Abstract

Structured light vision systems offer a practical solution to many 3-D inspection problems. We examine the trade-offs involved in the design of 3-D inspection systems that use triangulation and show how a triangulation-based system can be designed to fit a given application. A general analysis of such systems is performed resulting in a description of the design constraints, which include such aspects of the system as resolution matching and aliasing prevention. The selection of light sources and detectors is addressed in light of the nonideal aspects of their behavior and various schemes are presented for compensating for these effects. The relative advantages and disadvantages of point, stripe, and multistripe systems are explained and the implementation of a multistripe system is discussed. Problems common among structured light systems, such as speckle and varying object reflectivity, are explored and alternative solutions are presented. Several data interpretation techniques are evaluated and compared, and their actual and theoretical performances are contrasted. Experimental results from a prototype system are presented.

© 1985 Optical Society of America