An improved active type of infrared viewing system is provided using pulse ated techniques which displays the complete Z (range) axis simultaneously and provides uniform image intensity at all ranges.

An image of a target (11) is produced by illumination of the target (11) with overlapping fields (18, 20) of wave energy, such as coherent light, producing an interference pattern (22) moving across the target. At least one pair (12) of sources (14, 16) wave energy provide the moving interference pattern (22). The scattered illumination reflected from the target is detected by a non-imaging receiver (24); a two dimensional spatial frequency map is recorded (30, 62), based upon the amplitude, fre...

A three-dimensional object is imaged by providing a coherent beam of light with a periodic variation in frequency and dividing the beam into a probe beam and a pump beam. The probe beam is directed toward the object, such that the frequency profile of the probe beam after reflection from the object is determined by the depth profile of the object. The pump beam and the reflected probe beam are directed into a nonlinear medium, such that two-wave mixing between the beams occurs in the medium, the...

An electronic analog gating means for an image intensifier in which transted pulsed illumination that is returned from targets down range are gated through the image intensifier in an analog manner according to the inverse square law in illumination drop off in distance. The image intensifier is enabled in distinct incremental time elements which correspond to and are inclusive within the time that it takes for illumination to travel to and from corresponding incremental depths of range. The dis...

A color scannerless range imaging system comprises four component systems, including an illumination system, an image capture device, an optical assembly and a controller for interconnecting and controlling the component systems. The illumination system separately illuminates a scene with modulated and unmodulated illumination, while the image capture device is positioned in an optical path of the reflected illumination from the scene for capturing a plurality of images thereof, including (a) at...

An image capturing apparatus for obtaining information regarding a depth of a subject includes: an illumination unit operable to cast a first illumination light beam that mainly contains a first wavelength and has a first intensity distribution on a plane perpendicular to an optical axis of the first illumination light beam and a second illumination light beam mainly containing a second wavelength and a third wavelength and having a second intensity distribution on a plane perpendicular to an op...

An apparatus and method are described that allow a surface of interest to be defined by the selection of a seed point that lies on the surface of interest. When a single seed point is defined, additional points that are in the vicinity of the seed point are grouped with the seed point to form a first set of points. When multiple seed points are defined, additional points that are in the vicinities of the seed points are grouped with the seed points to form the first set of points. The first set ...

An image capturing apparatus for obtaining information regarding a depth of a subject includes: an illumination unit operable to cast a first illumination light beam that mainly contains a first wavelength and has a first intensity distribution on a plane perpendicular to an optical axis of the first illumination light beam and a second illumination light beam mainly containing a second wavelength and a third wavelength and having a second intensity distribution on a plane perpendicular to an op...

An apparatus and method are described for acquiring tie-point target locations on a structure that eliminates the need for the user to manually identify features that can be used to register multiple scenes so that they share a single coordinate system. In the present invention, readily identifiable objects, known as targets, are placed on or near the structure. When the structure is scanned, the targets are identified and can then be used in other operations, such as registration.

Method and apparatus for producing imagery of an object having distinct vertical geometry characteristics located at a reference plane remote from a scanning laser. In particular, a laser beam is utilized to scan objects at the reference plane and the optical signal reflected therefrom, corresponding to the reflectivity of the objects and background, is detected. An electrical signal, corresponding to the detected reflectivity signal, is coupled to an RF amplifier, the output of the RF amplifier...