Abstract: Apparatus for determining the three-dimensional shape of an object by projecting patterns onto the surface of the object, the patterns having fringes with a light intensity that varies sinusoidally in space, said apparatus comprising means (30, 34, 36) for changing the pattern centered on the projection optical axis (28), and cam means (54) for displacing the patterns (12a, 12b) transversely through distances equivalent to phase shifts of 2.pi./n.

Abstract: The diameter of a running elongate object such as an optical fiber is measured by means of two opto-electronic systems. The systems have optical axes which are perpendicular to each other and to the running axis of the object. Each of the systems further includes a microscope lens for forming a blurred image of the object on a strip of photodetectors. The systems combine their images in an apparatus which calculates an accurate position of each edge of the object by interpolation.

Abstract: The invention can be used to determine the color to be given to a dental prosthesis, for example, on the basis of color measurements performed on adjacent teeth in the mouth of the patient. An optical fiber instrument picks up light reflected from a tooth and transmits it to the inlet of a spectrocolorimeter which associated with a microprocessor in order to determine the diffuse spectral reflectance of the tooth and to calculate the tristimulus values of its apparent color under various different types of illumination. The invention is particularly suitable for determining the color of dental prostheses.

Abstract: The invention relates to a spectrometer/colorimeter apparatus comprising an opto-electronic card (12) with the essential components of the apparatus mounted thereon, and in particular a spectrometer (14) having an inlet slot (16) and a strip (18) of photodetectors (20), and two optical fiber measurement paths (28) and two calibration paths (26), with the ends of the optical fibers being superposed in the inlet slot (16) of the spectrometer. The apparatus is particularly intended for use in an industrial environment.