Three dimensional imaging method and device

Claim 2

In a method of determining the profile of a surface relative to a reference plane, comprising projecting a beam of radiation to strike an area of the surface and detecting a beam reflected by such surface area, portions of the projected and detected beams that intersect at said area defining a beam plane that intersects the reference plane along a direction X; the improvement comprising synchronously scanning said beam portions in the beam plane to move in the direction X the surface area at which said beam portions intersect, whereby each detected position of the detected beam in the direction X represents a deviation of a respective said area from the reference plane in a direction Z perpendicular to the reference plane.

Claim 3

The method of claim 1, including further synchronously scanning said projected and detected beam portions relative to the reference plane in a direction Y perpendicular to both the directions X and Z.

Claim 4

The method of claim 2, wherein said radiation is coherent light.

Claim 5

An imaging device for determining the profile of a surface relative to a reference plane, comprising (a) a source of radiation mounted for projecting a beam onto an area of the surface, (b) a position sensitive detector mounted for detecting a beam reflected by such surface area, (c) portions of the projected and detected beams defining a beam plane that intersects the reference plane along a direction X, and (d) primary means for synchronously scanning said beam portions in said beam plane to move the surface area at which said beam portions intersect in the direction X, whereby respective positions in said detector in the direction X at which the detected beam is received represent deviations of respective said areas from the reference plane in a direction Z perpendicular to said reference plane.

Claim 6

An imaging device for determining the profile of a surface relative to a reference plane, comprising (a) a source of radiation mounted for projecting a beam onto an area of the surface, (b) a position sensitive detector mounted for detecting a beam reflected by such surface area, (c) portions of the projected and detected beams defining a beam plane that intersects the reference plane along a direction X, and (d) primary means for synchronously scanning said beam portions in said beam plane to move the surface area at which said beam portions intersect in the direction X, whereby respective positions in said detector in the direction X at which the detected beam is received represent deviations of respective said areas from the reference plane in a direction Z perpendicular to said reference plane.

Claim 7

The device of claim 4 including (e) further means for synchronously scanning said portions of the projected and detected beams relative to the reference plane in a direction Y perpendicular to both said directions X and Z.

Claim 8

The device of claim 4, wherein said radiation is of a type capable of being deflected by a mirror and said primary scanning means comprises a pair of mirror surfaces located for simultaneously deflecting respective said beams, and means for rotating said mirror surfaces in synchronism.

Claim 9

The device of claim 5, wherein said mirror surfaces are facets of a multifaceted mirror mounted for rotation about an axis extending in the direction Z.

Claim 10

The device of claim 5, wherein said further scanning means comprises a further mirror and means for mounting said further mirror for rotation relative to the reference plane about an axis extending in the direction X.

Claim 11

The device of claim 7, wherein said further scanning means comprises a further mirror and means for mounting said further mirror for rotation relative to the reference plane about an axis extending in the direction X.

Claim 12

The device of claim 5, wherein said further scanning means comprises means for rotating the primary scanning means relative to the reference plane about an axis extending in the direction X.

Claim 13

The device of claim 7, wherein said further scanning means comprises means for rotating the primary scanning means relative to the reference plane about an axis extending in the direction X.

Claim 14

The device of claim 5, wherein said further scanning means comprises means for rotating said surface relative to the reference plane about an axis extending in the direction X.

Claim 15

The device of claim 7, wherein said further scanning means comprises means for rotating said surface relative to the reference plane about an axis extending in the direction X.

Claim 16

The imaging device of claim 4, including additional means for deflecting the projected beam to correspond to a predetermined profile whereby the received position of the detected beam in the detector is unchanged when said surface exhibits such predetermined profile.

Claim 17

The imaging device of claim 4, including additional means for deflecting the projected beam in accordance with a predetermined program whereby the received position of the detected beam in the detector is compensated for distortion due to a wide field of view of at least one of the primary and further scanning means.

Claim 18

The imaging device of claim 4, including a second position sensitive detector mounted for detecting a second beam reflected from the projected beam by each surface area, the second detected beam being located on the opposite side of the protected beam from the first detected beam, said primary and further scanning means acting on the second detected beam in the same manner as on the first detected beam.

Claim 19

An imaging device for determining the profile of a surface in a direction Z relative to a reference plane, comprising (a) a laser for projecting a beam substantially in the direction Z, (b) a position sensitive detector mounted for receiving a detected beam extending substantially in the direction Z, (c) a pyramidal mirror rotatably mounted about an axis extending substantially in the direction Z and having facets in the paths of said beams for deflecting said paths substantially into a direction X perpendicular to the direction Z, (d) flat mirrors located in the paths of the deflected beams for further deflecting said paths substantially into a direction Y perpendicular to both the directions X and Z, (e) a further flat mirror located in the paths of the beams deflected substantially into the direction Y for still further deflecting said paths substantially into the direction Z for intersection at an area of the said surface at which the detected beam is reflected from the projected beam, such still further deflected portions of the beams defining a beam plane intersecting the reference plane along the direction X, (f) means for rotating said pyramidal mirror for synchronously scanning said beams and hence scanning said intersection in the direction X whereby respective positions in the detector in the direction X at which the detected beam is received represent deviations of respective said areas from the reference plane in the direction Z, and (g) means for rotating said further mirror about an axis extending in the direction X whereby to scan synchronously said still further deflected portions of the beams and hence said intersection in the direction Y.

Claim 20

An imaging device for determining the profile of a surface in a direction Z relative to a reference plane, comprising (a) a laser for projecting a beam substantially in the direction Z, (b) a position sensitive detector mounted for receiving a detected beam extending substantially in the direction Z, (c) a pyramidal mirror rotatably mounted about an axis extending substantially in the direction Z and having facets in the paths of said beams for deflecting said paths substantially into a direction X perpendicular to the direction Z, (d) flat mirrors located in the paths of the deflected beams for further deflecting said paths substantially into a direction Y perpendicular to both the directions X and Z, (e) a further flat mirror located in the paths of the beams deflected substantially into the direction Y for still further deflecting said paths substantially into the direction Z for intersection at an area of the said surface at which the detected beam is reflected from the projected beam, such still further deflected portions of the beams defining a beam plane intersecting the reference plane along the direction X, (f) means for rotating said pyramidal mirror for synchronously scanning said beams and hence scanning said intersection in the direction X whereby respective positions in the detector in the direction X at which the detected beam is received represent deviations of respective said areas from the reference plane in the direction Z, and (g) means for rotating said further mirror about an axis extending in the direction X whereby to scan synchronously said still further deflected portions of the beams and hence said intersection in the direction Y.

Claim 21

An imaging device for determining the profile of a surface in a direction Z relative to a reference plane, comprising (a) a laser for projecting a beam substantially in a direction X perpendicular to the direction Z, (b) a position sensitive detector mounted for receiving a detected beam extending substantially in the direction X, (c) a plurality of flat mirror surfaces each rotatably mounted about an axis extending in the direction Z and respectively located in the paths of said beams for deflecting said paths substantially into a direction Y perpendicular to both the directions X and Z, (d) a further flat mirror located in the paths of the beams deflected substantially into the direction Y for further deflecting said paths substantially into the direction Z for intersection at an area of said surface at which the detected beam is reflected from the projected beam, such further deflected portions of the beams defining a beam plane intersecting the reference plane along the direction X, (e) means for synchronously rotating said mirror surfaces for synchronously scanning said beams and hence scanning said intersection in the direction X, whereby respective positions in the detector in the direction X at which the detected beam is received represent deviations of respective said areas from the reference plane in the direction Z, and means for rotating said further mirror about an axis extending in the direction X whereby to scan synchronously said further deflected portions of the beams and hence said intersection in the direction Y.

Claim 22

An imaging device for determining the profile of a surface in a direction Z relative to a reference plane, comprising (a) a laser for projecting a beam substantially in a direction X perpendicular to the direction Z, (b) a position sensitive detector mounted for receiving a detected beam extending substantially in the direction X, (c) a plurality of flat mirror surfaces each rotatably mounted about an axis extending in the direction Z and respectively located in the paths of said beams for deflecting said paths substantially into a direction Y perpendicular to both the directions X and Z, (d) a further flat mirror located in the paths of the beams deflected substantially into the direction Y for further deflecting said paths substantially into the direction Z for intersection at an area of said surface at which the detected beam is reflected from the projected beam, such further deflected portions of the beams defining a beam plane intersecting the reference plane along the direction X, (e) means for synchronously rotating said mirror surfaces for synchronously scanning said beams and hence scanning said intersection in the direction X, whereby respective positions in the detector in the direction X at which the detected beam is received represent deviations of respective said areas from the reference plane in the direction Z, and means for rotating said further mirror about an axis extending in the direction X whereby to scan synchronously said further deflected portions of the beams and hence said intersection in the direction Y.

Claim 23

The device of claim 4, wherein said radiation is of a type capable of being deflected by a mirror and said primary scanning means comprises a thin, flat member having mirror surfaces on opposite major faces thereof respectively located for simultaneously deflecting respective said beams, and means for oscillating said member.

Claim 24

The device of claim 19, including further means for synchronously scanning said portions of the projected and detected beams relative to the reference plane in a direction Y perpendicular to both said directions X and Z.

Claim 25

An imaging device for determining the profile of a surface in a direction Z relative to a reference plane, comprising (a) a thin, flat member having mirror surfaces on opposite major faces thereof, (b) means for projecting a laser beam at one of said mirror surfaces, (c) a position sensitivc detector mounted for receiving a detected beam from the other of said mirror surfaces, (d) further mirror means located in the paths of beams deflected by said mirror surfaces for further deflecting said paths substantially into the direction Z for intersection at an area of the said surface at which the detected beam is reflected from the projected beam, portions of such further deflected beam paths defining a beam plane intersecting the reference plane alohg a direction X perpendicular to the direction Z, and (e) means for oscillating said member and hence scanning said intersection in the direction X whereby respective positions in the detector in the direction X at which the detected beam is received represent deviations of respective said areas from the reference plane in the direction Z.

Claim 26

An imaging device for determining the profile of a surface in a direction Z relative to a reference plane, comprising (a) a thin, flat member having mirror surfaces on opposite major faces thereof, (b) means for projecting a laser beam at one of said mirror surfaces, (c) a position sensitivc detector mounted for receiving a detected beam from the other of said mirror surfaces, (d) further mirror means located in the paths of beams deflected by said mirror surfaces for further deflecting said paths substantially into the direction Z for intersection at an area of the said surface at which the detected beam is reflected from the projected beam, portions of such further deflected beam paths defining a beam plane intersecting the reference plane alohg a direction X perpendicular to the direction Z, and (e) means for oscillating said member and hence scanning said intersection in the direction X whereby respective positions in the detector in the direction X at which the detected beam is received represent deviations of respective said areas from the reference plane in the direction Z.

Claim 27

A device according to claim 21, wherein said further mirror means include means for synchronously scanning said portions of the beam paths relative to the reference plane in a direction Y perpendicular to both said directions X and Z.