A full foot three-dimensional scanner

Abstract

This invention provides a full-foot 3D scanner, comprising a housing, a motion module, and a scanning module. The housing has two scanning areas arranged opposite each other in a first horizontal direction and a support area disposed between the two scanning areas, the support area being used to place the full foot. The motion module is disposed within the housing and includes a sliding part slidably disposed along a second horizontal direction. The scanning module includes a first frame, a second frame, lasers, and a camera. The first and second frames are respectively disposed corresponding to the two scanning areas. The first frame has at least two lasers spaced apart in the vertical direction, with the two lasers positioned on opposite sides of the support area in the vertical direction. The second frame also has at least two lasers spaced apart in the vertical direction, with the two lasers positioned on opposite sides of the support area in the vertical direction. The camera is disposed corresponding to the lasers, and both the lasers and the camera are oriented towards the support area. This solution provides a full-foot 3D scanner that balances motion accuracy, imaging quality, and structural compactness.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of scanning equipment technology, and in particular to a full-foot 3D scanner. Background Technology

[0002] Currently, full-foot 3D scanners on the market are mainly divided into two categories: unilateral scanning type and fixed gantry type. The unilateral scanning type uses a single camera group moving along a unilateral track, achieving full-foot coverage by rotating the foot or taking multiple scans. The fixed gantry type uses a fixed gantry structure, completing a single scan through a multi-camera array. The core requirement of foot 3D scanning equipment is to achieve rapid and accurate acquisition of foot morphology, relying on the stable movement of the scanning module and clear imaging. However, existing technologies suffer from drawbacks such as large scanning blind spots, low scanning efficiency, and complex structures, making it difficult to meet the high requirements of commercial and medical scenarios.

[0003] Therefore, there is an urgent need for a foot 3D scanning device solution that takes into account motion accuracy, imaging quality, structural compactness and reliability, in order to overcome the shortcomings of existing technologies. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The main objective of this invention is to propose a full-foot 3D scanner that addresses the problem that existing full-foot 3D scanners cannot simultaneously achieve motion accuracy, imaging quality, and structural compactness.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention proposes a full-foot 3D scanner, comprising:

[0006] The housing has two scanning areas arranged opposite each other in a first horizontal direction and a bearing area disposed between the two scanning areas, the bearing area being used for placing the whole foot;

[0007] A motion module is disposed within the housing, and the motion module includes a sliding portion that is slidably disposed along a second horizontal direction;

[0008] The scanning module includes a first frame, a second frame, lasers, and a camera. The first frame and the second frame are respectively arranged corresponding to two scanning areas and are both located on the sliding part. The first frame has at least two lasers spaced apart in the vertical direction, and the two lasers are located on both sides of the support area in the vertical direction. The second frame has at least two lasers spaced apart in the vertical direction, and the two lasers are located on both sides of the support area in the vertical direction. The camera is arranged corresponding to the lasers, and both the lasers and the camera are oriented towards the support area.

[0009] In one embodiment of the present invention, the motion module further includes a drive unit and a slide rail extending along a second horizontal direction;

[0010] The sliding part is configured as a slider, the slider slides in conjunction with the slide rail, and the driving part is drivenly connected to the slider.

[0011] In one embodiment of the present invention, two slide rails are provided, and the two slide rails are spaced apart in a first horizontal direction;

[0012] The slider slides in conjunction with the two slide rails.

[0013] In one embodiment of the present invention, the driving unit includes a motor, a driving wheel, a driven wheel, and a timing belt. The motor is disposed inside the housing. The driving wheel is connected to the motor shaft of the motor. The driven wheel is disposed in the housing and spaced apart from the driving wheel in a first horizontal direction. The timing belt is sleeved on the driving wheel and the driven wheel.

[0014] The slider is fixedly connected to the timing belt.

[0015] In one embodiment of the present invention, the motion module further includes a toothed plate fixedly disposed on the slider, the toothed plate being located between the slider and the timing belt and engaging with the inner tooth profile of the timing belt.

[0016] In one embodiment of the present invention, a limiting member is provided on the slide rail, the limiting member being used to abut against the side end of the sliding part.

[0017] In one embodiment of the present invention, the angle between the orientation of the laser and the orientation of the corresponding camera is A, which satisfies: 20°≤A≤60°.

[0018] In one embodiment of the invention, the camera and the laser are located in the same plane in the vertical direction.

[0019] In one embodiment of the present invention, the full-foot 3D scanner further includes a plurality of lighting elements disposed around the lens of the camera.

[0020] In one embodiment of the present invention, the full-foot 3D scanner further includes two pedals, which are respectively disposed on both sides of the housing in a first horizontal direction.

[0021] The technical solution provided by this invention scans the entire foot located on the support area by setting two scanning areas and a support area between the two scanning areas. A motion module is used to move the scanning module in a second horizontal direction to achieve layer-by-layer scanning of the entire foot. A first and second frame provide mounting bases for lasers and cameras. By setting at least two lasers and cameras on each frame, located on opposite sides of the support area in the vertical direction, the entire foot on the support area is ensured to be at the scanning center of the lasers and cameras, greatly reducing scanning blind spots in areas such as the sole and arch, while also improving scanning accuracy and image quality. The entire structure is relatively simple, and full-foot scanning can be achieved simply by controlling the movement of the motion module, resulting in high scanning efficiency. Therefore, this invention provides a full-foot 3D scanner that balances motion accuracy, image quality, and structural compactness. Attached Figure Description

[0022] To make the content of this invention easier to understand, the invention will be further described in detail below with reference to specific embodiments and accompanying drawings.

[0023] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a structure of an embodiment of the full-foot 3D scanner provided by the present invention;

[0024] Figure 2 for Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the internal structure of the middle shell;

[0025] Figure 3 for Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the motion module and scanning module;

[0026] Figure 4 for Figure 2 A structural diagram from another perspective;

[0027] Figure 5 for Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the structure of the motion module;

[0028] Figure 6 for Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the structure of the timing belt and slider;

[0029] Figure 7 for Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the structure of the scanning module.

[0030] Explanation of reference numerals in the accompanying drawings: 100, Full-foot 3D scanner; 10, Housing; 11, Scanning area; 12, Bearing area; 20, Motion module; 21, Slider; 22, Slide rail; 23, Motor; 25, Driven wheel; 26, Synchronous belt; 27, Toothed plate; 28, Limiting component; 30, Scanning module; 31, First frame; 32, Second frame; 33, Laser; 34, Camera; 35, Connector; 40, Lighting component; 50, Pedal; 60, Base; 61, Positioning component; 62, Control panel. Detailed Implementation

[0031] The present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments, so that those skilled in the art can better understand and implement the present invention. However, the embodiments described are not intended to limit the present invention.

[0032] The main objective of this invention is to propose a full-foot 3D scanner that addresses the problem that existing full-foot 3D scanners cannot simultaneously achieve motion accuracy, imaging quality, and structural compactness.

[0033] Please see Figures 1 to 7 This invention proposes a full-foot 3D scanner 100, comprising a housing 10, a motion module 20, and a scanning module 30. The housing 10 has two scanning areas 11 arranged opposite each other in a first horizontal direction and a support area 12 disposed between the two scanning areas 11, the support area 12 being used to place the full foot. The motion module 20 is disposed within the housing 10, and the motion module 20 includes a sliding part slidably disposed along a second horizontal direction. The scanning module 30 includes a first frame 31, a second frame 32, a laser 33, and a camera 34. The first frame 31 and the second frame 32... The frame 32 is respectively arranged corresponding to the two scanning areas 11 and is located on the sliding part. The first frame 31 is provided with at least two lasers 33 at intervals in the vertical direction. The two lasers 33 are respectively arranged on both sides of the support area 12 in the vertical direction. The second frame 32 is provided with at least two lasers 33 at intervals in the vertical direction. The two lasers 33 are respectively arranged on both sides of the support area 12 in the vertical direction. The camera 34 is arranged corresponding to the lasers 33. Both the lasers 33 and the camera 34 are facing the support area 12.

[0034] The technical solution provided by this invention scans the entire foot located on the support area 12 by setting two scanning areas 11 and a support area 12 between the two scanning areas 11. The motion module 20 drives the scanning module 30 to move in the second horizontal direction, achieving layer-by-layer scanning of the entire foot. The first frame 31 and the second frame 32 provide mounting bases for the laser 33 and the camera 34. By setting at least two lasers 33 and cameras 34 on each frame, located on opposite sides of the support area 12 in the vertical direction, the entire foot on the support area 12 is ensured to be at the scanning center of the lasers 33 and cameras 34, greatly reducing the scanning blind spots in areas such as the sole and arch, while also improving scanning accuracy and imaging quality. The entire structure is relatively simple, and full-foot scanning can be achieved simply by controlling the movement of the motion module 20, resulting in high scanning efficiency. Therefore, this invention provides a full-foot 3D scanner 100 that balances motion accuracy, imaging quality, and structural compactness.

[0035] It should be noted that the laser 33 and the camera 34 are used to obtain the three-dimensional coordinates of each point on the entire foot surface. The laser 33 is used to emit laser light onto the entire foot surface, and the camera 34 is used to receive the laser light reflected back from the object surface. By combining the reflected image and the relative position of the camera 34 and the laser 33, the three-dimensional coordinates of each point on the entire foot surface are calculated to achieve scanning of the entire foot.

[0036] It is understood that both the scanning area 11 and the bearing area 12 are made of light-transmitting material to facilitate scanning by the scanning module 30. Preferably, the light-transmitting material is made of transparent plastic.

[0037] It is worth mentioning that the first horizontal direction and the second horizontal direction are orthogonal.

[0038] To enable the sliding part to slide in the first horizontal direction, in one embodiment provided by the present invention, please refer to... Figures 2 to 3The motion module 20 also includes a drive unit and a slide rail 22 extending along a second horizontal direction. The slide rail 21 is a slider that slides in conjunction with the slide rail 22, and the drive unit is driven to connect with the slider 21. This configuration allows the slide rail 22 to act as a rigid guide element, bearing the weight and inertia of the scanning module 30 and ensuring that the slider 21 does not wobble or vibrate during high-speed reciprocating motion. This is crucial for ensuring the clarity of the scanned image. Furthermore, the cooperation between the slider 21 and the slide rail 22 significantly reduces motion resistance, allowing the drive unit to achieve smooth operation using a lower-power motor 23, thereby reducing energy consumption and noise. In addition, this modular linear motion structure design is mature, easy to assemble, and facilitates later maintenance. If the slide rail 22 and slider 21 wear out, they can be directly replaced, extending the service life of the device.

[0039] Furthermore, two slide rails 22 are provided, spaced apart in the first horizontal direction; the slider 21 slides in cooperation with the two slide rails 22. With this configuration, since the scanning module 30 corresponds to two scanning areas 11, it is positioned horizontally across the bearing area 12. This structure is prone to generating a torsional moment around the axis during long-term operation, leading to a decrease in scanning accuracy. This solution, by employing a dual-rail design, achieves force couple balance, effectively resisting overturning moments and ensuring that the slider 21 maintains extremely high flatness and straightness even under varying loads, thereby improving the stability of the device.

[0040] Furthermore, in order to ensure the synchronization of scanning on both sides, the first frame 31 and the second frame 32 are connected by a connector 35, which is fixedly set to the slider 21. The first frame 31, the second frame 32 and the connector 35 are integrated, thereby eliminating the cumulative error caused by the assembly of multiple parts, and at the same time, the position of the laser and the camera 34 can remain stable during the movement.

[0041] To achieve the driving of slider 21, in one embodiment provided by the present invention, please refer to... Figures 5 to 6 The drive unit includes a motor 23, a drive wheel, a driven wheel 25, and a timing belt 26. The motor 23 is housed within the housing 10. The drive wheel is connected to the motor shaft of the motor 23. The driven wheel 25 is located within the housing 10 and spaced apart from the drive wheel in a first horizontal direction. The timing belt 26 is fitted over the drive wheel and the driven wheel 25. The slider 21 is fixedly connected to the timing belt 26. This configuration allows the elasticity of the timing belt 26 to absorb impact loads during high-speed start-up and shutdown, protecting the motor 23 and transmission components, and extending the equipment's service life. The structure in this design features smooth movement, low noise, and meets the rapid scanning requirements of the scanner, ensuring scanning efficiency.

[0042] Furthermore, the motion module 20 also includes a toothed plate 27 fixedly disposed on the slider 21. The toothed plate 27 is located between the slider 21 and the synchronous belt 26, and meshes with the inner teeth of the synchronous belt 26. This arrangement secures the slider 21 and the synchronous belt 26, thus preventing structural damage to the synchronous belt 26 and improving the overall structural stability. Simultaneously, the stable engagement between the multiple teeth ensures that the slider 21 and the synchronous belt 26 do not slide relative to each other. It is understood that the inner side of the synchronous belt 26 has multiple transmission teeth that mesh with the drive wheel teeth, and the toothed plate 27 is fixedly mounted on the slider 21 by bolts.

[0043] To improve the safety of this device, please refer to one embodiment provided by the present invention. Figure 2 and Figure 3 The slide rail 22 is equipped with a limiting member 28, which abuts against the side end of the sliding part. This design ensures that if the control system malfunctions or the sensor fails, causing the slider 21 to run out of control, the limiting member 28 can forcibly prevent the slider 21 from veering off the track, preventing mechanical damage or cable breakage and ensuring equipment and personnel safety. Secondly, during equipment initialization, the slider 21 typically runs at low speed until it touches the limiting member 28, using this position as the mechanical zero point to eliminate accumulated errors and ensure consistent starting positions for each scan. This design simplifies the control logic, eliminates the need for expensive photoelectric sensors to achieve reliable zero-return operation, improves system reliability, and reduces manufacturing costs.

[0044] In one embodiment provided by the present invention, please refer to Figure 7 The angle between the orientation of the laser 33 and the orientation of the corresponding camera 34 is A, satisfying: 20°≤A≤60°. A larger angle results in higher depth resolution, but an excessively large angle leads to increased shadows and a shallower depth of field, making clear imaging difficult. Conversely, a smaller angle reduces shadows but decreases depth sensitivity and increases noise. This solution, by reasonably controlling the angle range between the orientation of the laser 33 and the corresponding camera 34, ensures sufficient sensitivity to minute foot undulations while guaranteeing that the camera 34 has a sufficient field of view to cover the foot contour, while avoiding specular reflection interference caused by excessively large incident angles of light, thus obtaining high-quality original image data.

[0045] In one embodiment of the present invention, the camera 34 and the laser 33 are located on the same plane in the vertical direction. This arrangement simplifies the calibration algorithm and improves the real-time performance of data processing. When the laser 33 and the camera 34 are coplanar, the geometric calculation model of the optical tangent is the simplest, and depth information can be directly calculated using the trigonometric relationships on the two-dimensional cross-section without the need for complex three-dimensional spatial coordinate transformation matrix operations. This not only reduces the computational load on the embedded processor and speeds up the scanning imaging process, but also reduces systematic distortion caused by multi-plane installation errors, thereby improving scanning efficiency.

[0046] In one embodiment provided by the present invention, please refer to Figure 7 The full-foot 3D scanner 100 also includes multiple lighting elements 40, which are disposed around the lens of the camera 34. By setting the lighting elements 40, the illumination uniformity of the entire foot surface is greatly improved, effectively eliminating shadow areas and strong reflective points, enhancing image contrast, and enabling the camera 34 to clearly capture foot texture and contour information.

[0047] In one embodiment provided by the present invention, please refer to Figure 1 The full-foot 3D scanner 100 also includes two footrests 50, which are respectively disposed on both sides of the housing 10 in the first horizontal direction. This arrangement provides the user with additional footholds, helping the user maintain balance during the scanning process, improving the user experience, and reducing errors caused by body swaying during the scanning process, thus contributing to the accuracy of the scan data.

[0048] For easy installation of the motion module 20 and scanning module 30 within the housing 10, please refer to... Figure 2 and Figure 4 The housing 10 also includes a base 60, on which the motion module 20 is mounted. The base 60 also includes multiple positioning elements 61 for positioning the pedal 50. The base 60 also integrates a control panel 62, which is electrically connected to the motor 23, camera 34, and laser 33.

[0049] In its implementation, the device measures 475 mm (length) × 274 mm (width) × 231 mm (height), with a scanning range of 0-330 mm (foot length) × 0-130 mm (foot width) × 0-115 mm (foot height). The motion module utilizes an MGN9C1R365Z0P guide rail with adjustable synchronous belt tension. The camera is a MU3S40C (SGYYO) (30fps), the laser is a red line laser with a divergence angle of 55°, and the motor is a 28-stepper motor with a length of 40 mm. This 28-stepper motor is equipped with a dedicated driver, supports serial communication protocol for command transmission and status feedback, and has a built-in closed-loop control module. It uses a 16384-line magnetic encoder to collect real-time motor shaft position information, achieving a position control accuracy of ±0.01 mm. Combined with the dual-guide rail and synchronous belt drive structure, this ensures that the synchronization error of both modules is stably controlled within 0.02 mm. The data transmission core uses the HS8836A USB control chip, which supports a maximum transmission rate of 480Mbps, perfectly matching the camera's 30fps image acquisition frame rate. This ensures real-time, packet-free image data transmission during scanning, achieving a stable scanning time of 7-8 seconds and 98% detail integrity on the dorsum of the foot. Four lasers are used, projecting coplanar lines. The upper and lower lasers are at angles of 23.5° and 48° respectively. Four cameras are correspondingly used: the lower camera forms a 24° angle with the lower laser and a 53° angle with the horizontal plane; the upper camera forms a 20° angle with the upper laser and a 67° angle with the horizontal plane. Actual testing showed that after 100 consecutive scans, the average stitching error was 0.07mm, the operating noise was 42dB, the scanning time remained stable at 7-8 seconds, and the dorsum of the foot achieved 98% detail integrity. This demonstrates the device's high scanning accuracy, high scanning efficiency, and high image quality.

[0050] Obviously, the above embodiments are merely illustrative examples for clear explanation and are not intended to limit the implementation. Those skilled in the art will recognize that other variations or modifications can be made based on the above description. It is neither necessary nor possible to exhaustively list all possible implementations here. However, obvious variations or modifications derived therefrom are still within the scope of protection of this invention.

Claims

1. A full-foot 3D scanner, characterized in that, include: The housing has two scanning areas arranged opposite each other in a first horizontal direction and a bearing area disposed between the two scanning areas, the bearing area being used for placing the whole foot; A motion module is disposed within the housing, and the motion module includes a sliding portion that is slidably disposed along a second horizontal direction; The scanning module includes a first frame, a second frame, lasers, and a camera. The first frame and the second frame are respectively arranged corresponding to two scanning areas and are both located on the sliding part. The first frame has at least two lasers spaced apart in the vertical direction, and the two lasers are located on both sides of the support area in the vertical direction. The second frame has at least two lasers spaced apart in the vertical direction, and the two lasers are located on both sides of the support area in the vertical direction. The camera is arranged corresponding to the lasers, and both the lasers and the camera are oriented towards the support area.

2. The full-foot 3D scanner according to claim 1, characterized in that, The motion module also includes a drive unit and a slide rail extending along the second horizontal direction; The sliding part is configured as a slider, the slider slides in conjunction with the slide rail, and the driving part is drivenly connected to the slider.

3. The full-foot 3D scanner according to claim 2, characterized in that, Two slide rails are provided, and the two slide rails are spaced apart in the first horizontal direction; The slider slides in conjunction with the two slide rails.

4. The full-foot 3D scanner according to claim 2, characterized in that, The drive unit includes a motor, a drive wheel, a driven wheel, and a timing belt. The motor is located inside the housing. The drive wheel is connected to the motor shaft of the motor. The driven wheel is located in the housing and is spaced apart from the drive wheel in a first horizontal direction. The timing belt is sleeved on the drive wheel and the driven wheel. The slider is fixedly connected to the timing belt.

5. The full-foot 3D scanner according to claim 4, characterized in that, The motion module also includes a toothed plate fixedly disposed on the slider. The toothed plate is located between the slider and the timing belt and engages with the inner tooth profile of the timing belt.

6. The full-foot 3D scanner according to claim 2, characterized in that, The slide rail is provided with a limiting member, which is used to abut against the side end of the sliding part.

7. The full-foot 3D scanner according to claim 1, characterized in that, The angle between the orientation of the laser and the orientation of the corresponding camera is A, which satisfies: 20°≤A≤60°.

8. The full-foot 3D scanner according to claim 1, characterized in that, The camera and the laser are located on the same plane in the vertical direction.

9. The full-foot 3D scanner according to claim 1, characterized in that, The full-foot 3D scanner also includes multiple lighting elements, which are located around the lens of the camera.

10. The full-foot 3D scanner according to claim 1, characterized in that, The full-foot 3D scanner also includes two pedals, which are located on both sides of the housing in a first horizontal direction.

Images