RECORDING IMAGES OF A THREE-DIMENSIONAL SURFACE BY FOCUSING ON A PLANE OF LIGHT IRRADIATING THE SURFACE

An arrangement in which a three-dimensional surface is copied by recording images of planar sections of the surface. The surface is subdivided into the sections, and the sections are illuminated in sequence by a projector which directs a plane of light against the surface. A camera spaced from the projector records the intersection of the illuminating plane with the surface. By recording sections in sequence with the camera, the entire surface may be covered. The camera is focused on the illuminating plane in the region about the object surface. The recorded information is stored in a computer and used as a guide to repeat the procedure with a thinner plane of light for the purpose of obtaining increased accuracy of the final data.