ABSTRACT
This chapter considers methods of illumination for three-dimensional (3-D) machine vision, which are suitable for position and measurement tasks. Fluorescent strips are commonly used for machine vision illumination but not for structured light generation due to their large source size. There are many ways of acquiring 3-D information from an object or scene, and even more ways of processing and analyzing the results. 3-D Images can be obtained using multiple sensors, structured lighting, interference techniques, and range finding by tlme-of-flight methods. Moire techniques were used for surface contouring long before modem image processing techniques were developed. With the laser, however, lidar techniques rapidly improved, and were applied to military range-finding, surveying, and air-pollution monitoring. The chapter reviews the basic principles of structured lighting and describes methods of generation, methods of image detection and analysis, limitations, and examples of industrial applications.
