APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR CAPTURING AN AREA IN 3D

• US 20100134596A1
• Filed: 04/03/2006
• Published: 06/03/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Faro Technologies Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Faro Technologies Incorporated
• Inventors: Becker, Reinhard
• Application Number:
  US12/515,034
• Publication Number:
  US 20100134596A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/47
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 15/002 Active optical surveying means optical plumbing G01C15/105
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/86 Combinations of lidar systems with systems other than lidar, radar or sonar, e.g. with direction finders
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/89 for mapping or imaging

Abstract

An apparatus for three-dimensional coverage of a spatial area has a rangefinder for finding the range to an object point in the spatial area, and has an image recording unit. The rangefinder contains a transmitter for transmission of a transmitted signal which is largely in the form of a beam to the object point, a receiver for receiving a reflected signal from the object point, and an evaluation and control unit which is designed to determine the range to the object point on the basis of the transmitted signal and the reflected signal. The apparatus furthermore contains a beam scanning unit which is designed to point the transmitted signal in different spatial directions. The image recording unit has a defined image recording area, and is coupled to the beam scanning unit in order to align the image recording area and the transmitted signal with the same object point.

Claims

1. An apparatus for capturing an area in 3D, the apparatus comprising:

a distance meter structured to determine a distance from an object point in said area, said distance meter comprising an emitter for emitting a widely beam-shaped emitted signal to said object point;

a receiver structured to receive a signal reflected from said object point;

an evaluation and control unit configured to determine, from said emitted signal and from said reflected signal, the distance to said object point and with a beam sweeper that is configured to orient said emitted signal in different directions in space;

an image capturing unit structured to record an image of the area, said image capturing unit having a defined image capturing region and said image capturing unit being coupled to the beam sweeper in order to orient said image capturing region and said emitted signal onto the same object point.

2. The apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein the image capturing unit is configured to record an optical color image of the area.

3. The apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein the image capturing unit is configured to record a thermal image of the area.

4. The apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein the evaluation and control unit is further configured to determine a gray-scale image of the area by means of signal amplitudes of the reflected signal.

5. The apparatus as set forth in claim 4, wherein the evaluation and control unit is further configured to accurately superimpose the gray-scale image and the image of the image capturing unit.

6. The apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein the beam sweeper comprises a first rotary drive in order to rotate the beam-shaped emitted signal about a first, preferably vertical, axis of rotation.

7. The apparatus as set forth in claim 6, wherein the image capturing unit comprises an image sensor with a plurality of picture elements arranged side by side in a line and forming a line of picture elements, said line of picture elements being adapted to be positioned parallel to the first axis of rotation.

8. The apparatus as set forth in claim 7, wherein the image sensor is a line sensor.

9. The apparatus as set forth in claim 7, wherein the image sensor has several parallel lines of picture elements for receiving different color components, said parallel lines of picture elements being disposed in a defined spaced-apart relationship and the first rotary drive having a rotational speed that is adapted to said defined spacing for each of the parallel lines of picture elements to capture the same object point.

10. The apparatus as set forth in claim 7, wherein the beam sweeper comprises a second rotary drive for rotating the emitted signal about a second, preferably horizontal, axis of rotation.

11. The apparatus as set forth in claim 10, wherein the line of picture elements can be positioned at right angles to the second axis of rotation.

12. The apparatus as set forth in claim 6, wherein the first and the second axis of rotation define a point of intersection of the axes and that the image capturing unit has an optical axis that can be positioned at least optionally in the region of the point of intersection of the axes.

13. The apparatus as set forth in claim 1, further comprising a height-adjustable stand with a height scaling for accurately positioning the image capturing unit.

14. The apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein the beam sweeper includes a rotary mirror that is configured to divert the emitted signal in different directions in space, said image capturing unit being adapted to be positioned optionally in the region of the rotary mirror.

15. The apparatus as set forth in claim 1, further comprising a housing structure with at least two separate housing parts and by a holding device for the image capturing unit that is removably connected to at least one housing part.

16. The apparatus as set forth in claim 15, wherein the holding device comprises a pivotal arm on which the image capturing unit is disposed.

17. The apparatus as set forth in claim 15, wherein the holding device comprises an approximately U-shaped clamp for placing said holding device onto the at least one housing part.

18. The apparatus as set forth in claim 15, wherein the image capturing unit is pivotal in a plane located between the at least two housing parts with the help of the holding device.

19. A method of capturing in 3D an area, the method comprising:

emitting a widely beam-shaped emitted signal to an object point in the area,

receiving a signal reflected from said object point and determining a distance to said object point by means of the emitted signal and of the reflected signal,

orienting the emitted signal in different directions in space with the help of a beam sweeper,

wherein an image of the area is moreover recorded using an image capturing unit, said image capturing unit having a defined image capturing region and said image capturing unit being coupled to the beam sweeper in order to orient the image capturing region and the emitted signal onto a plurality of identical object points.