A surface shape measuring apparatus for measuring a specular surface includes an illuminator configured to illuminate the specular surface with a first light pattern, an imaging device configured to capture an image of a second light pattern which is light transmitted through the illuminator after the first light pattern from the illuminator is reflected by the specular surface, and a processing apparatus configured to acquire a positional deviation amount of the second light pattern from a predetermined position in the image captured by the imaging device, and to output information related to a surface shape of the specular surface acquired from the positional deviation amount.

A laser line module for projecting a laser line onto a surface of a distant target object, the projected laser line having a laser line length, the laser line module comprising: a laser diode configured to emit radiation in the form of a laser beam; a beam-shaping optical arrangement; a micro-lens array comprising a multitude of microlenses and having a surface with a height profile, each point on the surface having a distance from an average height of the height profile and providing a divergence for radiation passing through the micro-lens array at the respective point, which divergence depends on the relative height of the respective point; and a spatial light modulator that is provided between the beam-shaping optical arrangement and the micro-lens array.

A laser line module for projecting a laser line onto a surface of a distant target object, the projected laser line having a laser line length, the laser line module comprising: a laser diode configured to emit radiation in the form of a laser beam; a beam-shaping optical arrangement; a micro-lens array comprising a multitude of microlenses and having a surface with a height profile, each point on the surface having a distance from an average height of the height profile and providing a divergence for radiation passing through the micro-lens array at the respective point, which divergence depends on the relative height of the respective point; and a spatial light modulator that is provided between the beam-shaping optical arrangement and the micro-lens array.