanning layers.

8. Method according to claim 7, wherein the scanning layers are chosen, so that adjacent scanning layers overlap or abut each other.

9. Method according to claim 7, wherein the scanning device is controlled, so that the object in a scanning layer is only scanned in the areas, in which the scanning layer is penetrated by the object.

10. Method according to claim 7, wherein the information from the scannings along the individual scanning layers is combined to common image information.

11. Method according to claim 1, wherein filters are used to calculate a correct physiological imaging of the two-dimensional representation.

12. Method according to claim 11, wherein equalization or distortion of the shape is carried out by the filters, especially with a low pass, band pass, high pass or free filtering.

13. Method according to claim 1, wherein the colors in the two-dimensional representation are brightened or darkened based on the three-dimensional image information by virtual space elimination.