METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MEASURING THE SHAPE OF A SURFACE OF AN OBJECT

Apparatus for measuring the shape of a surface of, for example, a metal strip moving over a support surface comprises a laser operable to direct onto the surface of the moving strip a plurality of light beams. From these laser-generated light beams a plurality of light patterns are produced each of which is scanned across the width of the strip and is spaced from the other light patterns in the direction of strip movement. An array of line-scan cameras extends across the width of the strip and is positioned to view and record the projected light patterns. Recorded data from the camera array is processed in parallel to provide a measure of the shape of the strip surface.