First and second lenses are spaced apart in a common plane and provide respective first and second recorded representations of radiant energy issuing from an object surface point or region. The first representation is displaced relative to the second in measure depending on such lens spacing to spatially locate the image location of the object surface point relative to the second lens. With lens focal length known and magnification now determinable, object surface point distance outwardly of the...

An orthostereoscopic plotter and its method of use from which contour maps can be produced from orthostereoscopic slides or prints. The orthostereoscopic slides or prints preferably are produced by photogrammetric apparatus which utilizes a flexible platen as disclosed in my copending application, Ser. No. 557,612, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,005,932.

A device for deriving the contour lines for an object from stereophotographic films taken through photographic lenses comprises steroscopic viewing apparatus for comparing the films to locate the different points on the object having a selected height and for producing first position signals representing the positions of the different points in one of the films, and a correction mechanism responsive to the first position signals for producing second position signals which represent corrected pos...

A method for reproducing an object surface wherein a time succession of spatially encoded different radiant energy patterns are projected at the object surface and records are made of the object surface during such projections from two or more spatially separated locations. The sets of records recorded at the separate spatial locations are then utilized to determine the spatial points on the object surface.

A stereoscopic computer vision system that uses a novel algorithm for obtaining the best match between corresponding features in the left and right images of desired objects in the image scene, finds the disparity between corresponding features in the left and right views and then uses the disparity to calculate the distance of the desired object from the two cameras used to provide the left and right images.

A hypsocline or interference pattern having a shape and position representing the shape and position of an isoelevation area in a scene is produced from two phototransparent stereo images by directing mutually coherent collimated laser beams to strike the two stereo images. The images diffract the beams and thus transmit image information to the laser beams. The diffracted beams are directed to intersect, and any portions of the two intersecting beams representing the same area in the scene that...

A system and a process for identifying three-dimensional coordinates and orientation to a robot. A pair of CCD video cameras are used to measure the position of a laser or other light source spot on the surface of a workpiece. The laser and cameras need not be fixed to each other, and the laser may be handheld. In operation, the light source provides a small spot of light centered on the location to be indicated to the robot. The spot of light is then located in the field of view of each of the ...

The formation of Epipolar (or orthogonal) images from linear sections of a two-dimensional scene image in order to build up a depth map of the scene image using Hough transform techniques presently requires a spaced array of image sensors or scanning movement of a single sensor and then electronic processing of the image signals. Herein, optical radiation from a linear section of a scene image passed to deflector means, for example an elongate helical reflector, which deflects the radiation in d...

A system is described for rapidly and accurately determining the topography of land masses as well as individual x,y,z coordinates of discrete targets. The system incorporates a laser altimeter, a laser scanning/steering system with sensor for receiving reflected laser beams, a global positioning system or other non-ground-based reference means, a video camera, computers, and processing software. The system, mounted to an aircraft, selectively scans or steers a pulsed laser altimeter over a swat...

Apparatus and method for obtaining three-dimensional information about an object, includes a first optical system, a projection device, a second optical system, and an image sensor. A plurality of pattern beams are radiated onto the object through the first optical system. Optical images formed by the pattern beams on the object are received by the image sensor through the second optical system to detect the positions of the received optical images. The distances from the detected positions of t...