Television – Stereoscopic
Reexamination Certificate
2001-09-28
2003-10-14
Kelley, Chris (Department: 2613)
Television
Stereoscopic
C348S061000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06633326
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to three-dimensional image capturing devices comprising an image pickup head which is movable along a path surrounding an object of three-dimensional shape for picking up images of the object three-dimensionally.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The size of shoes is expressed generally in the length of the foot from the heel to the toe. The shape of the foot differs from person to person not only with respect to the length thereof but also in respect of the height and width of the instep, so that in making shoes which fit to a particular person, there is a need to measure the three-dimensional shapes of the feet of the person. It is conventional practice to measure some typical dimensions, such as the length of the foot, the height and width of the instep, with an instrument and prepare a last based on the measurements obtained. However, the conventional method is not only cumbersome and inefficient but also has the problem that the limited number of dimensions still fail to accurately express the three-dimensional shape of the foot.
Accordingly the present applicant developed an apparatus shown in
FIG. 6
for measuring the three-dimensional shape of a foot A. The apparatus comprises a rail mechanism
20
in the form of a loop and installed on a base
1
for surrounding an object of measurement, i.e., the foot A, and an image pickup head
3
having a CCD camera incorporated therein and movable along the rail mechanism
20
. With this apparatus, a pair of fixed cameras
6
,
7
are arranged above the object of measurement, i.e., the foot A, for capturing images of the image pickup head
3
in movement, whereby the position of the head
3
on a fixed coordinate system is measured. The video signal from the CCD camera incorporated in the image pickup head
3
and the video signals from the fixed cameras
6
,
7
are fed through signal cables
4
,
40
to a control unit
5
, which processes the signals as by coordinate conversion to measure the three-dimensional shape of the foot A.
FIG. 4
shows details of the construction of the rail mechanism
20
included in the three-dimensional shape measuring apparatus. The rail mechanism
20
comprises an inner loop wall
21
having the image pickup head
3
in engagement therewith, and an outer loop wall
22
surrounding the inner loop wall
21
. A head terminal
42
provided on the head
3
and a signal relay terminal
43
provided on the outer loop wall
22
are interconnected by a signal cable
41
. Electric power is supplied from the control unit
5
to the signal relay terminal
43
and further to the head terminal
42
on the image pickup head
3
through the signal cable
41
. The video signal obtained from the terminal
42
of the head
3
is fed to the signal relay terminal
43
via the signal cable
41
and further to the control unit
3
.
With the rail mechanism
20
shown in
FIG. 4
, the image pickup head
3
makes a complete circuit along the inner loop wall
21
. The signal cable
41
is free to flex with this movement. For example, when the image pickup head
3
returns to the original position after making one circuit counterclockwise, the signal cable
41
assumes the shifted position indicated in a chain line. However, in the course of movement of the head
3
from the position shown in
FIG. 4
toward the signal relay terminal
43
, the signal cable
41
is bent by being pushed by the head
3
and is therefore likely to move partly slower than the head
3
as shown in FIG.
5
. In this case, part of the signal cable
41
is likely to become caught by the head
3
by being brought to therebelow or to move over the outer loop wall
22
to outside.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, an object of the present is provide a device for capturing images three-dimensionally which comprises an image pickup head and a signal cable extending from the image pickup head and which is free of the likelihood that the signal cable will become caught by the head or move out of a specified area during the movement of the head.
The present invention provides a device for capturing images three-dimensionally which comprises:
a rail
2
extending in the form of a loop around a three-dimensional object images of which are to be captured,
an image pickup head
3
movable along the rail
2
,
a signal cable
8
interconnecting a head terminal
81
provided on the image pickup head
3
and a signal relay terminal
82
provided at a specified position relative to the rail
2
,
an auxiliary cable
83
interconnecting a head-side connecting point
85
provided on the image pickup head
3
and a rail-side connecting point
84
provided at specified position relative to the rail
2
and in the vicinity of the signal relay terminal
82
, and
a connecting member
9
movable along the rail
2
and having the signal cable
8
and the auxiliary cable
83
slidably reeved therearound for turning back the cables in directions opposite to each other.
The signal cable
8
is provided along a path extending from the head terminal
81
in one direction along the rail
2
, turned back on the connecting member
9
and extending along the rail
2
to the signal relay terminal
82
, while the auxiliary cable
83
is provided along a path extending from the head-side connecting point
85
in the other direction opposite to said one direction along the rail
2
, turned back on the connecting member
9
and extending along the rail
2
to the rail-side connecting point
84
. The signal cable
8
is used for supplying electric power from the signal relay terminal
82
to the image pickup head
3
and for feeding an output signal from the head
3
to the signal relay terminal
82
. The auxiliary cable
83
is used for operatively connecting the image pickup head
3
to the connecting member
9
.
In the case where the image pickup head
3
of the device of the invention moves along the rail
2
in one direction, e.g., in the direction in which the signal cable
8
extends, the auxiliary cable
83
is pulled along by the movement of the image pickup head
3
, whereby the connecting member
9
is driven in the same direction as the image pickup head
3
. This movement of the connecting member
9
pulls the signal cable
8
extending from the image pickup head
3
toward the direction of movement of the head
3
. Accordingly, the signal cable
8
is not slackened by the movement of the image pickup head
3
but remains positioned along the path extending from the head terminal
81
to the signal relay terminal
82
via the connecting member
9
.
Alternatively when the image pickup head
3
moves in the opposite direction, i.e. in the direction in which the auxiliary cable
83
extends, the signal cable
8
is pulled along by the movement of the head
3
, whereby the connecting member
9
is driven in the same direction as the image pickup head
3
. This movement of the connecting member
9
pulls the auxiliary cable
83
extending from the image pickup head
3
toward the direction of movement of the head
3
. Accordingly, the auxiliary cable
83
is not slackened by the movement of the image pickup head
3
but remains positioned along the path extending from the head-side connecting point
85
to the rail-side connecting point
84
via the connecting member
9
.
Stated specifically, the connecting member
9
has mounted thereon a signal cable post
92
for reeving the signal cable
8
therearound and turning back the cable
8
, and an auxiliary cable post
91
for reeving the auxiliary cable
83
therearound and turning back the cable
83
. This enables the signal cable
8
and the auxiliary cable
83
to change the course through 180 degrees while slidingly moving around the respective posts without interfering with each other.
Further stated specifically, the rail
2
comprises an inner loop wall
21
and an outer loop wall
22
, and the image pickup head
3
is slidably in engagement with the inner loop wall
21
or the outer loop wall
22
, the signal cable
8
and the auxiliary cable
83
being accommodated between t
Fujita Hideto
Fukumoto Shinpei
Kano Hiroshi
Yoshida Hiroaki
Kelley Chris
Rader & Fishman & Grauer, PLLC
Senfi Behrooz
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