An imaging system aka 3d camera operative in conjunction with a tube having two open ends, the system comprising active portions small enough to fit into the tube and an electronic subsystem including a hardware processor operative to receive image/s from the active portions and to generate therefrom at least one 3D image of a scene visible via one of the tube's open ends. The system may comprise a tracker configured to be secured to the tube, and a method for monitoring location, e.g. absolute location, of the tube, accordingly.

A device for performing a measurement of a strand-shaped object comprises at least one transmission apparatus configured to emit measuring radiation onto the strand-shaped object, which reflects the measuring radiation. At least one receiving apparatus is configured to receive the measuring radiation reflected by the strand-shaped object. An evaluation apparatus is configured to determine at least one of (1) the diameter and (2) the outer contour of the strand-shaped object based on the measuring radiation received by the at least one receiving apparatus. At least one retroreflector is configured to surround at least a portion of the strand-shaped object and retroreflect at least some of the measuring radiation reflected by the strand-shaped object.

A position detection system detects a position of an object by using a plurality of frames, each of the plurality of frames being divided into a plurality of subframes. The position detection system includes: a projector configured to project a plurality of gray code patterns having different gray code values in an order of ascending and then descending or descending and then ascending of the different gray code values, each of the plurality of gray code patterns corresponding to a corresponding one of the plurality of subframes, each of the different gray code values being a power of two; an imaging device configured to generate a captured image by, for each of the plurality of subframes, imaging the object on which the plurality of gray code patterns are projected; a controller configured to estimate the position of the object based on the captured image.

Apparatus and associated methods relate to ranging object(s) nearby an aircraft using triangulation. A light projector mounted at a projector location on the aircraft projects pulses of polarized light onto the scene external to the aircraft. The projected pulses of polarized light are polarized in a first polarization state. A camera mounted at a camera location on the aircraft has a shutter synchronized to the projector output pulse and receives a portion of the projected pulses of polarized light reflected by the object(s) in the scene and polarized at a second polarization state orthogonal to the first polarization state. Location(s) and/or range(s) of the object(s) is calculated, based on the projector location, the camera location, and pixel location(s) upon which the portion of light is imaged.

A multi-mode three-dimensional scanning method includes: obtaining intrinsic parameters and extrinsic parameters of a calibrated camera in different scanning modes, and upon switching between the different scanning modes, triggering a change of parameters of the camera to the intrinsic parameters and the extrinsic parameters in a corresponding scanning mode; and a user selecting to execute a laser-based scanning mode, a speckle-based scanning mode or a transition scanning mode according to a scanning requirement. In the continual fusion and conversion during the whole scanning process, the speckle reconstruction and the laser line reconstruction are unified to the same coordinate system, and the surface point cloud of the object being scanned is output. The present disclosure also provides a multi-mode three-dimensional scanning system.

Disclosed herein are single element dot pattern projectors with a meta-optics. The projectors include a laser light source and a metasurface chip integrated onto the laser light source. The metasurface chip includes metasurface elements spaced apart from the laser light source by a distance equal to the collimating function focal length of the metasurface chip. the laser light source produces light which is diffracted through the metasurface elements to produce a dot pattern. Projectors enabled by meta-optics lead to unique methods of integrating the meta-optic and unique functionality that can be added to the dot pattern.

Various surface and structural defects are currently inspected visually. This method is labor intensive, requiring large maintenance man hours, and is prone to errors. To streamline this process, herein is described an automated inspection system and apparatus based on several optical technologies that drastically reduces inspection time, provides accurate detection of defects, and provides a digital map of the location of defects. The technology uses a sensor that includes a pattern projection generator for generating a pattern image on the structural surface and a camera for detecting the pattern image generated by the pattern projection generator on the structural surface. Furthermore, the technology utilizes an image processing and correction apparatus for performing a pattern image and structural surface defect map correction and generate a distortion corrected defect map for a surface scan area on the structure that is incident on the sensor.

An aircraft that includes a helicopter drone on which a 3D scanner is mounted via an actively rotatable joint is provided. The 3D scanner has at least one high-resolution camera for recording a multiplicity of overlapping images of the object from different recording positions and recording directions, so that comparison of the images allows a position and orientation of the 3D scanner relative to the object to be ascertained. In addition, the aircraft has a coordination device for coordinated control of the 3D scanner, the joint and the helicopter drone. The system for damage analysis has an aircraft and an image processing module generating a data representation of a surface profile of the object on the basis of the recorded images. In addition, the system includes a rating device for checking the surface profile and for outputting a damage statement on the basis of the check.

A projector projects a first image onto a projection surface to thereby display a first projected image on the projection surface, acquires first imaging data obtained by capturing the first projected image, determines, based on the first imaging data, a type of a three-dimensional shape on the projection surface, projects a second image including a plurality of points onto the projection surface to thereby display a second projected image on the projection surface, acquires second imaging data obtained by capturing the second projected image, specifies, based on the second imaging data and the type of the three-dimensional shape on the projection surface, positions of the respective plurality of points on the projection surface, generates, based on the positions of the respective plurality of points, and correction data for correcting distortion of an image projected onto the projection surface, corrects, based on the correction data, image data input to the projector.

An object recognition system of the present disclosure includes: a light source section that irradiates a subject with dot light having a predetermined pattern; an event detection sensor that receives the dot light having the predetermined pattern reflected by the subject and detects, as an event, that a change in luminance of a pixel exceeds a predetermined threshold; and a signal processor that performs, in a case where a plurality of successive pixels in a pixel array section of the event detection sensor detects occurrence of an event in a certain period, processing of removing the event as noise, the plurality of successive pixels being equal to or greater than a predetermined number of pixels.