Patent US 6,438,263

A system for reconstructing the surface geometry of an object includes a three-view optic head, a mechanical manipulator, a local 3D surface geometry reconstruction unit and a surface geometry stitching unit. The three-view optic head is operative to generate at least three views of at least a portion of the object. The mechanical manipulator is operative to vary the relative orientation of the object and the optic head, at a precision less than the a predetermined degree of precision, from a first relative orientation in which a first portion of the object is visible to at least one second relative orientation in which a second portion of the object, which overlaps the first portion, is visible. The local 3D surface geometry reconstruction unit is operative to generate local reconstructions of the surface geometries of the first and second portions of the object, based on at least two of three views of the first and second portions generated by the optic head. The surface geometry stitching unit is operative to determine the relative locations of the first and second portions of the object.