Abstract: Edge data for an object are obtained by placing the object in front of a medium that has greater reflectance than the object, and both are illuminated by a light source. The contrast in image intensity obtained between the object and background enables the edges of the object to be determined.

Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for defining, identifying and learning geometric features.

Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for generating a digital model of at least a part of an object referenced to a global coordinate system. An initial digital model, referenced to a local coordinate system associated with the optical device and representative of the respective part, is provided using an optical device at a relative location with respect to the object. The optical device has a plurality of visually exposed optical markers, at known locations with respect to the optical device and referenced to a marker coordinate system. The location of the optical device with respect to an external camera arrangement is determined, based on relating the relative locations of the markers with respect to one another, as they appear from a viewpoint of the external camera arrangement, to their relative locations as referenced to the marker coordinate system. The camera viewpoint is at a known location referenced to the global coordinate system.

Abstract: A system for monitoring and visualizing the output of a production process, whose output materials or items are inspected by one or more inspection units, may include a communication module to receive data from the one or more inspection units. The received data may be associated with a measured or extrapolated value of at least one parameter of the inspected materials or items. A comparator module may compare at least one of the measured or extrapolated values against a corresponding stored value to determine a difference value, and a visualization module may generate an image representing the inspected items or materials. An area or section of the image corresponding to an area or section of the item or material associated with the at least one of the measured or extrapolated values which was compared to the stored value may be visually coded to indicate a corresponding difference value.

Abstract: A system for monitoring and visualizing the output of a production process, whose output materials or items are inspected by one or more inspection units, may include a communication module to receive data from the one or more inspection units. The received data may be associated with a measured or extrapolated value of at least one parameter of the inspected materials or items. A comparator module may compare at least one of the measured or extrapolated values against a corresponding stored value to determine a difference value, and a visualization module may generate an image representing the inspected items or materials. An area or section of the image corresponding to an area or section of the item or material associated with the at least one of the measured or extrapolated values which was compared to the stored value may be visually coded to indicate a corresponding difference value.

Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for generating a digital model of at least a part of an object referenced to a global coordinate system. An initial digital model, referenced to a local coordinate system associated with the optical device and representative of the respective part, is provided using an optical device at a relative location with respect to the object. The optical device has a plurality of visually exposed optical markers, at known locations with respect to the optical device and referenced to a marker coordinate system. The location of the optical device with respect to an external camera arrangement is determined, based on relating the relative locations of the markers with respect to one another, as they appear from a viewpoint of the external camera arrangement, to their relative locations as referenced to the marker coordinate system. The camera viewpoint is at a known location referenced to the global coordinate system.

Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for defining, identifying and learning geometric features.

Abstract: Edge data for an object are obtained by placing the object in front of a medium that has greater reflectance than the object, and both are illuminated by a light source. The contrast in image intensity obtained between the object and background enables the edges of the object to be determined.

Abstract: A digital imaging system is described that facilitates the location of anchors or targets in images of a scene. In one aspect, the digital imaging system makes use of differences as between the properties of the surfaces of the targets and the properties of the surfaces of the objects that are to be mensurated, reconstructed, etc., to facilitate providing uniform illumination of the targets when recording a set of images of the scene, thereby reducing noise that may arise in connection with determining the locations of the targets if they were illuminated by structured illumination, while contemporaneously providing that the objects can be illuminated by structured illumination when the images are recorded. In this aspect, the digital imaging system can use the positions of the targets in the images to relate a local coordinate system associated with the image set to a global coordinate system.

Abstract: An image acquisition arrangement that acquires at least one image of at least one portion of a scene has a camera and an illumination source controlled by a control module. The camera includes an image recording medium and a shutter controllable to enable the image recording medium to acquire the image. The illumination source is configured to illuminate the scene for a selected time period. The control module controls the camera and illumination source to facilitate acquisition of the image by the camera, the control module enabling the shutter to, in turn, enable the image recording medium to acquire the image and contemporaneously to enable the illumination source to illuminate the scene, the time period during which the shutter enables the image recording medium to record an image being a function of the time period during which the at least one illumination source illuminates the scene.

Abstract: A system for reconstructing the surface geometry of an object includes a three-view optic head, a mechanical manipulator, a local 3D surface geometry reconstruction unit and a surface geometry stitching unit. The three-view optic head is operative to generate at least three views of at least a portion of the object. The mechanical manipulator is operative to vary the relative orientation of the object and the optic head, at a precision less than the a predetermined degree of precision, from a first relative orientation in which a first portion of the object is visible to at least one second relative orientation in which a second portion of the object, which overlaps the first portion, is visible. The local 3D surface geometry reconstruction unit is operative to generate local reconstructions of the surface geometries of the first and second portions of the object, based on at least two of three views of the first and second portions generated by the optic head.

Abstract: A system is disclosed for stitching a plurality of reconstructions of three-dimensional surface features of at least one object in a scene to relate the reconstructions to a common coordinate system. Each reconstruction is generated from a plurality of two-dimensional images of the scene, and each reconstruction is defined relative to a respective one of a plurality of reconstruction coordinate systems defined relative to one of the images in the scene. The system generates, from at least some of the images, values for translational and rotational components relating a respective reconstruction coordinate system to the common coordinate system. Thereafter, the system uses the values of the translational and rotational components to convert coordinates of the surface features in the respective reconstruction coordinate systems to the common coordinate system.

Abstract: A system for reconstructing the surface geometry of an object includes a three-view optic head, a mechanical manipulator, a local 3D surface geometry reconstruction unit and a surface geometry stitching unit. The three-view optic head is operative to generate at least three views of at least a portion of the object. The mechanical manipulator is operative to vary the relative orientation of the object and the optic head, at a precision less than the a predetermined degree of precision, from a first relative orientation in which a first portion of the object is visible to at least one second relative orientation in which a second portion of the object, which overlaps the first portion, is visible. The local 3D surface geometry reconstruction unit is operative to generate local reconstructions of the surface geometries of the first and second portions of the object, based on at least two of three views of the first and second portions generated by the optic head.

Abstract: An arrangement for generating reconstructon information to facilitate reconstruction of three-dimensional features of objects in a scene based on two-dimensional images of the scene taken from a plurality of locations. The arrangement includes a plurality of elements including an epipole generating means, a homography generating means and a depth value generating means. The epipole generating means identifies the location of epipoles, that is, the coordinates in each image plane, in which the images were recorded, of the point of intersection of the line interconnecting the centers of projection of the image recorders that record the images. The homography generating means uses the epipoles and the coordinates in the respective images of selected reference points to generate a homography that relates the coordinates of all points in the images.

Abstract: A method for generating information regarding a 3D object from at least one 2D projection thereof, the method comprising providing at least one 2D projection of a 3D object, generating an array of numbers described by:.alpha..sub.ijk =v.sub.i 'b.sub.jk -v.sub.j "a.sub.ik (i,j,k=1,2,3),where a.sub.ij and b.sub.jk are elements of matrices A and B respectively and v.sub.i ' and v.sub.i " are elements of vectors v' and v" respectively, wherein the matrices and vectors together describe camera parameters of three views of the 3D object and employing the array to generate information regarding the 3D object.