Three-dimensional scanner based on contours from shadow images

• US 9,432,655 B2
• Filed: 01/16/2014
• Issued: 08/30/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/23/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cal-Comp Electronics & Communications Company Limited (Cal-Comp Electronics Public Company Limited), Kinpo Electronics Incorporated (Cal-Comp Electronics Public Company Limited), XYZprinting, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Cal-Comp Electronics & Communications Company Limited (Cal-Comp Electronics Public Company Limited), Kinpo Electronics Incorporated (Cal-Comp Electronics Public Company Limited), XYZprinting, Inc.
• Inventors: Lee, Yang-Teh, Ho, Kwan
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Jay
• Assistant Examiner(s): Suh, Joseph
• Application Number:
  US14/156,481
• Publication Number:
  US 20150054918A1
• Time in Patent Office: 957 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 11/2522 the position of the object changing and being recorded
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 11/2545 with one projection direction and several detection directions, e.g. stereo
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/221 using the relative movement between cameras and objects
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/254 in combination with electromagnetic radiation sources for illuminating objects

Abstract

A three-dimensional (3D) scanner including a light-source module, a screen, a rotary platform, an image capturing unit and a process unit is provided. The light source module is configured to emit a beam. The screen disposed on a transmission path of the beam has a projection surface facing the light source module. The rotary platform carrying a 3D object is disposed between the light source module and the screen. The 3D object is rotated to a plurality of object orientations about a rotating axis to form a plurality of object shadows on the projection surface. The image capturing unit is configured to capture the object shadows from the projection surface to obtain a plurality of object contour images. The process unit is configured to read and process the object contour images to build the digital 3D model related to the 3D object according to the object contour images.

Claims

1. A three-dimensional scanner, adapted to build a digital three-dimensional model related to a three-dimensional object, comprising:

a light source module, configured to emit a beam;

a screen, disposed on a transmission path of the beam, and having a projection surface facing the light source module;

a rotary platform, configured to carry the three-dimensional object, and disposed between the light source module and the screen, wherein the rotary platform is configured to rotate the three-dimensional object to a plurality of orientations about a rotating axis, so as to form a plurality of object shadows of the three-dimensional object respectively corresponding to the orientations on the projection surface of the screen;

an image capturing unit, configured to capture the object shadows from the projection surface of the screen to obtain a plurality of object contour images; and

a processor, coupled to the image capturing unit, and configured to read and process the object contour images to build the digital three-dimensional model related to the three-dimensional object according to the object contour images, wherein the processor compares an initial object contour image corresponding to the three-dimensional object at an initial orientation of the rotary platform with a final object contour image corresponding to the three-dimensional object at a final orientation where the three-dimensional object is finally rotated to obtain a common central axis of the object contour images.

2. The three-dimensional scanner as claimed in claim 1, wherein the processor is coupled to the rotary platform, and controls the rotary platform to rotate the three-dimensional object to each of the orientations about the rotating axis, and the processor builds the digital three-dimensional model corresponding to the orientations according to the object contour images.

3. The three-dimensional scanner as claimed in claim 1, wherein the rotary platform rotates a plurality of predetermined angles sequentially about the rotating axis, so as to sequentially rotate the three-dimensional object to the orientations.

4. The three-dimensional scanner as claimed in claim 3, wherein a sum of the predetermined angles is 180 degrees.

5. The three-dimensional scanner as claimed in claim 1, wherein the relation between a size of the object shadow and a size of the three-dimensional object is in a fixed ratio.

6. The three-dimensional scanner as claimed in claim 5, wherein the fixed ratio is substantially greater than 1.

7. The three-dimensional scanner as claimed in claim 1, wherein the image capturing unit is a monochromatic image capturing unit.

8. The three-dimensional scanner as claimed in claim 1, wherein the processing processor obtains a plurality of object contour lines according to maximum grey level difference of the object contour images, and builds the digital three-dimensional model according to the object contour lines.

9. The three-dimensional scanner as claimed in claim 1, wherein the three-dimensional object has a recess portion recessed towards a central axis of the three-dimensional object, the image capturing unit captures a grey level image of the recess portion, and the processing processor builds the digital three-dimensional model related to the three-dimensional object according to the object contour images and the grey level image.

10. The three-dimensional scanner as claimed in claim 1, further comprising an auxiliary image capturing unit coupled to the processor, wherein the three-dimensional object has a recess portion recessed towards a central axis of the three-dimensional object, the auxiliary image capturing unit is configured to face the recess portion and capture a grey level image of the recess portion, and the processor builds the digital three-dimensional model related to the three-dimensional object according to the object contour images and the grey level image.