Abstract: The surface shape of a three-dimensional object is acquired with an optical sensor. The sensor, which has a projection device and a camera, is configured to generate three-dimensional data from a single exposure, and the sensor is moved relative to the three-dimensional object, or vice versa. A pattern is projected onto the three-dimensional object and a sequence of overlapping images of the projected pattern is recorded with the camera. A sequence of 3D data sets is determined from the recorded images and a registration is effected between subsequently obtained 3D data sets. This enables the sensor to be moved freely about the object, or vice versa, without tracking their relative position, and to determine a surface shape of the three-dimensional object on the fly.

Abstract: The surface shape of a three-dimensional object is acquired with an optical sensor. The sensor, which has a projection device and a camera, is configured to generate three-dimensional data from a single exposure, and the sensor is moved relative to the three-dimensional object, or vice versa. A pattern is projected onto the three-dimensional object and a sequence of overlapping images of the projected pattern is recorded with the camera. A sequence of 3D data sets is determined from the recorded images and a registration is effected between subsequently obtained 3D data sets. This enables the sensor to be moved freely about the object, or vice versa, without tracking their relative position, and to determine a surface shape of the three-dimensional object on the fly.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method and an apparatus for high-resolution deflectometric determination of the local slope and of the three-dimensional shape of an object (6). The apparatus comprises a microscopic imaging system (5, 4, 8) having a numerical aperture (sin u), a focus plane (6a) and a receiving unit (9, 10); an illuminating system (1, 3, 4, 13, 13a) having a grating generator (1) that preferably generates a sine grating (2); and a control and evaluating unit. The object (6) is located in the object space of the imaging system. The illuminating system (13, 13a), which is fashioned as an illuminating system for reflected-light objects or for transmitted-light objects, generates a series of grating images (7), which are projected as virtual images into the object space a distance d from the focus plane of the microscopic imaging system.

Abstract: The method allows contact-less, precise and rapid measurement of the macroscopic shape of objects. The method is based on the Michelson-interferometer with the object mirror being replaced by the object to be measured. A low coherent light source is used. As either the reference mirror or the object is moved, an intensity modulation can be observed on the observation screen. The height information can be derived from determining the maximum depth of modulation in association with the movement. The determination of the depth of modulation has required full sampling of the modulation at a high sampling rate, or quasistatic movements. Therefore common methods are rather slow. The envelope of the modulation is directly extracted by modulating the light source synchronously to the modulation of the interference patterns and by using a solid-state imaging array which shows low pass characteristics in terms of time.

Abstract: An apparatus for the generation of different given fringe-like light patterns in space is disclosed. The light patterns are predominantly used in optical metrology, for the three-dimensional acquisition of the shape of objects. Said light patterns are generated by astigmatic projection of a specially designed mask with sub-areas, the brightness of said sub-areas can be controlled, for example by implementing the mask as a liquid crystal light valve. The sub-areas are controlled in a way that by combination of bright and dark sub-areas, different sub-masks are formed. The astigmatic projection of any sub-mask generates one of the given fringe-like light patterns. In spite of the binary transparency of the sub-masks, continuously varying brightness can be achieved. All necessary sub-areas are located on the same area, interlaced such as in a mosaic work. On this area, any of the required sub-masks can be generated.

Abstract: A method and device is disclosed wherein a subject is excited by electromagnetic radiation in a locally limited range to emit radiation that is not coherent with the exciting radiation. The radiation of atoms lying close to one another on the surface of the subject is not correlated, i.e., the excited point of light radiates incoherently in space, and generally also in time. Since only this incoherent radiation emitted by the point of light is analyzed in distance determination, no speckle structure occurs in the point of light, which makes it possible more accurately to find the position of the point of light and thus also to find the distance much more accurately.

Abstract: Interferometric devices wherein two beams (the object and reference beams) interfere are rendered insensitive to deformations in the ideally planar wave fronts of the two beams by making the deformations identical through optical phase mixing. For arrangements wherein the beams to be superposed upon each other are symmetrically guided, phase symmetrized output beams are formed from a common input beam by making the input beam perpendicularly incident upon a partially reflecting hypotenuse face of a roof prism or axicon. Rays positioned symmetrically with respect to the center plane of the prism or the center axis of the axicon become mixed because the portion of each reflected by the hypotenuse face becomes superposed with the transmitted portion of the other after total reflection inside the prism or axicon, yielding two output beams with a symmetrical phase distribution with respect to the center plane of the prism or the center axis of the axicon.