Optical device, information processing method, and storage medium

Abstract

An optical apparatus (1A) includes a light source (10) as a surface-emitting light source, a light selection section (30), an imaging section (40), and an extraction section (52B). The light selection section (30) splits a light ray (R) emitted from the light source (10) into a plurality of split light rays (L) in mutually different wavelength regions. The imaging section (40) images a subject (B) irradiated with the plurality of split light rays (L) to acquire a split image. The extraction section (52B) extracts surface properties or shape information of the subject (B) from a result of estimation of irradiation regions (E) of the plurality of split light rays (L) in the subject (B) based on a mutual size relationship of light reception intensities for at least two different wavelength regions among the plurality of split light rays (L) acquired in the split image.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Embodiments of the present invention relate to optical devices, information processing methods, and storage media. Background Technology

[0002] In various industries, non-contact shape measurement of objects has become important. For example, a method has been disclosed in which light is irradiated onto an object by splitting the light beam, and an image of the split beam is acquired by a camera unit, thereby obtaining the shape of the object.

[0003] Existing technical documents

[0004] Patent documents

[0005] Patent Document 1: U.S. Patent No. 5,675,407 Summary of the Invention

[0006] However, in the past, the accuracy of measuring the shape of the subject sometimes decreased due to the diffusion of light when the light was irradiated by spectral dispersion.

[0007] The optical device of this embodiment includes a surface-emitting light source, a light selection unit, an imaging unit, and an output unit. The light selection unit splits the light emitted from the surface-emitting light source into multiple beams of light with different wavelength regions. The imaging unit captures an image of the subject irradiated by the multiple beams of light to obtain a spectroscopic image. The output unit derives surface characteristics or shape information of the subject based on the relative magnitudes of the light intensity received by the multiple beams of light in at least two different wavelength regions as obtained in the spectroscopic image, and from the estimation results of the irradiated areas of each of the multiple beams of light in the subject. Attached Figure Description

[0008] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of an optical device.

[0009] Figure 2 It is a block diagram of the function and structure of an information processing device.

[0010] Figure 3A This is a graph showing the wavelength spectrum of the irradiated area.

[0011] Figure 3B This is a graph showing the wavelength spectrum of the irradiated area.

[0012] Figure 3C This is a graph showing the wavelength spectrum of the irradiated area.

[0013] Figure 4 It is a flowchart of the information processing flow.

[0014] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of an optical device.

[0015] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of an optical device.

[0016] Figure 7A This is a graph showing the wavelength spectrum of the irradiated area.

[0017] Figure 7B This is a graph showing the wavelength spectrum of the irradiated area.

[0018] Figure 7C This is a graph showing the wavelength spectrum of the irradiated area.

[0019] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of an optical device.

[0020] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram showing the intensity distribution of the split beam.

[0021] Figure 10A This is a graph showing the wavelength spectrum of the irradiated area.

[0022] Figure 10B This is a graph showing the wavelength spectrum of the irradiated area.

[0023] Figure 10C This is a graph showing the wavelength spectrum of the irradiated area.

[0024] Figure 11 This is a schematic diagram of an optical device.

[0025] Figure 12A This is a diagram showing the intensity distribution of the projected image.

[0026] Figure 12B This is a diagram showing the intensity distribution of the projected image.

[0027] Figure 13 It is a hardware structure diagram.

[0028] (Symbol Explanation)

[0029] 1, 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D, 1E: Optical device; 10: Light source; 30: Light selection unit; 32: Aperture component; 34: Diffraction grating; 40: Imaging unit; 52B: Lead-out unit; 60: Lens; 62: Lens; 64: Optical element; 68: Cylindrical lens. Detailed Implementation

[0030] Hereinafter, the optical device of this embodiment will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0031] The accompanying drawings used for illustration in the embodiments are schematic or conceptual, and the relationship between the thickness and width of each part, the ratio of the size between parts, etc., need not be the same as the actual situation. In addition, even when representing the same parts, there may be cases where the dimensions and ratios of each other are represented differently due to the accompanying drawings. In this application specification and various drawings, the same symbols are used for elements that are the same as those mentioned above in the drawings, and detailed descriptions are appropriately omitted.

[0032] (First Embodiment)

[0033] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram showing an example of the optical device 1A of this embodiment.

[0034] Optical device 1A is an example of an optical device. When describing the optical devices in this embodiment and the embodiments described below in general, they are sometimes simply referred to as optical device 1.

[0035] The optical device 1A includes a light source 10, a light selection unit 30, a camera unit 40, and an information processing unit 50. The camera unit 40 and the information processing unit 50 are connected to exchange data or signals.

[0036] Light source 10 is a surface-emitting light source that emits light rays R. Light ray R is an example of an electromagnetic wave.

[0037] Light source 10 only needs to emit electromagnetic waves if its emitting surface 11 is of finite size. The emitting surface 11 refers to the exit surface of the light ray R in light source 10. The finite size of the emitting surface 11 means that, in an optical system, light source 10 is substantially larger than a point light source. Being substantially larger than a point light source means being larger than the size of the focal point formed by a lens when light source 10 is placed far enough away from a commonly sold lens.

[0038] The light ray R emitted by the light source 10 can be, for example, visible light, X-rays, infrared light, microwaves, etc. Alternatively, the light ray R emitted by the light source 10 can be either coherent or incoherent light. Coherent light is, for example, laser light. Incoherent light is, for example, a light-emitting diode (LED).

[0039] In this embodiment, an LED as the light source 10 is described as an example. However, the light source 10 is not limited to LEDs; it can also be an incandescent bulb, fluorescent tube, mercury lamp, etc. Furthermore, the light source 10 can also be a light source that irradiates lasers, infrared rays, or X-rays. Additionally, the wavelength of the light ray R emitted from the light source 10 can be determined by the wavelength selectivity of the light selection unit 30, which will be described later.

[0040] In this embodiment, the case where the light ray R emitted from the light source 10 is an electromagnetic wave, such as visible light, will be described as an example. Specifically, in this embodiment, the case where the light ray R emitted from the light source 10 includes wavelengths in the visible light region of 400 nm to 800 nm will be described as an example. However, the wavelength included in the light ray R is not limited to this wavelength.

[0041] Furthermore, the LED used as the light source 10 in this embodiment can be any LED having a light-emitting surface 11 with a finite size. In this embodiment, the description assumes that the size of the light-emitting surface 11 is 0.2mm × 0.2mm. However, the size of the light-emitting surface 11 is not limited to this size.

[0042] Subject B is the object of inspection in the optical device 1A. Subject B can be any object that causes the light R irradiated by the light selection unit 30 (described later) to refract or scatter. Subject B can be, for example, a living cell, an object including a laser welding area, etc., but is not limited to these. The laser welding area is the area welded by the laser. In addition, subject B can be any of solid, liquid, or gas. In this embodiment, the case where subject B is a solid will be described as an example.

[0043] The light selection unit 30 splits the light beam R emitted from the light source 10 into multiple beams with different wavelength regions. The split light beam R is referred to as the split beam L.

[0044] In this embodiment, the light selection unit 30 will be described as an example of splitting the light ray R emitted from the light source 10 into a first beam L1 in a first wavelength region and a second beam L2 in a second wavelength region. The first beam L1 and the second beam L2 are examples of beam L. The first wavelength region and the second wavelength region are different wavelength regions. However, the light selection unit 30 may also be configured to split the beam L into three or more different wavelength regions, and is not limited to splitting it into the first beam L1 and the second beam L2.

[0045] The light selection unit 30 allows the first beam L1 and the second beam L2, which are light rays from different wavelength regions, to pass through the different wavelength selection regions 31. Alternatively, the light selection unit 30 can also allow the first beam L1 and the second beam L2 to pass through in different directions. In other words, the light selection unit 30 only needs to have the function of allowing multiple light rays R from different wavelength regions to pass through different positions within the light selection unit 30 or in different directions from the light selection unit 30.

[0046] In this embodiment, the light selection unit 30 has a first wavelength selection region 31A and a second wavelength selection region 31B as a plurality of wavelength selection regions 31.

[0047] The first wavelength selection region 31A and the second wavelength selection region 31B are disposed at different positions in a two-dimensional plane orthogonal to the optical axis Z in the light selection unit 30. The first wavelength selection region 31A and the second wavelength selection region 31B allow light rays R from different wavelength regions to pass through.

[0048] Allowing light ray R to pass through means at least one of allowing light ray R to be transmitted or allowing light ray R to be reflected. Even in the case of either transmission or reflection, when the light passes through the optical path of the light reaching the imaging unit 40 described later, "passing through" is used in the explanation of either transmission or reflection. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the case where "passing through" means "transmission" is explained as an example.

[0049] The first wavelength selection region 31A allows the first beam L1 of the first wavelength region to pass through. The second wavelength selection region 31B allows the second beam L2 of the second wavelength region to pass through.

[0050] For example, imagine that the first beam L1 in the first wavelength region is a blue light (e.g., wavelength 450 nm) R. Also imagine that the second beam L2 in the second wavelength region is a red light (e.g., wavelength 650 nm) R. In this case, the first wavelength selection region 31A allows the blue first beam L1 contained in the illuminated light R to pass through, and the second wavelength selection region 31B allows the red second beam L2 contained in the light R to pass through.

[0051] The first wavelength selection region 31A and the second wavelength selection region 31B can be implemented, for example, by placing a bandpass filter corresponding to the wavelength region of the transmitted light ray R at the opening of the light selection unit 30. Specifically, the first wavelength selection region 31A can be composed of a bandpass filter for the first wavelength region, and the second wavelength selection region 31B can be composed of a bandpass filter for the second wavelength region. The width of the bandpass filter for each of the first wavelength selection region 31A and the second wavelength selection region 31B can be set to, for example, 0.1 mm. However, the width of the bandpass filter is not limited to this value.

[0052] The imaging unit 40 captures an image of the subject B, which is irradiated by the first beam L1 and the second beam L2, onto an image sensor (not shown), and acquires a spectroscopic image using the image sensor. A spectroscopic image refers to an image captured by means of multiple wavelength regions that are split into different wavelengths. In this embodiment, the imaging unit 40 captures at least the spectroscopic images of the first and second wavelength regions.

[0053] The image sensor of the camera unit 40 is, for example, a CCD (Charge-Coupled Device) or a CMOS (Complementary Metal-Oxide Semiconductor). Alternatively, a hyperspectral camera capable of acquiring at least five different wavelength regions can also be used as the camera unit 40.

[0054] In this embodiment, an image sensor in which the imaging unit 40 has photoelectric conversion elements (photodiodes) arranged for each pixel will be described as an example. The image sensor of the imaging unit 40 receives at least the first beam splitter L1 and the second beam splitter L2 in each of the plurality of pixels. The light intensity of the light ray R received by each pixel is sometimes referred to as the light intensity, intensity, or pixel value. Hereinafter, the light intensity of the light ray R received by each pixel will be referred to as the pixel value.

[0055] For example, the image sensor of the imaging unit 40 can be configured to have multiple wavelength filters for each pixel. These multiple wavelength filters selectively transmit light rays R of different wavelengths. By configuring multiple wavelength filters for each pixel, the imaging unit 40 uses each pixel to perform light splitting. That is, the imaging unit 40 can simultaneously capture images of the split images after light splitting in the first wavelength region and the second wavelength region.

[0056] Next, the optical function of optical device 1A will be explained.

[0057] The first beam L1, which is part of the first wavelength region of the light ray R emitted from the light source 10, reaches the subject B through the first wavelength selection region 31A. That is, a specific irradiation area EA on the surface of the subject B is irradiated by the first beam L1. The irradiation area EA based on the first beam L1 is the region bounded by the edge ray G1, which is emitted from the end of the finite-sized emitting surface 11 of the light source 10 and passes through the end of the first wavelength selection region 31A within the light ray R of the first wavelength region. In other words, the irradiation area EA based on the first beam L1 is the region defined by the edge ray G1.

[0058] On the other hand, the second beam L2, which is part of the second wavelength region of the light ray R emitted from the light source 10, reaches the subject B through the second wavelength selection region 31B. That is, a specific irradiation area EB on the surface of the subject B is irradiated by the second beam L2. The irradiation area EB based on the second beam L2 is the area bounded by the edge ray G2, which is emitted from the end of the finite-sized emitting surface 11 of the light source 10 and passes through the end of the second wavelength selection region 31B in the light ray R of the second wavelength region. In other words, the irradiation area EB based on the second beam L2 is the area defined by the edge ray G2.

[0059] Here, when the emitting surface 11 of the light source 10 is a point light source, the illumination area EA based on the first beam L1 and the illumination area EB based on the second beam L2 are not overlapping. As a definition of non-repetition, it also includes the case where only the boundaries of these illumination areas EA and EB overlap.

[0060] On the other hand, regarding the light source 10 of this embodiment, as described above, the size of the light-emitting surface 11 of the light source 10 is a finite size. Therefore, there are overlapping areas between the illumination region EA based on the first beam L1 and the illumination region EB based on the second beam L2.

[0061] Specifically, such as Figure 1 As shown, the irradiated area E of the light R in the subject B is classified into the first irradiated area E1, the second irradiated area E2, and the third irradiated area E3.

[0062] The first irradiation area E1 is the area of ​​subject B where only the first beam of light L1 in the first wavelength region is irradiated. The second irradiation area E2 is the area of ​​subject B where the first beam of light L1 in the first wavelength region and the second beam of light L2 in the second wavelength region are irradiated repeatedly (overlappingly). That is, the second irradiation area E2 includes both the first beam of light L1 in the first wavelength region and the second beam of light L2 in the second wavelength region. The third irradiation area E3 is the area of ​​subject B where only the second beam of light L2 is irradiated.

[0063] After the first beam splitter L1 and the second beam splitter L2 are irradiated, the imaging unit 40 captures images of the subject B, which forms the first irradiation area E1, the second irradiation area E2 and the third irradiation area E3, to obtain a beam split image.

[0064] Next, the information processing device 50 will be described.

[0065] The information processing device 50 is connected to the camera unit 40 to exchange data or signals. The information processing device 50 analyzes the spectroscopic image captured by the camera unit 40.

[0066] Figure 2This is a block diagram illustrating an example of the functional structure of an information processing device 50. The information processing device 50 includes a processing unit 52, a storage unit 54, and an output unit 56. The processing unit 52, the storage unit 54, and the output unit 56 are connected via a bus 58 to exchange data or signals.

[0067] Storage unit 54 stores various types of data. Storage unit 54 can be, for example, a semiconductor memory element such as RAM or flash memory, a hard disk, or an optical disk. Alternatively, storage unit 54 can be a storage device located external to information processing device 50. Furthermore, storage unit 54 can also be a storage medium. Specifically, the storage medium can be a medium that stores or temporarily stores programs and various information downloaded via LAN (Local Area Network), the Internet, etc. Additionally, storage unit 54 can be composed of multiple storage media.

[0068] The output unit 56 outputs various types of information. For example, the output unit 56 may include at least one of a display, a speaker, and a communication unit that communicates with an external device via a network.

[0069] The processing unit 52 includes an acquisition unit 52A, an export unit 52B, and an output control unit 52C. At least one of the acquisition unit 52A, export unit 52B, and output control unit 52C is implemented, for example, by one or more processors. For example, each of these parts can also be implemented in software by having a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) execute a program. Each of these parts can also be implemented in hardware, such as a dedicated IC (Integrated Circuit). Each of these parts can also be implemented using both software and hardware. When using multiple processors, each processor can implement one or more of the parts.

[0070] The acquisition unit 52A acquires the spectral image from the imaging unit 40.

[0071] Based on the relative magnitudes of the light intensity received by the multiple beams L in the spectroscopic image acquired by the acquisition unit 52A for at least two different wavelength regions, the export unit 52B infers or determines the irradiation area E of each of the multiple beams L in the subject B. Then, the export unit 52B derives the shape information of the subject B from the inference (determination) result. Hereinafter, inference will sometimes be referred to as determination.

[0072] In this embodiment, the export unit 52B analyzes the spectroscopic image acquired by the acquisition unit 52A to infer (determine) the irradiation areas E of the first spectroscopic ray L1 and the second spectroscopic ray L2 in the subject B. Then, the shape information of the subject B is derived from the determination result of the irradiation area E.

[0073] A detailed explanation.

[0074] Figures 3A-3C This is a diagram showing an example of the wavelength spectra of the first irradiation region E1, the second irradiation region E2, and the third irradiation region E3. Figures 3A-3C In the diagram, the horizontal axis represents wavelength, and the vertical axis represents pixel value. Pixel values ​​can also be standardized as needed.

[0075] Figure 3A This is a diagram showing an example of the wavelength spectrum of the first irradiation region E1. Figure 3B This is a diagram showing an example of the wavelength spectrum of the second irradiation region E2. Figure 3C This is a diagram showing an example of the wavelength spectrum of the third irradiation region E3.

[0076] exist Figures 3A-3C The background noise N is also shown in the diagram. Background noise N refers to an example of the dark current component. In this embodiment, background noise N means the pixel value of the beam-splitting image obtained by the imaging unit 40 before the light source 10 is turned on and emits light R. In other words, background noise N is the pixel value of each pixel in the beam-splitting image when the light source 10 is turned off.

[0077] like Figure 3A As shown, regarding the first illumination region E1, and the first beam splitter L1 of the first wavelength region S1, the pixel values ​​above the first threshold are obtained. Figure 3B As shown, regarding the second illumination region E2, pixel values ​​exceeding the first threshold are obtained for both the first wavelength region S1 and the second wavelength region S2. Furthermore, as... Figure 3C As shown, for the third illumination region E3, pixel values ​​above the first threshold are obtained for the second wavelength region S2. The first threshold is predetermined to be a value that can be identified as light received due to illumination by light ray R.

[0078] like Figures 3A-3C As shown, it can be said that the first illumination region E1, the second illumination region E2, and the third illumination region E3 can be distinguished by combining the pixel values ​​for the first wavelength region S1 and the second wavelength region S2. In other words, it can be said that each illumination region can be distinguished based on the relationship between the pixel values ​​for different wavelength regions.

[0079] On the other hand, even if only the pixel values ​​for the first wavelength region S1 are analyzed, it is impossible to distinguish between the first illumination region E1 and the second illumination region E2 (see reference). Figure 3A Furthermore, even if only the pixel values ​​for the second wavelength region S2 are analyzed, it is impossible to distinguish between the first irradiation region E1 and the second irradiation region E2 (see reference). Figure 3C That is, by using a combination of pixel values ​​for both the first wavelength region S1 and the second wavelength region S2, it is possible to initially distinguish the first illumination region E1, the second illumination region E2, and the third illumination region E3. In other words, it can be said that each illumination region can be distinguished with higher precision based on the relationship between the pixel values ​​for different wavelength regions.

[0080] Return to Figure 2 Continuing the explanation, the output unit 52B then infers the illumination areas E of the first beam L1 and the second beam L2 in the subject B based on the first pixel value of the first wavelength region S1 and the second pixel value of the second wavelength region S2 contained in the spectrophotometer. The first pixel value is an example of the first light intensity. The second pixel value is an example of the second light intensity.

[0081] In detail, the derivation unit 52B infers the respective illumination regions of the first illumination region E1, the second illumination region E2, and the third illumination region E3 in the spectral image by using a combination of pixel values ​​for the first wavelength region S1 and the second wavelength region S2.

[0082] In other words, by using a combination of pixel values ​​for the first wavelength region S1 and the second wavelength region S2, the exporting unit 52B can initially distinguish each of the illumination regions, namely the first illumination region E1, the second illumination region E2, and the third illumination region E3. That is, the exporting unit 52B can distinguish the illumination region E more precisely.

[0083] Then, the export unit 52B exports the shape information of the subject B from the inferred results of the irradiation area E.

[0084] In deriving shape information, computational techniques commonly used in calculating 3D shapes with structured lighting, such as phase shifting, fringe projection, and optical cut-off, can be employed. However, here, shape also includes the fine details of the surface, such as bumps, scratches, etc. These fine details are also referred to as surface properties. That is, the shape described here also includes surface properties.

[0085] When using structured illumination to derive shape information, the more detailed the pattern of the irradiated area E, the higher the accuracy of the shape information derived. In this embodiment, the deriving unit 52B infers that the irradiated area E is divided into a first irradiated area E1, a second irradiated area E2, and a third irradiated area E3 by using a combination of pixel values ​​from the first wavelength region S1 and the second wavelength region S2. Then, the deriving unit 52B derives the shape information of the subject B from the inference result.

[0086] Therefore, compared to the case where the combination of pixel values ​​in the first wavelength region S1 and the second wavelength region S2 is not used, the exporting unit 52B can export the shape information of the subject B with high accuracy.

[0087] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the irradiation unit 52B can subdivide the irradiation area E into a first irradiation area E1, a second irradiation area E2, and a third irradiation area E3. This is because by using a light source 10 with a light-emitting surface 11 of finite size, a second irradiation area E2, which is a repeat of the irradiation area E based on the first beam L1 and the second beam L2, is formed on the subject B. Therefore, in this embodiment, by using a light source 10 with a light-emitting surface 11 of finite size and using a combination of pixel values ​​from the first wavelength region S1 and the second wavelength region S2, shape information can be derived with higher accuracy.

[0088] Furthermore, by setting the dimensions of the first wavelength selection region 31A and the second wavelength selection region 31B to be the same, the first irradiation region E1 and the third irradiation region E3 can be made to have approximately the same dimensions. Therefore, when calculating shape information by inferring the first irradiation region E1 and the third irradiation region E3, the shape accuracy of each irradiation region can be made approximately equal. That is, it has the effect of reducing deviations in shape accuracy.

[0089] The size of the light-emitting surface 11 is set as S0, the size of the first wavelength selection region 31A is set as S1, the size of the second wavelength selection region 31B is set as S2, the distance from the light selection section 30 to the light source is set as D0, and the distance from the light selection section 30 to the irradiation area is set as D1. At this time, the size SE1 of the first irradiation area E1, the size SE2 of the second irradiation area E2, and the size SE3 of the third irradiation area E3 are expressed by the following equations (1), (2), and (3), respectively. They are derived through geometric optics.

[0090] SE1=S1×D1 / D0…Equation (1)

[0091] SE2=S0×D1 / D0…Equation (2)

[0092] SE3=S2×D1 / D0…Equation (3)

[0093] At this time, when the size S0 of the light-emitting surface 11 is expressed by the following formula (4), the first irradiation area E1 and the second irradiation area E2 can be made to have approximately the same size.

[0094] S0 = S1…Equation (4)

[0095] Therefore, when calculating shape information by inferring the first irradiation region E1 and the second irradiation region E2, the shape accuracy in each irradiation region can be made approximately equal. That is, it has the effect of reducing deviations in shape accuracy.

[0096] In addition, when the size of the first wavelength selection region 31A and the size of the second wavelength selection region 31B are equal and the size of the light-emitting surface 11 S0 is larger than them, i.e. when the following equation (5) holds, the size of the first irradiation region E1 SE1 and the size of the second irradiation region E2 SE2 can be equal.

[0097] S0>S1=S2…Equation (5)

[0098] Furthermore, the large luminous surface area (11) allows for greater brightness. When brighter, the signal-to-noise ratio (S / N) during imaging increases. This means it reduces deviations in shape accuracy.

[0099] Furthermore, the deriving unit 52B preferably derives shape information based on the first pixel value of the first wavelength region S1 and the second pixel value of the second wavelength region S2 after removing the background noise N, which is an example of the dark current component.

[0100] The derivation unit 52B first compares the combination of pixel values ​​in the first wavelength region S1 and the second wavelength region S2 with the background noise N. Specifically, the derivation unit 52B determines whether the pixel values ​​in the first wavelength region S1 and the second wavelength region S2 are respectively greater than the pixel value of the background noise N. Through this determination process, the derivation unit 52B can, for example, suppress the assumption that the second beam L2 exists in the first illumination region E1. In this embodiment, the derivation unit 52B removes the pixel value of the background noise N from the pixel values ​​in both the first wavelength region S1 and the second wavelength region S2. The pixel value of the background noise N can be predetermined and stored in the storage unit 54. Then, the derivation unit 52B uses the combination of the pixel values ​​in the first wavelength region S1 and the second wavelength region S2 after removing the background noise N to infer the illumination region E.

[0101] By using the pixel values ​​of the first wavelength region S1 and the second wavelength region S2 after removing background noise N to infer the illumination region E (first illumination region E1, second illumination region E2, and third illumination region E3), the misidentification of the illumination region E can be reduced. Furthermore, by using this inference result to derive shape information, the deriving unit 52B can reduce the deriving error of the shape information of the subject B.

[0102] Next, the output control unit 52C will be described. The output control unit 52C outputs the export result based on the shape information of the export unit 52B to the output unit 56.

[0103] Next, an example of the information processing flow performed by the information processing device 50 will be described. Figure 4 This is a flowchart illustrating an example of the information processing flow performed by the information processing device 50.

[0104] First, the acquisition unit 52A acquires a spectral image from the imaging unit 40 (step S100).

[0105] Based on the first pixel value of the first wavelength region S1 and the second pixel value of the second wavelength region S2 contained in the spectroscopic image obtained in step S100, the output unit 52B infers the respective irradiation areas E of the first spectroscopic ray L1 and the second spectroscopic ray L2 in the subject B (step S102).

[0106] The export unit 52B exports the shape information of the subject B from the prediction result in step S102 (step S104).

[0107] The output control unit 52C outputs the result of step S104 to the output unit 56 (step S106). Then, the process ends.

[0108] As explained above, the optical device 1A of this embodiment includes a light source 10 as a surface-emitting light source, a light selection unit 30, an imaging unit 40, and an output unit 52B. The light selection unit 30 splits the light R emitted from the light source 10 into multiple beams L with different wavelength regions. The imaging unit 40 captures an image of the subject B irradiated by the multiple beams L, acquiring a spectroscopic image. The output unit 52B derives the shape information of the subject B from the estimation results of the predicted irradiation area E of each of the multiple beams L in the subject B for at least two different wavelength regions, based on the relative magnitudes of the light intensity received by the multiple beams L in the spectroscopic image.

[0109] In this embodiment, the optical device 1A illuminates the subject B with multiple distinct beams L, which are split by the light selection unit 30. Then, the extraction unit 52B infers the illumination area E of each of the multiple beams L in the subject B based on the image of the subject B captured by the imaging unit 40, i.e., the beam splitting K image. That is, by using combinations of pixel values ​​for each wavelength region, the extraction unit 52B can more precisely distinguish the illumination areas E of the beams L based on these multiple wavelength regions. In other words, it can be said that each illumination area can be distinguished with higher precision based on the relationship between the pixel values ​​for different wavelength regions. Then, the extraction unit 52B derives the shape information of the subject B from the inference result of the illumination area E.

[0110] Therefore, the optical device 1A of this embodiment can export the shape information of the subject B with high accuracy.

[0111] (Second Implementation)

[0112] In this embodiment, a structure that includes optical elements in addition to the structure of the optical device 1A of the first embodiment described above will be described.

[0113] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram showing an example of the optical device 1B according to this embodiment. The optical device 1B has a structure that further includes a lens 60 in the structure of the optical device 1A.

[0114] Lens 60 is an example of an optical element. The optical element reduces the divergence angle of the light ray R emitted from the light source 10. Specifically, the optical element makes the diverging light ray R emitted from the light source 10 quasi-parallel light.

[0115] Quasi-parallel light means light whose divergence angle as a ray R emitted from light source 10 is less than 1 mrad. Therefore, quasi-parallel light includes parallel light.

[0116] In this embodiment, the case where the optical element is a lens 60 is described as an example. However, a concave mirror may also be used as the optical element instead of a lens 60.

[0117] Lens 60 is disposed between light source 10 and light selection unit 30. Similar to the first embodiment, the case where light source 10 is an LED will be described as an example.

[0118] Here, lens 60 has a focal point. Light source 10 is disposed in the focal region of lens 60. The focal region means the focal point of lens 60 or the vicinity of that focal point. By distributing light source 10 in this way, the light ray R emitted from light source 10 passes through lens 60 and becomes quasi-parallel light, reaching light selection unit 30.

[0119] As described in the first embodiment, the emitting surface 11 of the light source 10 has a finite size. Therefore, the light ray R emitted from the light source 10 is slightly divergent. The full divergence angle of this divergent light is expressed by the following equation (6). The following equation (6) also holds true when a concave mirror is used instead of the lens 60.

[0120] Θ=D / f…Equation (6)

[0121] In equation (6), Θ is the divergence angle. f is the focal distance of lens 60. D is the size of the emitting surface 11 of light source 10.

[0122] For example, when the focal distance f is assumed to be 200 mm, the divergence angle Θ is 1 mrad (milliradians). Therefore, it can be said that the diverging light can be made quasi-parallel using a lens 60.

[0123] Next, the optical function of optical device 1B will be explained.

[0124] The light beam R emitted from the light source 10, which is an LED, is generally divergent, and its light distribution is approximately Lambertian. That is, the light beam R emitted from the light source 10 is fan-shaped. Fan-shaped light means light that spreads out in a fan shape. In this embodiment, the fan-shaped light beam R passes through the lens 60, thereby becoming a quasi-parallel light RP with a small divergence angle, and reaches the subject B via the light selection unit 30. Therefore, compared to the case where fan-shaped light is irradiated onto the subject B, the irradiation area E of the subject B can be reduced.

[0125] Similar to the first embodiment, the derivation unit 52B distinguishes the first illumination region E1, the second illumination region E2, and the third illumination region E3 by combining the pixel values ​​for the first wavelength region S1 and the second wavelength region S2. That is, the derivation unit 52B deduces the first illumination region E1, the second illumination region E2, and the third illumination region E3 in the beam-splitting image by using the combination of pixel values ​​for the first wavelength region S1 and the second wavelength region S2 contained in the beam-splitting image.

[0126] When shape information is derived using such structured illumination in the deriving unit 52B, the finer the pattern in the irradiated area E, the higher the accuracy of shape information deriving. Therefore, in the optical device 1B of this embodiment, similar to the embodiment described above, the shape information of the subject B can be derived with high accuracy.

[0127] Furthermore, in the optical device 1B of this embodiment, quasi-parallel light RP based on lens 60 is irradiated onto the subject B via light selection unit 30. Therefore, compared to the case without lens 60, the irradiation area E in the subject B can be reduced. Thus, in the optical device 1B of this embodiment, irradiation areas E (first irradiation area E1, second irradiation area E2, and third irradiation area E3) with finer patterns can be formed on the subject B.

[0128] Therefore, in the optical device 1B of this embodiment, in addition to the effects of the first embodiment described above, the shape information of the subject B can be exported with higher accuracy.

[0129] (Third Implementation)

[0130] In this embodiment, we will describe the case where a diffraction grating is used as the light selection unit 30 of the optical device 1B of the second embodiment described above.

[0131] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram showing an example of the optical device 1C of this embodiment. The optical device 1C is configured to include a diffraction grating 34 instead of the light selection unit 30 of the optical device 1B of the second embodiment described above. Additionally, the optical device 1B includes an opening member 32. Furthermore, the optical device 1C includes a lens 62 instead of a lens 60.

[0132] The diffraction grating 34 is an example of a light selection unit. In this embodiment, the diffraction grating 34 directs light rays R from different wavelength regions to pass in different directions.

[0133] Specifically, the diffraction grating 34 splits the illuminated light R into multiple beams L of different wavelength regions. In this embodiment, the diffraction grating 34 will be described as an example where the illuminated light R is split into a first beam L1 of a first wavelength region S1, a second beam L2 of a second wavelength region S2, and a third beam L3 of a third wavelength region. Furthermore, the first wavelength region S1, the second wavelength region S2, and the third wavelength region are all different wavelength regions.

[0134] The diffraction grating 34 is formed, for example, by forming protrusions at equal intervals H on a planar glass substrate. However, the diffraction grating 34 is not limited to any structure that functions as a diffraction grating.

[0135] An opening member 32 is disposed between the light source 10 and the lens 60. In this embodiment, similar to the first embodiment, the case where the light source 10 is an LED will be described as an example. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the case where the size of the light-emitting surface 11 of the light source 10 is 0.1 mm or less will be described as an example. Specifically, in this embodiment, the case where the size of the light-emitting surface 11 of the light source 10 is 0.1 mm × 0.1 mm will be described. However, the size of the light-emitting surface 11 is not limited to this size.

[0136] The opening member 32 has an opening 32A. The description assumes that the opening 32A is, for example, a pinhole with a diameter of 0.1 mm. However, the size of the opening 32A is not limited to this size.

[0137] Lens 62 is the same as lens 60 in the second embodiment. Lens 62 is disposed between the opening member 32 and the diffraction grating 34. Similar to the second embodiment, a concave mirror may be used instead of lens 62.

[0138] The opening 32A of the opening member 32 is disposed at or substantially near the focal point of the lens 62. By configuring it in this way, the light ray R emitted from the light source 10 passes through the opening 32A and the lens 62, thereby becoming quasi-parallel light RP and reaching the diffraction grating 34.

[0139] As explained in the second embodiment, the total divergence angle of the diverging light R emitted from the light source 10 is represented by the above formula (6). In this embodiment, D is the size of the opening 32A in formula (6).

[0140] For example, consider the case where the focal distance f of lens 62 is 500 mm. Furthermore, as described above, in this embodiment, consider the case where the size of opening 32A is 0.1 mm in diameter. In this case, the divergence angle Θ is 0.2 mrad (milliradians). Therefore, it can be said that the diverging light can be made into a quasi-parallel light RP using opening 32A and lens 62.

[0141] Next, the optical function in optical device 1C will be explained.

[0142] Generally, the light ray R emitted from the light source 10, which is an LED, is divergent, and its light distribution is approximately Lambertian. That is, the light ray R emitted from the light source 10 is a fan-shaped ray. In this embodiment, the fan-shaped ray R passes through the opening 32A and the lens 62, thereby becoming a quasi-parallel ray RP with a small divergence angle and reaching the diffraction grating 34.

[0143] Here, the focal distance of lens 62 is sufficiently large relative to the size of the emitting surface 11 or the opening 32A, thereby generating quasi-parallel light RP. The distance between adjacent rays in the direction orthogonal to the optical axis Z contained in the ray R that becomes quasi-parallel light RP through lens 62 is approximately constant along the optical axis Z. That is, these adjacent rays reach the diffraction grating 34 without touching each other.

[0144] In this embodiment, the diffraction grating 34 illuminates the subject B with multiple beams L (first beam L1, second beam L2, and third beam R3) of different wavelength regions. Therefore, the output unit 52B can further distinguish multiple irradiated areas E by combining the pixel values ​​of each wavelength region for these multiple wavelength regions.

[0145] exist Figure 6 As an example, a first irradiation region E1, a second irradiation region E2, and a third irradiation region E3 are shown. In this embodiment, the first irradiation region E1 is the region of the subject B that is irradiated only by the first beam L1 of the first wavelength region S1. The second irradiation region E2 is the region of the subject B that is repeatedly irradiated by the first beam L1 of the first wavelength region and the second beam L2 of the second wavelength region. The third irradiation region E3 is the region of the subject B that is repeatedly irradiated by the first wavelength region S1, the second wavelength region S2, and the third wavelength region S3.

[0146] Here, we assume that the light ray R with wavelength λ is incident at an angle α relative to the normal of the surface or back surface of the glass substrate of the diffraction grating 34. Furthermore, we assume that the angle between the direction of the ray L that is the beam splitter of the light ray R that transmits through the diffraction grating 34 and the normal of the surface or back surface of the glass substrate is β. Therefore, the following equation (7) holds.

[0147] sinβ-sinα=m×λ / H…Equation (7)

[0148] In equation (7), H is the spacing H of the diffraction grating 34. In addition, m is an integer.

[0149] In this embodiment, quasi-parallel light RP is incident on the diffraction grating 34. Therefore, the incident angle α is essentially 0. Here, when light rays R other than the quasi-parallel light RP are incident on the diffraction grating 34, light rays R at various angles will be incident on the diffraction grating 34. In this case, as shown in equation (7) above, light rays R in various wavelength regions are transmitted in various directions and reach the object B in a mixed-color state. Therefore, when light rays R other than the quasi-parallel light RP are incident on the diffraction grating 34, the guide unit 52B has difficulty distinguishing the irradiation area E according to the wavelength.

[0150] On the other hand, in this embodiment, quasi-parallel light RP is incident on the diffraction grating 34 using the opening 32A and the lens 62. Therefore, the output unit 52B analyzes the spectroscopic image according to the wavelength, thereby being able to deduce the respective illumination areas E of the spectroscopic rays L in different wavelength regions of the test object B. That is, the output unit 52B can easily distinguish the first illumination area E1, the second illumination area E2, and the third illumination area E3 according to the wavelength region.

[0151] As described above, the angle β of the beam L that passes through the diffraction grating 34 is expressed by the above equation (7). In the above equation (7), when m is 1 or -1, it can be a strong diffraction grating 34. The beam L that passes through this diffraction grating 34 is called ±1 order diffraction light. The passing angle of this ±1 order diffraction light is expressed by the following equation (8).

[0152] sinβ=±λ / H…Equation (8)

[0153] As shown in equation (8), the larger the wavelength, the larger the angle of the beam splitter L of the transmission diffraction grating 34. That is, the direction and angle of the beam splitter L can be different according to the wavelength of the beam splitter L using the diffraction grating 34.

[0154] For example, consider the case where the spacing H of the diffraction grating 34 is set to 2 μm. Also consider the case where the first wavelength region S1 is 650 nm, the second wavelength region S2 is 640 nm, and the third wavelength region is 640 nm.

[0155] Figures 7A to 7C This is a diagram showing an example of the wavelength spectra of the first irradiation region E1, the second irradiation region E2, and the third irradiation region E3. Figures 7A to 7C In the diagram, the horizontal axis represents wavelength, and the vertical axis represents pixel value. Pixel values ​​can also be standardized as needed.

[0156] Figure 7A This is a diagram showing an example of the wavelength spectrum of the first irradiation region E1. Figure 7B This is a diagram showing an example of the wavelength spectrum of the second irradiation region E2. Figure 7C This is a diagram showing an example of the wavelength spectrum of the third irradiation region E3.

[0157] like Figures 7A to 7C As shown, it can be said that by combining the pixel values ​​for the first wavelength region S1, the second wavelength region S2, and the third wavelength region S3, it is possible to distinguish the first illumination region E1, the second illumination region E2, and the third illumination region E3.

[0158] Therefore, in this embodiment, it can be said that the output unit 52B can distinguish the first irradiation area E1, the second irradiation area E2, and the third irradiation area E3 by combining the pixel values ​​of each wavelength area of ​​the first wavelength area S1, the second wavelength area S2, and the third wavelength area S3.

[0159] On the other hand, even if only the pixel values ​​for the first wavelength region S1 are analyzed, it is impossible to distinguish the first illumination region E1, the second illumination region E2, and the third illumination region E3. Furthermore, even if only the pixel values ​​for the third wavelength region S3 are analyzed, it is impossible to distinguish the third illumination region E3, the first illumination region E1, and the second illumination region E2.

[0160] That is, by using a combination of pixel values ​​for the first wavelength region S1, the second wavelength region S2, and the third wavelength region S3, it is possible to initially distinguish the first illumination region E1, the second illumination region E2, and the third illumination region E3.

[0161] Therefore, in this embodiment, the deriving unit 52B infers the irradiation area E of the first beam L1, the second beam L2, and the third beam R3 in the subject B based on the first pixel value of the first wavelength region S1, the second pixel value of the second wavelength region S2, and the third pixel value of the third wavelength region S3 contained in the beam splitting image.

[0162] In detail, the output unit 52B infers the first illumination region E1, the second illumination region E2, and the third illumination region E3 in the beam splitting image by using a combination of pixel values ​​for each wavelength region of the first wavelength region S1, the second wavelength region S2, and the third wavelength region S3.

[0163] In other words, by using a combination of pixel values ​​for each wavelength region of the first wavelength region S1, the second wavelength region S2, and the third wavelength region S3, the exporting unit 52B can initially distinguish each illumination region of the first illumination region E1, the second illumination region E2, and the third illumination region E3. That is, the exporting unit 52B can distinguish the illumination region E more precisely.

[0164] Then, the extraction unit 52B extracts the shape information of the subject B from the estimation result of the irradiation area E. In other words, by using a combination of pixel values ​​for the first wavelength region S1 and the second wavelength region S2, the extraction unit 52B is able to initially distinguish each irradiation area of ​​the first irradiation area E1, the second irradiation area E2, and the third irradiation area E3. That is, the extraction unit 52B can distinguish the irradiation area E in greater detail. Then, the extraction unit 52B extracts the shape information of the subject B from the estimation result of the irradiation area E.

[0165] As described above, when the shape information is derived using such structured illumination in the deriving unit 52B, the more detailed the pattern of the irradiated area E, the higher the accuracy of the shape information deriving.

[0166] In this embodiment, the light rays R, which become quasi-parallel light RP through lens 62, whose adjacent rays in the direction orthogonal to the optical axis Z reach the subject B via diffraction grating 34 without contacting each other. By creating quasi-parallel light, fine-grained structured illumination independent of distance can be achieved. Therefore, in this embodiment, more fine-grained illumination can be created, and a more fine-grained distribution of the illumination area E can be achieved compared to the above embodiment.

[0167] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the exporting unit 52B uses a combination of pixel values ​​from the first wavelength region S1, the second wavelength region S2, and the third wavelength region S3 to classify the irradiated region E into a first irradiated region E1, a second irradiated region E2, and a third irradiated region E3. Therefore, compared to the case where the combination of pixel values ​​from the first wavelength region S1, the second wavelength region S2, and the third wavelength region S3 is not used, the exporting unit 52B can export shape information with high accuracy.

[0168] Therefore, in addition to the effects of the above-described embodiments, the optical device 1C of this embodiment can also export the shape information of the subject B with higher accuracy.

[0169] (Fourth implementation)

[0170] In this embodiment, a structure is described that includes unique optical elements in addition to the optical device 1A of the first embodiment described above.

[0171] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram showing an example of the optical device 1D according to this embodiment. The optical device 1D has a structure that further includes an optical element 64 and a lens 66 in addition to the structure of the optical device 1A.

[0172] Lens 66 causes the light rays R reflected by the subject B to be imaged onto the light-receiving surface 41 of the imaging unit 40.

[0173] Optical element 64 is made of a transparent medium. Transparency means that it is transparent to incident light R. Examples of transparent media include glass, resin, quartz, and sapphire. Examples of resins include acrylic and polycarbonate. In this embodiment, the case where the transparent medium constituting optical element 64 is acrylic is described as an example.

[0174] The optical element 64 has a reflecting surface 64B, an incident surface 64A, and an exiting surface 64C on the outer surface of the transparent medium.

[0175] The reflecting surface 64B is a parabolic or quasi-parabolic reflecting surface disposed on the outer surface of the transparent medium. For example, the reflecting surface 64B is a parabolic surface that has undergone aluminum vapor deposition, forming part of the outer surface of the transparent medium. Therefore, the reflecting surface 64B functions as a reflecting surface for reflecting light rays R. In this embodiment, the focal distance of the reflecting surface 64B is assumed to be 100 mm.

[0176] The incident surface 64A is a planar surface opposite to the reflecting surface 64B, and is disposed on the emitting surface 11 of the light source 10. The incident surface 64A is located near the focal point of the reflecting surface 64B, which is a parabolic surface. The emitting surface 11 of the light source 10 is disposed opposite to the incident surface 64A.

[0177] The emission surface 64C and the light selection unit 30 are arranged opposite each other.

[0178] Regarding the LED that serves as the light source 10 in this embodiment, the description assumes that the size of the light-emitting surface 11 is 0.1mm × 0.1mm.

[0179] Light rays R emitted from the light source 10 and incident on the incident surface 64A of the optical element 64 are refracted by the refraction caused by the transparent medium and enter the interior of the transparent medium. Then, almost all of the light rays R that have entered the interior of the transparent medium are guided within the transparent medium, and all the guided light rays R are positively reflected by the reflecting surface 64B.

[0180] Here, in the absence of refraction by the transparent medium, the ray R is not refracted. Therefore, the ray R diffuses like a fan, and the amount of ray R lost due to not reaching the reflecting surface 64B increases.

[0181] On the other hand, in this embodiment, due to the light guiding effect generated by the optical element 64, the reflective surface 64B, which is a compact parabolic surface, can be used to reflect almost all the light rays R toward the subject B via the light selection unit 30.

[0182] Furthermore, as described above, the light source 10 is positioned at or near the focal point of the reflecting surface 64B. Therefore, the light ray R reflected by the reflecting surface 64B becomes parallel light RP'. That is, the distance between adjacent rays in the direction orthogonal to the optical axis Z contained in the light ray R that becomes parallel light RP through the optical element 64 is approximately constant along the optical axis Z. In other words, these adjacent rays reach the light selection unit 30 without contacting each other.

[0183] By creating a parallel light RP', finely structured illumination that is independent of distance can be achieved. Therefore, in this embodiment, more finely structured illumination can be created, and a more finely structured distribution of the illumination area E can be achieved compared to the embodiments described above.

[0184] Parallel light RP' that illuminates the light selection unit 30 is split by the light selection unit 30 and reaches the subject B. Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram showing an example of the intensity distribution V of the beam L at a certain position on the optical path of the beam L. The beam L illuminates the object B and is captured by the imaging unit 40, thereby obtaining a beam image.

[0185] Similar to the first embodiment, the derivation unit 52B infers the illumination area E of each of the different wavelength regions in the test subject B based on the pixel values ​​of each of the different wavelength regions contained in the spectroscopic image. Then, the shape information of the test subject B is derived from the inference result.

[0186] Figures 10A to 10C This is a diagram showing an example of the wavelength spectra of the first irradiation region E1, the second irradiation region E2, and the third irradiation region E3. Figures 10A to 10C In the graph, the horizontal axis represents wavelength, and the vertical axis represents pixel value. Pixel values ​​can also be standardized as needed. Additionally, in... Figures 10A to 10C The background noise N is also shown in the figure.

[0187] Figure 10A This is a diagram showing an example of the wavelength spectrum of the first irradiation region E1. Figure 10B This is a diagram showing an example of the wavelength spectrum of the second irradiation region E2. Figure 10C This is a diagram showing an example of the wavelength spectrum of the third irradiation region E3.

[0188] like Figures 10A to 10C As shown, it can be said that by combining the pixel values ​​for the first wavelength region S1, the second wavelength region S2, and the third wavelength region S3, it is possible to distinguish the first illumination region E1, the second illumination region E2, and the third illumination region E3.

[0189] Therefore, in this embodiment, it can be said that the output unit 52B can distinguish the first irradiation area E1, the second irradiation area E2, and the third irradiation area E3 by combining the pixel values ​​of each wavelength area of ​​the first wavelength area S1, the second wavelength area S2, and the third wavelength area S3.

[0190] On the other hand, even if only the pixel values ​​for the first wavelength region S1 are analyzed, it is impossible to distinguish the first illumination region E1, the second illumination region E2, and the third illumination region E3. Furthermore, even if only the pixel values ​​for the second wavelength region S2 are analyzed, it is impossible to distinguish the second illumination region E2, the first illumination region E1, and the third illumination region E3. Additionally, even if only the pixel values ​​for the third wavelength region S3 are analyzed, it is impossible to distinguish the third illumination region E3, the first illumination region E1, and the second illumination region E2.

[0191] That is, by using a combination of pixel values ​​for each wavelength region of the first wavelength region S1, the second wavelength region S2, and the third wavelength region E3, it is possible to initially distinguish the first illumination region E1, the second illumination region E2, and the third illumination region E3.

[0192] Therefore, similarly to the above embodiment, the derivation unit 52B infers the illumination areas E of the first beam L1, the second beam L2, and the third beam R3 in the subject B based on the first pixel value of the first wavelength region S1, the second pixel value of the second wavelength region S2, and the third pixel value of the third wavelength region S3 included in the beam-splitting image. Specifically, the derivation unit 52B infers the first illumination area E1, the second illumination area E2, and the third illumination area E3 in the beam-splitting image by using combinations of pixel values ​​for each wavelength region of the first wavelength region S1, the second wavelength region S2, and the third wavelength region S3.

[0193] In other words, by using a combination of pixel values ​​for each wavelength region of the first wavelength region S1, the second wavelength region S2, and the third wavelength region S3, the exporting unit 52B can initially distinguish each illumination region of the first illumination region E1, the second illumination region E2, and the third illumination region E3. That is, the exporting unit 52B can distinguish the illumination region E more precisely.

[0194] Then, the export unit 52B exports the shape information of the subject B from the inferred results of the irradiation area E.

[0195] As described above, when the shape information is derived using such structured illumination in the deriving unit 52B, the more detailed the pattern of the irradiated area E, the higher the accuracy of the shape information deriving.

[0196] Therefore, in addition to the effects of the first embodiment described above, the optical device 1D of this embodiment can also export the shape information of the subject B with higher accuracy.

[0197] Furthermore, similar to the above embodiment, the deriving unit 52B preferably derives shape information based on the first pixel value of the first wavelength region S1, the second pixel value of the second wavelength region S2, and the third pixel value of the third wavelength region S3 after removing background noise N.

[0198] (Fifth Embodiment)

[0199] In this embodiment, a cylindrical lens structure is also described.

[0200] Figure 11This is a schematic diagram showing an example of the optical device 1E according to this embodiment. In addition to having the structure of the optical device 1A of the first embodiment described above, the optical device 1E also includes a cylindrical lens 68.

[0201] Figure 11 This is a schematic diagram showing an example of the optical device 1E according to this embodiment. The optical device 1E is configured to further include a cylindrical lens 68 in the structure of the optical device 1A.

[0202] Cylindrical lens 68 is an example of an optical element. Cylindrical lens 68 images the light rays R passing through light selection section 30 onto the subject B. Alternatively, the optical device 1E may be configured to include a concave mirror instead of cylindrical lens 68. That is, in this embodiment, any optical element capable of defining the image plane and the object surface of the subject B is acceptable. In this embodiment, the use of cylindrical lens 68 as an optical element will be described as an example.

[0203] Similar to the first embodiment, the LED used as the light source 10 in this embodiment can be any LED having a light-emitting surface 11 with a finite size. In this embodiment, the description assumes that the size of the light-emitting surface 11 is 3mm × 3mm. However, the size of the light-emitting surface 11 is not limited to this size.

[0204] In this embodiment, the light selection unit 30 is disposed between the light source 10 and the cylindrical lens 68. In this embodiment, the light selection unit 30 is disposed opposite to the light-emitting surface 11 of the light source 10. Furthermore, the size of the wavelength selection region 31 in the light selection unit 30 is approximately the same as the size of the light-emitting surface 11 of the light source 10.

[0205] The wavelength selection region 31 of the light selection unit 30 is disposed on the object surface of the cylindrical lens 68. Therefore, the wavelength selection region 31 is projected (illuminated) onto the image surface of the cylindrical lens 68.

[0206] Here, at a position on the side of the cylindrical lens 68 closer to the image plane of the cylindrical lens 68, the projected images of the first wavelength selection region 31A and the second wavelength selection region 31B included in the wavelength selection region 31 become overlapping projected images.

[0207] Moreover, the closer to the cylindrical lens 68, the greater the overlap.

[0208] Figure 12A It is shown Figure 11 A diagram showing an example of the intensity distribution of the projected image at position A1. Figure 12B It is shown Figure 11 A diagram showing an example of the intensity distribution of the projected image at position A2.

[0209] like Figure 11 , Figure 12A as well as Figure 12B As shown, the closer to the cylindrical lens 68, the greater the overlap between the illumination area EA based on the first beam splitter L1 passing through the first wavelength selection region 31A and the illumination area EB based on the second beam splitter L2. Therefore, the distance in the Z-direction of the optical axis can be inferred from the presence and degree of overlap between the illumination areas EA and EB corresponding to the first wavelength selection region 31A and the second wavelength selection region 31B, respectively.

[0210] Therefore, in the optical device 1E of this embodiment, similarly to the first embodiment, the deriving unit 52B analyzes the spectroscopic image acquired by the acquisition unit 52A to deduce the irradiation areas E of the first spectroscopic ray L1 and the second spectroscopic ray L2 in the subject B. Then, the shape information of the subject B is derived from the deduced irradiation area E.

[0211] In this embodiment, the deriving unit 52B further infers the distance in the Z-direction of the optical axis from the presence or absence and degree of overlap between the irradiation area EA and the irradiation area EB.

[0212] Therefore, in this embodiment, the export unit 52B can infer the three-dimensional shape of the test subject B.

[0213] Such distance estimation processing is achieved by maintaining a combination of pixel values ​​for each wavelength region of the first wavelength region S1 and the second wavelength region S2 after the wavelength selection region 31 is split in the processing unit 52, and using the combination to estimate the distance.

[0214] That is, if the illumination field (illumination distribution on the plane) is composed of only two illumination areas: the illumination area E consisting of the first beam L1 of the first wavelength region S1 and the second beam L2 of the second wavelength region S2, and the illumination area E consisting of the second beam L2 of the second wavelength region S2 and the first beam L1 of the first wavelength region S1, then the illumination field is located on the imaging plane.

[0215] On the other hand, if there is an overlapping area, that is, an illumination area E where the first beam splitter L1 of the first wavelength region S1 exists and the second beam splitter L2 of the second wavelength region S2 exists, it can be inferred that it is closer to the cylindrical lens 68 side (optical element side) than the imaging surface.

[0216] Therefore, according to the optical device 1E of this embodiment, in addition to the effects of the above-described embodiment, the three-dimensional shape of the subject B can also be exported as shape information.

[0217] Next, an example of the hardware structure of the information processing device 50 in the above embodiments will be described.

[0218] Figure 13 This is an example of a hardware structure diagram of the information processing device 50 described in the above embodiments and variations.

[0219] The information processing device 50 includes a control unit such as a CPU 86, a storage device such as a ROM (Read Only Memory) 88, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 91, and an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) 92, an I / F unit 82 that serves as an interface with various devices, an output unit 81 that outputs various information such as output information, an input unit 94 that is subject to user operations, and a bus 96 that connects the various parts. It utilizes a typical computer hardware structure.

[0220] In the information processing device 50, the CPU 86 reads the program from the ROM 88 into the RAM 91 and executes it, thereby implementing the above-mentioned parts on the computer.

[0221] Furthermore, the programs for performing the aforementioned processes executed by the information processing device 50 can also be stored in the HDD 92. Additionally, the programs for performing the aforementioned processes executed by the information processing device 50 can also be pre-programmed into the ROM 88.

[0222] Furthermore, the program for performing the aforementioned processes executed by the information processing device 50 can also be stored as an installable or executable file on a computer-readable storage medium such as a CD-ROM, CD-R, memory card, DVD (Digital Versatile Disk), or flexible optical disc (FD), and provided as a computer program product. Alternatively, the program for performing the aforementioned processes executed by the information processing device 50 can be stored on a computer connected to a network such as the Internet and provided via network download. Furthermore, the program for performing the aforementioned processes executed by the information processing device 50 can also be provided or distributed via a network such as the Internet.

[0223] Furthermore, while embodiments and modifications of the present invention have been described above, these embodiments and modifications are merely illustrative and not intended to limit the scope of the invention. This new embodiment can be implemented in various other ways, with various omissions, substitutions, and modifications made without departing from the spirit of the invention. This embodiment and its modifications are included within the scope and spirit of the invention, and are encompassed by the scope of the claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. An optical device comprising: Surface-emitting light source; The light selection unit splits the light emitted from the surface-emitting light source into multiple beams of light with different wavelength regions; The camera unit captures images of the subject irradiated with multiple of the said spectral beams to obtain spectral images; The output unit derives the surface properties or shape information of the test subject from the estimation results of the irradiation area of ​​each of the multiple spectral rays in the multiple spectral rays obtained in the spectral image for at least two different wavelength regions. as well as The illumination section includes: a light source; and optical elements that reduce the divergence angle of the light emitted from the light source. The optical element is a lens. The light source is positioned in the focal region of the lens. The lens makes the light rays emitted from the light source quasi-parallel.

2. The optical device according to claim 1, wherein, The light selection unit splits the illuminated light into a first beam of light in a first wavelength region and a second beam of light in a second wavelength region. The camera unit captures images of the spectral image, which is split into the first wavelength region and the second wavelength region. The derivation unit derives the surface properties or shape information based on the relative magnitudes of the first light intensity in the first wavelength region and the second light intensity in the second wavelength region contained in the spectrophotometer, from the inferred result of the inferred irradiation area of ​​the first and second spectrophotometer rays in the test subject.

3. The optical device according to claim 2, wherein, The deriving unit derives the surface properties or shape information from the inferred result of the first irradiation area of ​​the first spectral ray in the subject, which includes only the first wavelength region, the second irradiation area including both the first spectral ray and the second spectral ray, and the third irradiation area of ​​only the second spectral ray.

4. The optical device according to claim 2 or 3, wherein, The exporting unit exports the surface properties or shape information based on the first light intensity and the second light intensity after removing the dark current component.

5. The optical device according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein, The light selection unit has a first wavelength selection region through which the first split beam passes and a second wavelength selection region through which the second split beam passes. The first wavelength selection region and the second wavelength selection region are configured in different locations.

6. The optical device according to claim 1, wherein, The light source has a light-emitting surface of finite size.

7. The optical device according to claim 1, wherein, The optical element is a concave mirror. The light source is positioned at the focal region of the concave mirror. The concave mirror makes the light rays emitted from the light source quasi-parallel.

8. The optical device according to claim 1 or 7, wherein, The light selection section is a diffraction grating.

9. The optical device according to claim 1, wherein, The optical element contains a transparent medium. The outer surface of the transparent medium has a parabolic or quasi-parabolic reflective surface. The light source is positioned at the focal region of the reflective surface.

10. The optical device according to claim 9, wherein, The optical element has a planar incident surface facing the reflecting surface. The incident surface is arranged face-to-face with the light-emitting surface of the light source.

11. The optical device according to claim 1, wherein, The optical element is a lens. The light selection unit is disposed between the light source and the lens. The lens images the light rays that have passed through the light selection section onto the subject being examined.

12. The optical device according to claim 2, wherein, The size of the light-emitting surface of the light source illuminating the light is substantially equal to the size of the first wavelength selection region through which the first spectral beam passes.

13. The optical device according to claim 2, wherein, The size of the light-emitting surface of the light source illuminating the light is larger than the size of the first wavelength selection region through which the first spectral beam passes.

14. The optical device according to claim 1, wherein, The lens is disposed between the light source and the light selection unit.

15. An information processing method, comprising: The step of splitting light emitted from a surface-emitting light source into multiple beams of different wavelength regions; The step of taking a photograph of a subject irradiated with multiple of the said spectroscopic rays to obtain a spectroscopic image; as well as Based on the relative magnitudes of the light intensities received by the multiple spectral rays in the spectrophotometer for at least two different wavelength regions, the step of deriving the surface characteristics or shape information of the subject is to infer the irradiation area of ​​each of the multiple spectral rays in the subject. The irradiation section includes: a light source; and optical elements that reduce the divergence angle of the light emitted from the light source. The optical element is a lens. The light source is positioned in the focal region of the lens. The lens makes the light rays emitted from the light source quasi-parallel.

16. A storage medium storing a program for causing a computer connected to a camera unit to perform an export step, the camera unit capturing an image of a subject irradiated with a plurality of beams of light selected by a light selection unit and acquiring a beam-splitting image, the light selection unit splitting light irradiated from a surface-emitting light source into a plurality of beams of different wavelength regions. In this export step, based on the relative magnitudes of the light intensities received by the multiple spectral rays in the spectrophotometer for at least two different wavelength regions, the surface characteristics or shape information of the subject is derived from the inferred irradiation areas of the multiple spectral rays in the subject. The irradiation section includes: a light source; and optical elements that reduce the divergence angle of the light emitted from the light source. The optical element is a lens. The light source is positioned in the focal region of the lens. The lens makes the light rays emitted from the light source quasi-parallel.

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