A position detector for generating 3D position information of an object in a position determination space for the object. The position detector has a camera with a lens and an image sensor that defines an imaging area with one first light deflecting element arranged in the imaging area as the camera and the at least one light deflecting element are adapted to simultaneously produce on the image sensor at least two images of the position determination space, a first image being produced by light beams deflected at the first light deflecting element, the at least two images differ with respect to the viewing direction of the position determination space.

A position detector for generating 3D position information of an object in a position determination space for the object. The position detector has a camera with a lens and an image sensor that defines an imaging area with one first light deflecting element arranged in the imaging area as the camera and the at least one light deflecting element are adapted to simultaneously produce on the image sensor at least two images of the position determination space, a first image being produced by light beams deflected at the first light deflecting element, the at least two images differ with respect to the viewing direction of the position determination space.

A position measurement method is used by a device including an imaging unit and a position detector that detects a position of the imaging unit to measure, using a detection value at imaging of a measurement point, position coordinates of the measurement point. The method for correcting the detection value from the position detector includes obtaining, with the device, position coordinates of predetermined indices (22) arranged two-dimensionally on a calibration plate (20) as an actual measurement value, obtaining, as a correction value, a difference between the actual measurement value and a true value resulting from transformation of position coordinates of the indices (22) with respect to a reference point on the calibration plate (20), and correcting the detection value from the position detector (8, 9, 10). The imaging unit (3) images measurement points (P) on the measurement target (3) to measure position coordinates of the measurement points (P).

A position measurement method is used by a device including an imaging unit and a position detector that detects a position of the imaging unit to measure, using a detection value at imaging of a measurement point, position coordinates of the measurement point. The method for correcting the detection value from the position detector includes obtaining, with the device, position coordinates of predetermined indices (22) arranged two-dimensionally on a calibration plate (20) as an actual measurement value, obtaining, as a correction value, a difference between the actual measurement value and a true value resulting from transformation of position coordinates of the indices (22) with respect to a reference point on the calibration plate (20), and correcting the detection value from the position detector (8, 9, 10). The imaging unit (3) images measurement points (P) on the measurement target (3) to measure position coordinates of the measurement points (P).

A surface estimation method includes a region-setting step and an estimation step. In the region-setting step, a reference region that is one of a three-dimensional region and a two-dimensional region is set. The three-dimensional region includes three or more points and is set in a three-dimensional space. The three-dimensional space includes three-dimensional coordinates of three or more points on a subject calculated on the basis of a two-dimensional image of the subject. The three-dimensional coordinates of the three or more points are included in three-dimensional image data. The two-dimensional region includes three or more points and is set in the two-dimensional image. In the estimation step, a reference surface that approximates a surface of the subject is estimated on the basis of three or more points of the three-dimensional image data corresponding to the three or more points included in the reference region.

A surface estimation method includes a region-setting step and an estimation step. In the region-setting step, a reference region that is one of a three-dimensional region and a two-dimensional region is set. The three-dimensional region includes three or more points and is set in a three-dimensional space. The three-dimensional space includes three-dimensional coordinates of three or more points on a subject calculated on the basis of a two-dimensional image of the subject. The three-dimensional coordinates of the three or more points are included in three-dimensional image data. The two-dimensional region includes three or more points and is set in the two-dimensional image. In the estimation step, a reference surface that approximates a surface of the subject is estimated on the basis of three or more points of the three-dimensional image data corresponding to the three or more points included in the reference region.

According to an aspect, there is provided a method comprising controlling a structural light source of a modelling arrangement to produce a diffraction pattern of a known geometry on a surface to be modeled, the diffraction pattern accurately complying with a mathematical-physical model and wherein beam output angles of the diffraction pattern are accurately known based on the mathematical-physical model; recording a first image of the surface comprising the diffraction pattern with a first camera and a second image of the surface comprising the diffraction pattern with a second camera substantially simultaneously; determining a point cloud comprising primary points from the diffraction pattern visible in the first image; identifying the corresponding primary points from the second image; and using each primary point of the point cloud in the first and second images as an initial point for search spaces for secondary points in the first and second images.

According to an aspect, there is provided a method comprising controlling a structural light source of a modelling arrangement to produce a diffraction pattern of a known geometry on a surface to be modeled, the diffraction pattern accurately complying with a mathematical-physical model and wherein beam output angles of the diffraction pattern are accurately known based on the mathematical-physical model; recording a first image of the surface comprising the diffraction pattern with a first camera and a second image of the surface comprising the diffraction pattern with a second camera substantially simultaneously; determining a point cloud comprising primary points from the diffraction pattern visible in the first image; identifying the corresponding primary points from the second image; and using each primary point of the point cloud in the first and second images as an initial point for search spaces for secondary points in the first and second images.

A novel class of imaging systems that combines diffractive optics with 1D line sensing is disclosed. When light passes through a diffraction grating or prism, it disperses as a function of wavelength. This property is exploited to recover 2D and 3D positions from line images. A detailed image formation model and a learning-based algorithm for 2D position estimation are disclosed. The disclosure includes several extensions of the imaging system to improve the accuracy of the 2D position estimates and to expand the effective field-of-view. The invention is useful for fast passive imaging of sparse light sources, such as streetlamps, headlights at night and LED-based motion capture, and structured light 3D scanning with line illumination and line sensing.

An optical sensor includes a radiation part that irradiates an object to be measured with line shaped light; and an imaging part that receives line shaped light reflected by the object to be measured and captures an image of the object to be measured in a predetermined exposure time. The radiation part includes a light generation part that generates the line shaped light, and a light vibration part that irradiates the object to be measured with the line shaped light generated by the light generation part while vibrating the line shaped light in a length direction during the exposure time.