An information extraction device including a coordinate transformation unit for transforming the coordinate values of points on a plane in question to the coordinate values of the points on a spherical surface corresponding to the points on the plane, and a mapping unit for mapping the points on the spherical surface to great circles. This information extraction device is applicable to the detection of the three-dimensional direction of a single line or a single plane existing in space.

A reference sheet is employed on which reference points are arranged irregularly and asymmetrically. An object of interest is placed on the reference sheet. The object of interest is shot together with the reference points by a camera. A shooting position of the camera is calculated according to the Hough transform method on the basis of the position of a reference point in the obtained object image. A three-dimensional model is generated according to the obtained object image and shooting posit...

Method for the correlation of three dimensional measurements obtained by at least one first (1) and one second (2) image capturing unit. The method comprises, for the calibration phase, the steps of: producing a calibrating ball (4) movably and rotatably mounted about an axis (7), successively and rotatingly shifting the calibrating ball (4) into the measuring positions which are visible to the acquisition units; measuring, for each of the measuring positions, the spherical cap seen by each of t...

A three-dimensional shape measuring apparatus which has an improved arrayed confocal imaging system. A three-dimensional shape measuring apparatus using a confocal imaging system which has a new means for changing the distance in the Z direction between the object and the object-position-in-focus, instead of an object stage moved in the Z direction. This means shifts the object-position-in-focus in the Z direction by refraction. One means inserts a plurality of transparent flat plates between th...

A stereoscopic image detecting unit has a first non-volatile memory for storing inherent camera characteristic data therein and an image processing unit has a second non-volatile memory for storing inherent circuit characteristic data therein. When the stereoscopic image detecting unit is connected with the image processing unit through a serial cable and video cables and then electric power is turned on, the inherent camera characteristic data are sent to the image processing unit. In the image...

In a telepresence system, a scene is captured by recording pixel data elements, each associated with a pixel ray vector having a direction and an intercept on an known locus in the frame of reference of the scene. Each pixel data element includes data representing the illumination along the pixel ray vector. For example, the pixel data elements may be captured by operating numerous video cameras pointing in different directions on a spherical locus. A virtual viewpoint image representing the ima...

A cardiac segmentation system acquires a series of images acquires as slices through a volume, and as images at different time periods throughout a cardiac cycle. It displays an image to an operator which interactively selects a region of interest (ROI) of the image to be segmented, such as the left ventricle. A seed point is also selected within the ROI and the structure desired to be segmented. The image is then thresholded by a masking device classifying points within the ROI as above the thr...

Methods and devices for improving the laser scanning process by supplementing data obtained by laser scanning with data obtained through photogrammetry. More specifically, both a laser scanning visual database and a photogrammetry visual database are obtained, and color values from the photogrammetry visual database are used to provide color values for the points in the laser scanning visual database.

A method of determining the three-dimensional position of an object in a specific position with respect to a predetermined standard position includes storing position data representative of a distinctive part of the object as if the object is virtually located in a predetermined standard position, formularizing a relation between the specific and standard positions in terms of a standard three-dimensional co-ordinate system as an equation including a positional deviation as an unknown parameter,...

A target is continuously observed and stereoscopic three-dimensional image information of the target is recorded. A transmitter unit irradiates a target with suitable radiation, an image recording unit records radiation images of the target, a rotating unit incrementally positions the target between the transmitting and image recording units, injecting means places a contrast material into the target, a memory stores a first set of reference images of the target for predetermined number of angul...