Digital Non-Contact Surface Reconstruction Scanner

Most anthropometrical measurements today are based on using such standard tools as anthropometers, calipers and tape measures. Automatization of measurement process with high speed and accuracy using non-contact scanners can give significant benefit for industry and for customers. The problem of digital surface reconstruction and surface measurement is especially important in medicine: for facial surgery simulation, diagnosis of craniofacial anomalies, trauma to the head, and for reconstructive surgery. Different approaches and equipment have been developed for the solution of this problem; for example, the photogrammetric method based on the principle of rasterstereography [1], a moiré - based light projection system [2], and the 3D reconstruction system [3]. All these methods are based on non-contact measurement principles. The surface digitization system based on a contact method is presented in [4]. The systems described above have many unresolved problems, (such, for example, as a time consuming analysis of the pattern of the object in order to obtain its digital image [1]; a lengthy calibration procedure and intensive computation (off-line processing of data) [2]; huge size and weight, high cost of the system [3]; slow data acquisition and restricted accuracy due to friction of a probe with a surface [4]). Thus the need of a simple, cheap and fast 3D digital surface reconstruction system still exists today. The system presented in this paper allows one to solve these problems.