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. The surface geometry stitching unit is operative to determine the relative locations of the first and second portions of the object.

A method for measuring the three-dimensional position of an object to be captured. A laser measuring unit is provided having an image recognition camera confronting the object, first and second laser light emitting sources respectively irradiating from a slant direction a lateral slit light onto the object relative to a vertical axis of a vision coordinate system and irradiating a vertical slit light onto the object relative to a lateral axis of the vision coordinate system, one slit image on the vertical axis of the object and one slit image on the lateral axis of the object and one of the slit images on the vertical and lateral axes formed before and after the laser measuring unit is moved a predetermined amount in a direction of a camera optical axis relative to the object are taken into the camera, and the three-dimensional position is calculated from the relationship between the predetermined moving distance amount and the deviation of the slit images on the vision coordinates of the coordinate system. This method can be used to locate an electric adjustment position of an electronic component and to move the hand of an industrial robot carrying an electric adjustment member to the electronic component for adjusting the electronic component in the electric adjustment position.

Method for acquiring a three-dimensional shape or image of a scene, wherein a predetermined pattern of lines is projected onto the scene and the shape is acquired on the basis of relative distances between the lines and/or intersections of the lines of the pattern.

The present invention concerns a process for detecting the spatial structure of a three-dimensional surface by projection of a pattern on to the surface along a projection direction which defines a first axis, and by pixel-wise detection of at least one region of the pattern projected on to the surface, by means of one or more sensors in a viewing direction of the sensor or sensors, which defines a second axis, wherein the first and the second axes (or a straight line parallel to the second axis) intersect at an angle different from 0.degree. so that the first and the second axes (or the straight line parallel thereto) define a triangulation plane, wherein the pattern is defined at least upon projection into a plane perpendicularly to the first axis by a varying physical parameter which can be detected by the sensor (sensors), and wherein the pattern is such that the difference in the physically measurable parameter, measured between predeterminable image pixels or pixel groups, along a predeterminable pixel row which is preferably parallel to the triangulation plane, assumes at least two different values. In order to provide a process for detecting the spatial structure of a three-dimensional surface, which is substantially independent of different inclinations with respect to a normal to the triangulation plane and also independent of the other surface properties which independently of the spatial extent of the surface can influence the physical parameter to be measured, in accordance with the invention it is proposed that, for the purposes of evaluation of the imaged pattern structure only changes in the physical parameter between the predetermined pixels or predetermined pixel groups of one or more pixel rows which are preferably parallel to the triangulation plane are detected and converted into spatial co-ordinates of the surface.

The invention provides a range finder capable of carrying out three-dimensional measurement stably for a long period of time. A light pattern is projected on a subject by using a light source array unit in which a plurality of light sources, such as LEDs, are arranged. Even when each LED has a small light quantity, a sufficiently large quantity of light can be projected on the subject by the entire light source array unit, and hence, the three-dimensional measurement can be stably carried out. Also, a plurality of light patterns can be generated by electrically controlling a light emitting state of each LED of the light source array unit.