Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence recently released the latest system in its 3D optical scanner portfolio, the BLAZE 600M. The solution is similar to structured light but comprised of a blended combination of technologies that allow it to be faster and more accurate than traditional structured-light systems.

An explanation of how the systems works begins with how it reconstructs point cloud data using built-in, multiple-image acquisition modes.

Structured light 101

Structured light, or phase shift imaging, generally includes capturing successive images of patterns, typically stripes, projected onto an object. These projections are of known pattern, as is the shift between them. In order to identify each specific stripe in the projection, they are light-coded. The most common coding technique is known as "gray code." Each projection includes a set of stripes that have half the widths compared to the stripes of the previous projection, as shown in figure 1 below. The stripes in each projection are accurately shifted from those of the previous projection by a known phase. Two or more cameras of known distance and angle to the projector's axis capture these projected patterns.

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