Structured Light
Structured light is a fast and flexible optical method for measuring the three-dimensional shape of objects. The measurement is performed within a few seconds. The result is a dense cloud of points that accurately describes the shape of the surface. The information can be used e.g. to generate CAD models from a model designed by hand, or it can be used for product inspection. The desired information, such as distances, angles, profiles etc. can conveniently be extracted from the measurement result. It is also possible to calculate and visualise the deviation between a measure-ment and a CAD model.
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SINTEF has developed its own structured light software that works with non-expensive, off-the-shelf components, such as a multimedia projector and a machine vision or web camera. The method works by projecting a pattern of light stripes onto the object, and by capturing images of the object and pattern with a camera that is mounted at an angle with the projector. The shape of the surface distorts the light stripes. When these distortions are analyzed with a PC, we are able to calculate the 3D shape of the surface very accurately. |
Specifications
| Object size |
From less than 1cm2 to more than 1m2 |
| Resolution (Z) |
1/10.000 of image size (e.g. 50µm for an image size of 50cm) |
| Point distance |
~1/1000 of image size (depends on camera resolution) |
| Measurement time |
~3 seconds |
SINTEF can help you integrate structured light into your application. We have developed APIs for the C/C++ and .NET languages. Contact Øystein Skotheim for more information.
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