EP2115385A1

EP2115385A1 - Refractive production of a concentrically fanned structured bundle of light beams, optical measuring device with refractive deflection element

Info

Publication number: EP2115385A1
Application number: EP08708252A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Martin Kunz; Anton Schick; Michael Stockmann
Original assignee: Siemens AG
Current assignee: Siemens AG
Priority date: 2007-02-02
Filing date: 2008-01-28
Publication date: 2009-11-11
Also published as: US8040527B2; DE102007005388A1; AU2008209810A1; JP2010518367A; CN101600935A; AU2008209810B2; US20100020333A1; WO2008092820A1; JP5383509B2

Abstract

The present invention describes an optical deflection element (450) for the refractive production of a spatially structured bundle of light beams (422), which is fanned concentrically to an optical axis (417) of the deflection element (450). The optical deflection element (450) is provided with a base body (452), which is made, at least in some areas, of an optically transparent material, and has a light input side (460) and a light output side (470). The light input side (460) is configured such that a primary bundle of light beams (411) can be coupled in the base body (452). In relation to the optical axis (417) of the deflection element (450), the light output side (470) has a cylindrically symmetrical contour, which defines a recess in the base body (452). The fanning of the primary bundle of light beams (411) is achieved by refraction on rotationally symmetric interfaces (471, 472), which are variably inclined in relation to the optical axis (417). The invention further relates to an optical measuring device (100) for the three-dimensional measurement of a cavity formed in an object, the measuring device (100) comprising the optical deflection element (150, 450) mentioned above. The present invention further relates to a method for producing a concentrically fanned, spatially structured bundle of light beams (422), using the optical deflection element (150) mentioned above.

Description

description

Refractive generation of a concentrically structured light beam, optical measuring device with refractive deflecting element.

The present invention relates to an optical deflection element with which a primary homogeneous light beam can be fanned out in a cone-shaped manner. The present invention further relates to an optical measuring device for three-dimensionally measuring a cavity formed in an object, which optical measuring device has said optical deflecting element. In addition, the present invention relates to a method for generating a concentrically fanned, spatially structured light beam using said optical deflection element.

The surface structure of at least approximately tubular inner surfaces of a cavity can be detected three-dimensionally by means of optical triangulation. In this case, a spatially structured illumination pattern is projected onto the inner surface of the respective cavity to be detected and the scene digitally captured by means of a camera system. By

Measurement of the resulting from the surface shape distortion of the projected to the inner wall illumination pattern, which can be carried out by known methods of image processing in an automatic manner, a digital model, which images the shape of the cavity can be calculated. In this case, deviations or distortions of the detected projected lines from the known, initially symmetrical and concentric to an optical axis circular shapes are detected.

Such a cavity measurement by means of optical triangulation can advantageously in the measurement or be used in profiling the human ear canal. As a result of the anatomy of the ear canal must therefore be provided an optical measuring device which must not exceed a maximum diameter of 4 mm. This boundary condition applies to the entire object-side optics of such an optical measuring device, which cavity measurement optics must be introduced into the ear canal. The object-side optics comprises at least one camera system and an optical element for generating the structured illumination. The camera system and the optical element are arranged concentrically to a common optical axis of the optical measuring device.

It is known to use diffractive optical elements to produce structured illumination. In particular, (binary) phase gratings, which are also known as so-called Dammann gratings, as a result of a particularly advantageous substructure, can selectively and possibly evenly distribute the incident intensity of a primary light beam to specific diffraction orders.

In order to produce a structured illumination pattern of concentric rings, the publication "Changhe Zhou, Jia Jia, Liren Liu; Circular Dammann Grating; Optics Letters, Vol. 28, No. 22, 2003, pages 21 74 -21 76" a so-called circular Damman grid known. However, this has the disadvantage that it is difficult to achieve larger deflection angles with respect to the optical axis of the circular phase grating. In principle, larger deflection angles would be possible by using extremely small phase grating structures in the range of 150 nm. However, such small phase grating structures are technologically extremely difficult to produce. For the production of such fine grating namely etching processes are required, which require a much finer structuring than the currently commonly used etching processes with a best resolution of 400 nm. The invention has for its object to provide an optical deflection element which allows a wide fanning of a primary light beam and which can also be manufactured in a relatively simple manner.

This object is solved by the subject matters of the independent claims. Advantageous embodiments of the present invention are described in the dependent claims.

Independent claim 1 describes an optical deflection element for the refractive generation of a spatially structured light beam that is fanned concentrically with respect to an optical axis of the deflection element. The optical deflecting element has a main body which is at least partially made of an optically transparent material and which has a light input side and a light output side. The light input side is designed such that a primary light beam can be coupled into the main body. The light output side has, relative to the optical axis of the deflection element, a cylindrically symmetrical contour which defines a recess in the base body.

The described optical deflection element is based on the knowledge that a concave, i. inwardly curved cylindrically symmetrical contour on the light output side by refraction at the corresponding optical interface in a simple manner a comparatively wide

Strahlauffächerung can be realized. In this case, the angle which the respective radial region of the contour encloses with the optical axis in accordance with the refractive law of Snellius determines the strength of the spatial fanning.

The described optical deflection element can be compared to known diffractive optical elements with a significantly lower production costs are produced. In addition to conventional mechanical production methods, pressing methods are also suitable which, in particular, can be considered suitable for low-cost mass production.

According to an embodiment of the invention according to claim 2, the contour has a first annular portion, which has substantially the shape of at least a part of a first lateral surface of a directed into the interior of the main body pers cone. In this case, the generatrices of the first lateral surface include a first angle with the optical axis.

If the contour essentially has the shape of a complete cone sheath, the above-mentioned condition of a cylindrically symmetrical contour is automatically fulfilled. If the contour has the shape of an incomplete conical jacket, the above-mentioned condition of a cylindrically symmetrical contour is fulfilled when the contour has the shape of the lateral surface of a truncated cone.

The term generatrices are to be understood as meaning those lines which run along the jacket of the cone, which represents a body of revolution, along its axis of rotation. In this case, the axis of rotation coincides with the optical axis of the deflection element or the base body. The generatrices are thus the connecting distances between the real or the virtual tip of the cone or the truncated cone and the edge points of the corresponding base circle.

The described first angle between the generatrices and the optical axis is exactly half the size of the opening angle of the cone directed into the interior of the main body. By the choice of the opening angle of the cone can be easily the angular deflection and thus the degree of Fanning of emerging from the light exit surface light cone can be determined.

According to a further embodiment of the invention according to claim 3, the contour has a second annular portion, which is arranged in the radial direction outside of the first annular portion and which has substantially the shape of a second lateral surface of a truncated cone. The generatrices of the second lateral surface with the optical axis close a second

Angle, which is different from the first angle.

The described annular sections thus represent different essentially conically shaped facets arranged concentrically with respect to one another. In this case, each facet fans out the primary light beam in a cylindrically symmetrical manner with a specific opening angle, depending on the cone's opening angle and the refractive index of the basic body material. The light beam emerging from the light exit surface thus has two conical mantle-shaped light structures which have a different opening angle. In the case of a cylindrical cavity, which is oriented parallel and concentric with the optical axis, thus annular projection lines can be generated on the inner wall of the cylindrical cavity.

According to a further embodiment of the invention according to claim 4, the contour has at least a third annular portion, which is arranged in the radial direction outside the second annular portion and which has substantially the shape of a third lateral surface of a truncated cone. In this case, the generatrices of the third lateral surface with the optical axis enclose a third angle, which is different from the second angle. Preferably, the third angle is also different from the first angle, so that all cone-shaped light structures emerging from the light exit surface have a different opening angle.

It should be noted that the cylindrically symmetrical contour can also be divided into more than three annular sections. In this way, the primary light beam bundle coupled to the light input side can, in principle, be structurally arbitrarily finely spatially structured so that a large number of cone-shaped light structures can be generated in a simple manner.

By using a plurality of cone-shaped light structures, in the case of measuring the human auditory canal, the structure of the entire illumination pattern can be adapted particularly well to the expected shape of an auditory canal to be measured. The projection of a plurality of concentric rings under different angles to the optical axis on the inner wall of the auditory canal is not considered to be particularly suitable. In order to achieve a sufficiently large triangulation angle in an optical measuring device, which, as required in many applications, ensures a spatial resolution of 50 μm in all spatial directions, illumination angles are in relation to the optical axis

Range between 10 ° and 30 ° required. Such illumination angles can be achieved with the described optical deflection element without problem. The triangulation angle is defined as usual by the angular distance between the beam path of the illumination light and the beam path of the measurement light detected by the camera.

According to a further embodiment of the invention according to claim 5, the angular difference between the first angle and a right angle is greater than the angular difference between the second angle and a right angle. This means that in terms of one to the optical axis vertically oriented cross-sectional plane, the outer cone-shaped facets have a flatter inclination than the inner cone-shaped facets.

The described design of the different conical facets with graded angles of inclination has the advantage that the optical deflecting element can be produced in a particularly simple manner. The cylindrically symmetrical recess may be formed by a two-stage machining process in which (a) a first conical recess with a small opening angle is associated with the first annular portion, and a second conical recess with a large opening angle is associated with the second annular portion. The order of the processing steps (a) and (b) does not matter.

It should be noted that a gradual increase in the described angular differences for the individual annular sections from outside to inside, d. H. towards the optical axis, even with more than three annular sections can be realized in a corresponding manner.

According to a further embodiment of the invention according to claim 6, the angular difference between the first angle and a right angle is smaller than the angular difference between the second angle and a right angle. That is, with respect to a cross-sectional plane to the optical axis, the outer cone-shaped facets have a steeper slope than the inner cone-shaped facets.

The graded angle of inclination described with this embodiment have the advantage that those light rays which emerge from the main body at the outer annular section from the light output side are refracted more away from the optical axis than those light rays which are incident on the lateral surfaces emerge from the main body of further inner annular portions of the light output side. Thus, the beam paths of the individual emerging from the light output side light structures do not intersect, so that the course of the individual beam paths is particularly clear.

According to a further embodiment of the invention according to claim 7, the first annular portion in the form of at least a portion of a first lateral surface of a directed into the interior of the body cone, the second annular portion has the shape of a second lateral surface of a truncated cone and / or the third annular portion has the shape of a third lateral surface of a truncated cone. The described as exactly conical or truncated cone-shaped recess has the advantage that the recess can be formed in an effective and at the same time very simple manner in the body. Depending on the size of the recess and / or on the mechanical workability of the optically transparent material, different methods such as mechanical turning, pressing or hot stamping may be used to make the optical deflecting element.

According to a further embodiment of the invention according to claim 8, the first annular portion, the second annular portion and / or the third annular portion has a curved surface. In this case, the respective surfaces can independently of one another have a concave or a convex surface.

The described curvature in the individual annular sections has the advantage that the light rays emerging from the various slightly curved cone-shaped facets can be individually focused. A convex optical interface of one facet leads to one slight focusing of the corresponding light structure. If focusing of the light structure on an annular line is also provided without a concave boundary surface, a slightly concave optical interface of one facet leads to a rearward focus shift of the corresponding light structure, ie to a location farther from the light output side of the optical deflection element than the one called annular line.

According to a further embodiment of the invention according to

Claim 9, the base body, the outer shape of a cylinder, in particular a circular cylinder, on. The described optical deflection element can thus be made, for example, from a so-called rod lens.

The main body of the optical deflecting element is preferably at least partially made of a material having a high refractive index. This applies in particular to a wavelength of approximately 405 nm. This has the advantage that coherent light from conventional semiconductor laser diodes can be fanned out particularly strongly. In addition, light with this comparatively short wavelength in the optical spectrum has a significantly lower penetration depth into the human skin than longer-wave light.

According to a further embodiment of the invention according to claim 10, the light input side has a convex curvature. In this context, convex curvature means that the light entrance side also has a contour which is curved outward with respect to the base body. In the case of a conventional spherical surface-like contour, this means that the center of curvature of the corresponding spherical surface with respect to the light input side is on the side of the main body.

The convex curvature has the advantage that as a result of the refraction of the light input at the base body in a the primary light beam bundle is focused depending on the strength of the curvature. The curvature of the light input side can be adapted to the respective application. In the case of the projection of the light structures onto the inner wall of an at least approximately cylindrical cavity, the focusing can be adjusted such that the light structures represent sharp and as fine a line of illumination on the inner wall of the cavity to be measured.

According to a further embodiment of the invention according to claim 11, the light input side has a curved first annular portion and at least one curved second annular portion. The respective surfaces can have a concave or a convex surface independently of each other.

As well as the individual curvature of the annular sections on the light exit side described above, the individual curvature of the individual annular sections on the light input side has the advantage that the light beams emerging from the different cone-shaped facets can be individually focused. A convex optical interface of a facet leads to a slight focussing of the corresponding light structure. If, even without a convex boundary surface, a focusing of the light structure is given on an annular line, a slightly concave optical interface of a facet leads to a rearward focus shift of the corresponding light structure, i. to a location farther from the light output side of the optical deflecting element than the said annular line.

The individual curvature of the individual annular sections on the light input side can be compared to the individual curvature of the annular sections on the light output side by conventional processing methods such as mechanical turning, pressing or hot stamping are made much easier. This is because the light input side has a much simpler topology compared to the light output side, so that the corresponding curvatures can be formed more easily.

According to a further embodiment of the invention according to claim 12, the base body has a passage opening which extends coaxially to the optical axis.

This creates the possibility that an observation optics or a camera can be guided through the optical deflection element. This is particularly advantageous when the optical deflection element is used for a compact optical measuring instrument with which the size and / or the shape of the cavity is measured by the spatial measurement of illumination lines which are projected onto the inner wall of a cavity ,

According to a further embodiment of the invention according to claim 13, the passage opening is a core bore, which has the shape of a cylinder concentrically arranged to the optical axis.

The described core bore has the advantage that the optical deflection element can be produced in a particularly simple and thus cost-saving manner.

Claim 14 describes an optical measuring device for three-dimensional measuring of a cavity formed in an object, in particular for the three-dimensional measurement of the auditory meatus of a human or animal living being. The optical measuring device comprises (a) a light source adapted to emit illumination light along an illumination beam path, (b) an optical deflection element of the type described above A type which spatially structures the emitted illuminating light such that at least one illumination line circulating around the optical axis of the deflecting element is produced on the inner wall, the shape of which depends on the size and shape of the cavity, and (c) a camera which passes over an imaging beam path which detects at least one illumination line at a triangulation angle.

The cited optical measuring device is based on the recognition that a three-dimensional (3D) measurement of the cavity can be realized in a simple manner by means of a cylindrically symmetrical structured illumination projected onto the inner wall of the cavity to be measured using a modified triangulation method. In this case, the shape of the at least one illumination line is detected by the camera, which preferably receives a two-dimensional (2D) image of the projection ring or of the projection rings symmetrically with respect to the optical axis. Based on the deviations or distortions of the detected illumination line from symmetrical circular shapes concentric with the optical axis, the inner wall of the cavity can be measured in 3D.

Compared with three-dimensional distance sensors, in which only one measuring point is illuminated and the height position of the illuminated measuring point is detected, the described optical measuring device has the advantage that a plurality of measuring points, which are arranged around the optical axis, are quasi-simultaneously (automatically) measured. This results in a significantly increased scanning speed overall.

Preferably, a plurality of illumination structures are generated, wherein each of the generated illumination structures in each case has the shape of a conical surface. In this way, the number of simultaneously detectable by a single camera image measurement points can be further increased. In a cylindrical cavity which extends symmetrically around the optical axis of the optical measuring device, resulting lighting rings, which are concentric with the optical axis or arranged. With a cylindrical cavity extending around a cylinder axis which has a parallel offset relative to the optical axis of the optical measuring device, warped illumination lines are obtained which have an elliptical shape with respect to the optical axis. In this case, adjacent illumination lines in a first wall region of the inner wall, which is farther away from the optical axis than a second wall region, are further apart from each other. This is due to the fact that due to the conical fanning of the individual illumination structures, adjacent illumination lines are spaced further apart with increasing distance from the optical axis. It thus becomes clear that both the deviation of the 3D shape of the illumination lines captured by the camera from an ideal circular shape and the spacing of adjacent illumination lines provide information about the 3D contour of the cavity.

At this point, it is expressly pointed out that already a lighting structure or a possibly deformed

Lighting line includes 3D information regarding the size and shape of the cavity to be measured. Nevertheless, it is advantageous in particular for reasons of measuring speed and spatial resolution to structure the illumination light emitted by the light source into a plurality of conically widened illumination structures.

The detection of the illumination lines at a triangulation angle means that the beam path of the imaging light with the beam path of the illumination light, ie with the respective opening angle of the conical illumination structure, includes an angle other than 0 °. This angle is called the triangulation angle. The larger this triangulation angle, the higher the accuracy of the 3D position determination.

The described optical measuring device has the advantage that no moving parts and in particular no moving optical components are required for the 3D measurement within the measuring device. This means that the optical measuring device can be manufactured comparatively inexpensively and, furthermore, that the reliability of the measuring device is very high even under real operating conditions.

It should be noted that for the measurement of larger cavities, the entire measuring device can preferably be displaced along the optical axis. The partial images recorded in such a movement can be reassembled by means of suitable image processing methods. Such composing is often referred to as "stitching".

According to an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the optical measuring device additionally has an evaluation unit, which is arranged downstream of the camera and which is set up such that the size and the shape of at least part of the cavity are detected by image processing of the at least one illumination line detected by the camera is automatically determinable.

The described evaluation unit thus advantageously makes possible an automatic image evaluation of the 2D images captured by the camera, so that as output variable of the optical measuring device directly 3D data of the measured cavity can be provided for further data processing. According to a further embodiment of the invention according to claim 16, the optical measuring device in addition to a projection optics, which is arranged in the illumination beam path. This has the advantage that optionally in combination with a suitable curvature of the essentially cone-shaped facets of the light output side, a focusing of the illumination light can be achieved so that the illumination lines are imaged as sharply as possible on the inner wall of the cavity to be measured and consequently as sharp Structures can be captured by the camera.

The optimum choice of the focal length of this optics thus depends on the fanning out of the illumination beam impinging on the optics, on the optical path length of the illumination light between the optics and the optical deflection element and on the optical path length between the optical deflection element and the inner wall. Thus, the focal length of this optic should depend not only on the design of the described optical measuring device, but also on the approximate expected size of the cavity to be measured.

It should be noted that the convex curvature described above in connection with an exemplary embodiment of the optical deflection element of the light input side of the base body has qualitatively the same effect as the projection optical system described here. The same applies to the curvatures of the substantially conical facets on the light output side.

According to a further embodiment of the invention according to claim 17, the optical measuring device additionally has a beam splitter arranged at an oblique angle in the optical axis of the deflection element. This beam cost deflects the illumination beam path in such a way that either (a) an object-side section of the illumination beam path runs parallel to the optical axis or (B) an image-side portion of the imaging beam path is at an angle to the optical axis.

In this context, oblique angle means that the beam splitter is arranged at an angle not equal to 0 ° and unequal to 90 ° with respect to the optical axis. Preferably, the beam splitter is inclined at an angle of 45 ° to the optical axis, so that the illumination beam path or the imaging beam path has a kink of 90 °.

According to a further embodiment of the invention according to claim 18, at least a portion of the illumination beam path, in which the illumination light is guided parallel to the optical axis, is formed around the imaging beam path running centrally in the optical axis.

In this case, the illumination beam path in a cross section to the optical axis can be round-symmetrical, i. be arranged concentrically around the optical axis or the imaging beam path around. This means that an illumination beam concentric with the optical axis strikes the optical deflecting element, which is likewise formed symmetrically with respect to the optical axis. As an optical deflection element, for example, the above-described refractive optical deflection element is suitable, which has a core bore.

It should be noted that the illumination beam path and the imaging beam path can also run partially coaxially. For the 3D measurement based on the principle of triangulation, it is sufficient if the illumination beam path and the imaging beam path are spatially separated on the object side, ie in the vicinity of the illumination lines to be measured, so that a triangulation angle is given. An object-side splitting of illumination beam path and imaging beam path, for example, by suitable beam splitter or by a Fiber optic take place whose object-side end is split into two spatially separated dividend ends.

According to a further embodiment of the invention according to claim 19, the optical measuring device in addition to a light-conducting device which is arranged in the imaging beam path and which is adapted for transmitting a two-dimensional image of the illumination lines to the camera.

As a light-conducting device, a mechanically relatively rigid rod lens arrangement can be used, as used for example in endoscopes. As a light-guiding device and an endoscopic system based on a gradient optics can be used, in which the refractive index changes depending on the radius. Thus, a curvature of the light beams can be achieved within the light-conducting device, so that, as a result, the camera can detect imaging beams from a wide angle range.

For the light-conducting device can also be used a so-called Hopkins optics, which is also a mechanically largely rigid optical arrangement. A Hopkins optic, for example, may be a type of glass tube in which lenses are inserted from air, thus allowing a particularly detailed insight in endoscopic examinations. This advantage of the particularly detailed insight also leads to a particularly high accuracy and reliability of the 3D measurement in the described optical measuring device.

As a light-conducting device is also a so-called image light guide, which includes a plurality of individual optical fibers or glass fibers. An image light guide has the advantage that it is flexible, so that the optical measuring device in an at least partially flexible Construction can be realized. This allows accurate cavity measurement even with curved cavities into which a rigid measuring device can not be inserted.

Claim 20 describes a method for producing a concentrically fanned, spatially structured light beam. The method includes the step of emitting a primary beam of light onto an above-described optical deflection element so that the primary light beam at the light input side enters the base body of the optical deflection element and emerges from the base body as a secondary light beam at the light output side. In this case, the secondary light beam has at least one cone-shaped light structure.

The above method is based on the finding that a broad fanning out of the secondary light beam can be realized in a particularly simple manner by using the above-described refractive optical deflection element in comparison to the use of known diffractive optical deflection elements. A wide fanning out means that the corresponding conical coats have a large opening angle.

If the light output side of the main body has a plurality of annular sections with differently inclined substantially conical facets, the corresponding conical tips of the fanned light cones can coincide in a real source point, which source point lies on the optical axis. In this context, real source point means that the illumination structures emanate at least approximately from a source point located on the optical axis. If the base body, as described above in a preferred embodiment, has a through hole or a core hole, the secondary light beam emerges from at least one annular portion which is arranged concentrically around the optical axis. Also in this case, the corresponding cone tip can be understood as the real source point of the cone-shaped fanned secondary light beam.

Further advantages and features of the present invention will become apparent from the following exemplary description of presently preferred embodiments. The individual figures of the drawing of this application are merely to be regarded as schematic and not to scale.

Figure Ia shows a cross-sectional view of an optical

Measuring device according to an embodiment of the invention.

Figure Ib shows a camera image with four images of the

Inner wall of a cavity to be measured ^{projizier ¬} th illumination lines.

FIG. 1c shows a front view of the object-side end of the optical measuring device illustrated in FIG.

Figure 2 shows the formed on the object-side end of the optical measuring device illustrated in Figure Ia beam paths of the illumination light and the Abbil ^¬ dung light beam paths which determine the triangulation angle ^¬.

FIG. 3 shows a simulation of the refractive production of a single cone-shaped light structure. FIG. 4a shows a perspective view of an optical deflection element which has two cone-shaped facets.

Figure 4b shows a construction drawing for the optical deflection element shown in Figure 4a.

FIG. 4c shows a simulation of the refractive generation of two cone-shaped light structures by means of the optical deflection element shown in FIG. 4a.

FIG. 5 shows a simulation of the refractive generation of three cone-shaped light structures, which are formed by a three-cone-shaped optical deflection element

Facets are generated.

FIG. 6 shows an optical deflection element, in which the annular sections each have a convex curvature on the light exit side.

FIG. 7 shows an optical deflection element in which the light input side has two curved annular sections, each with a convex curvature.

It should be noted at this point that in the drawing the reference numbers of identical or corresponding components differ only in their first digit.

FIG. 1a shows a cross-sectional view of an optical measuring device 100 according to an embodiment of the invention. The optical measuring device 100 has a cylindrically symmetrical shape with respect to an optical axis 117. The optical measuring device 100 has a light source 110, which according to the embodiment shown here is a laser diode 110. Of course, other light sources such as a light emitting diode may be used. The laser diode 110 emits monochromatic illumination light 111, which strikes a projection optics 112, which expands the illumination beam 111. The expanded illumination beam 111 strikes a beam splitter 113 oriented at an angle of 45 ° with respect to the optical axis 117, so that depending on the reflectivity of the beam splitter 113, at least part of the illumination light 111 is coupled into a hollow cylinder 115, which is symmetrical is arranged to the optical axis 117. In order to prevent the illumination light 111 from being coupled into the central part of the hollow cylinder 115, an optical shading element 114 is arranged between the beam splitter 113 and the laser diode 110.

The deflected by the beam splitter 113 illumination light is guided by the hollow cylinder 115 in an illumination beam path 116. The illumination beam path 116 is formed cylindrically symmetrical to the optical axis 117. At an object-side end of the optical measuring device 100, the illumination light strikes an optical deflection element 150, which likewise has a cylindrically symmetrical shape and is arranged cylindrically symmetrical about the optical axis 117. According to the exemplary embodiment illustrated here, the optical deflection element 150 is an optically refractive element, which will be explained in more detail below with reference to FIGS. 3, 4a and 4b.

The optical deflection element 150 spatially structures the illumination light in such a way that concentric to the optical axis 117 a plurality of illumination structures 122 are produced, each of which has the shape of a cone shell 122 and projecting onto the inner wall of a cavity 125 to be measured. be graced. For reasons of clarity, only one illumination structure 122 is shown in FIG.

It should be noted that the camera 145 and the laser diode 110 may also be interchanged using a corresponding beam splitter 113. As a beam splitter, for example, a transmission-selective glass plate can be used, which is mirrored in the middle within a small elliptical area so that not the laser beam but the image in the center of the illumination beam path 116 is coupled out.

According to the embodiment shown here, the cavity to be measured is an auditory canal 125 of a patient. The ear canal 125 typically has a diameter d of about 4 mm.

It should be noted, however, that the measuring device 100 can also be used to measure other cavities. Thus, for example, the three-dimensional shape of boreholes can be measured accurately before exactly matching rivets for a particularly reliable rivet connection, for example in aircraft, can be selected.

The projection of the illumination structure 122 onto the inner wall of the cavity 125 results in a closed illumination line 128 whose shape depends on the size and shape of the cavity 125. The sharpness of the illumination lines 128 depends on the focusing of the illumination structures 122 on the inner wall. For this reason, the focal length of the projection optics 112 may be adjusted to produce sharp lines of illumination 128 with an approximate expected size of the cavity to be measured on the interior wall of the cavity.

The size and shape of the individual illumination lines 128 are detected by a camera 145. This is done via a This imaging light 130 is collected by means of an imaging optics 132, which has a particularly short focal length. The imaging optics 132 may also be referred to as a fish eye due to the extremely wide acceptance angle.

The imaging light 130 collected by the imaging optics 132 is guided to the image-side end of the optical measurement device 100 by means of a light-conducting device 135. According to the exemplary embodiment illustrated here, the light-conducting device is a rod lens arrangement 135 which is also used, for example, in medical technology in endoscopic devices. The second imaging optics may be formed integrally with the rod lens arrangement 135, in that the corresponding end face and the cavity facing interface of a corresponding rod lens has an extremely strong curvature.

The rod lens assembly 135 has a plurality of individual rod lenses 135a, which together give a length 1 of about 50 mm. Of course, the rod lens assembly 135 may also have any other length. The rod lens assembly 135 may also be a so-called Hopkins lens assembly.

The rod lens arrangement 135 thus defines an imaging beam path 136, which extends along the optical axis 117 towards the image-side end of the optical measuring device 100. The imaging beam path 136 and the illumination beam path 116 are each arranged cylindrically symmetrical to the optical axis 117, wherein the illumination beam path 116 is located outside the imaging beam path 136.

Of course, a design of the optical measuring device is conceivable in which design of the imaging beam Lengang runs outside the illumination beam path. In any case, at least at the object-side end of the measuring device 100, a spatial separation of illumination light 122 and imaging light 130 must take place so that the projected illumination lines 128 can be detected at a triangulation angle and thus the 3D contour of the cavity 125 can be determined. A triangulation angle is always given when the illumination, ie here the generation of the illumination lines 128 takes place at a different angle than the observation, ie here the illustration of the illumination lines 128 towards the camera 145.

The imaging light 130 guided in the rod lens arrangement 135 strikes the beam splitter 113. The beam splitter is penetrated by at least a part of the imaging light 130 only with a certain parallel offset. This parallel offset depends on the thickness, the refractive index and the angular position of the beam splitter 113 relative to the optical axis 117. The remaining part of the imaging light 130 is reflected at the beam splitter and strikes the optical shading element 114 or the laser diode 110 as loss light.

The portion of the imaging light 130 that passes the beam splitter strikes an imaging optic 142 and is imaged by it onto the camera 145. Accordingly, the camera 145 captures a camera image 148 which, depending on the shape of the cavity 125, displays images 149 of the illumination lines 128 which are distorted, in particular, in the edge region of the camera image 148. Figure Ib shows such an example

Camera image 148, in which a total of four images 149 can be seen from corresponding to the inner wall of the cavity 125 projected illumination lines 128. On the basis of a quantitative analysis of this distortion, which takes place in an evaluation unit 146 connected downstream of the camera 145, the shape and the size of the cavity 125 can be determined. FIG. 1 c shows a front view of the object-side end of the optical measuring apparatus 100. The imaging optics 132 surrounded by the optical deflection element 150 can be seen.

FIG. 2 shows a cross-sectional representation of the beam paths of the illumination light 222 and the imaging light 230 formed at the object-side end of the optical measuring device 100, which is now designated by the reference numeral 200. For a specific illumination line 228 shown in FIG With respect to the optical axis 217 a mean projection or illumination angle ß.

The optical deflector 250 has a middle one

Radial distance r from the optical axis 217 on. In a corresponding manner, an imaging angle α results for the illustrated illumination line 228 with respect to the optical axis 217. In this case, it is taken into account that the imaging light 230 is collected by the imaging optics 232 arranged centrally on the optical axis 217.

The triangulation angle θ results from the difference between the two angles α and β (θ = α-β). Of course, as can be seen from Figure Id, this triangulation angle θ also depends on the longitudinal distance Δl. This longitudinal distance Δl results from the distance parallel to the optical axis 217 between the deflection element 250 and the imaging optics 232.

FIG. 3 shows a simulation of the refractive generation of a single cone-shaped illumination structure 322. A primary light beam 311 passes through a light input side 360 into the base body 352 of the optical deflection element 350. The light output side 370 opposite the light input side 360 has a cone-shaped facet 371, so that in the main body a conical Recess is formed. At the optical interface inclined with respect to an optical axis 317 of the deflection element 350, the light beam penetrated into the main body is widened to form the cone-shaped illumination structure 322. Thus, a lighting line 328 is formed on a cylindrical inner surface (not shown) of a cavity to be measured.

Figures 4a and 4b show an optical deflector 450 having two cone-shaped facets, a first cone-shaped facet 471 formed in a first annular portion, and a second cone-shaped facet 472 formed in a second annular portion. FIG. 4 a shows the optical deflection element 450 in a perspective view, FIG. 4 b shows a construction drawing of the optical deflection element 450.

The optical deflection element 450 has a substantially cylindrical main body 452, in which a passage opening 454 is formed. According to the embodiment shown here, the main body 452 has a diameter of 3 mm and a length of 3.65 mm. The through hole 454 designed as a bore has a diameter of 1.3 mm. Of course, the deflection element 450 can also be realized with other dimensions.

An end-face light-input side 460 has a slight convex curvature 465 with a radius of curvature of 30 mm. This curvature 465 thus constitutes a lightly focusing optical interface for a primary light beam entering at the light input side 460. The convexly shaped input interface, like the entire base body 452, has a rotationally symmetrical shape with respect to the optical axis 417. The light output side 470 opposite the light input side 460 has a concave contour which is determined by the two cone-shaped facets 471 and 472. As can be seen in FIG. 4b, the second cone-shaped facet 472 has a radial thickness of 0.51 mm with respect to the optical axis 417. Further, the optical interface of the second cone-shaped facet 472 is inclined at an angle of 105 ° with respect to the optical axis 417. The first cone-shaped facet 472 is inclined at an angle of 120.06 ° with respect to the optical axis 417. Again, of course, other dimensions and / or angles are possible.

FIG. 4 c shows a simulation of the refractive generation of two cone-shaped light structures by means of the optical deflection element 450. A primary light beam 411 strikes the base body 452 of the deflection element 450 parallel to the optical axis 417. The through hole 454 shown in FIGS. 4 a and 4 b becomes in the simulation by a circular shading element

454a considered. The shading element 454a is arranged concentrically with the optical axis 417.

The concave curvature 465 of the light input side 460 is simulated by a converging lens 465 a, which is likewise arranged concentrically to the optical axis 417 immediately behind the main body 452. The two cone-shaped facets 471 and 472 cause a cylindrically symmetrical splitting of the primary light beam 411 into a secondary light beam 422 which has a first cone-shaped light structure 422a and a second cone-shaped light structure 422b.

FIG. 5 shows a simulation of the refractive generation of three cone-shaped light structures 522a, 522b and 522c, which are generated by an optical deflection element 550 with three cone-shaped facets. In the illustrated Simulation encounters a primary light beam 511 parallel to an optical axis 517 on a base body 552. A through hole is simulated by a circular shading element 554 a, which is arranged concentrically to the optical axis 517.

A concave curvature of the light input side of the optical deflection element 550 is simulated by a converging lens 565 a, which is likewise arranged concentrically to the optical axis 517 and immediately behind the main body 552. The three cone-shaped facets cause a cylindrically symmetrical splitting of the primary light beam 511 into a secondary light beam 522, which has the first cone-shaped light structure 522a, the second cone-shaped light structure 522b, and the third cone-shaped light structure 522c.

It should be noted that the simulations shown in FIGS. 3, 4c and 5 are shown only in half for reasons of better depiction of the produced expanded light cones. In the context of the corresponding simulations, this halving of the representation was achieved by the use of a suitable rectangular shutter located in the respective beam path.

FIG. 6 shows an optical deflection element 650 according to a further exemplary embodiment of the invention. The deflection element 650 has, just like the previously described deflection elements, a base body 652 with a core bore 654, which are formed rotationally symmetrical to an optical axis 617. The light input side 660 has a planar interface. The light output side 670 has two annular portions formed symmetrically with respect to the optical axis 617, a first annular portion 671 and a second annular portion 672. It should be noted that the annular portions 671 and 672 each have a slight curvature, which is greatly exaggerated in Figure 6. Due to the large radius of curvature, the corresponding surface contours can still be referred to as substantially cone-shaped facets. The curvature of the substantially cone-shaped facet 671 may be different than the curvature of the substantially cone-shaped facet 672. Thus, the light rays emerging from the various slightly curved cone-shaped facets can be individually focused.

FIG. 7 shows an optical deflection element 750 according to a particularly preferred embodiment of the invention. The deflection element 750 likewise has a main body 752 with a core bore 754, which are formed rotationally symmetrical to an optical axis 717. In contrast to the exemplary embodiment illustrated in FIG. 6, the light input side 760 has a structured surface contour which comprises two annular sections formed symmetrically with respect to the optical axis 717, a first annular section 761 and a second annular section 762. The annular gates 771 and 772 on the light exit side have no further curvatures on the two cone-shaped facets.

The radii of the individual annular sections 761, 762, 771, 772 are matched to one another in such a way that, in the case of illumination incident parallel to the optical axis 717, the first annular section 761 is the first annular section

Section 771 and the second annular portion 762 associated with the second annular portion 772. Thus, by a corresponding curvature of the annular portions 761 and 762, the light rays emerging from the different cone-shaped facets 771 and 772 can be individually focused. It should be noted that the two exemplary embodiments illustrated in FIG. 6 and FIG. 7 can also be combined with one another such that the annular sections each have an individual curvature both at the light input and the light output side.

It should be noted that the embodiments described herein represent only a limited selection of possible embodiments of the invention. Thus, it is possible to suitably combine the features of individual embodiments with one another, so that a multiplicity of different embodiments are to be regarded as obvious for the person skilled in the art with the variants of embodiment that are explicit here.

Claims

claims

1. An optical deflection element for the refractive generation of a concentrically to an optical axis (417) of the deflection element (450) fanned, spatially structured light beam (422), the optical deflection element (450) comprising a base body (452), which

Is at least partially made of an optically transparent material and which

• one light input side (460) and one light output side

(470)

- wherein the light input side (460) is formed such that a primary light beam (411) in the main body (452) can be coupled, and

- Wherein the light output side (470) relative to the optical axis (417) of the deflection element (450) has a cylindrically symmetrical contour which defines a recess in the base body (452).

2. An optical deflecting element according to claim 1, wherein

• The contour has a first annular portion (471), which has substantially the shape of at least part of a first lateral surface of a directed into the interior of the body cone, wherein generatrices of the first lateral surface with the optical axis (417) include a first angle ,

3. An optical deflecting element according to claim 2, wherein • the contour has a second annular portion (472) which is arranged in the radial direction outside of the first annular portion (471) and which has substantially the shape of a second lateral surface of a truncated cone, wherein Mantellinien the second lateral surface with the optical axis (417) include a second angle which is different from the first angle.

4. An optical deflecting element according to claim 3, wherein

The contour has at least one third annular section, which is arranged in the radial direction outside the second annular section and which essentially has the shape of a third lateral surface of a truncated cone, wherein generatrices of the third lateral surface enclose a third angle with the optical axis, which is different lent to the second angle.

5. An optical deflecting element according to any one of claims 3 to 4, wherein the angular difference between the first angle and a right angle is greater than the angular difference between the second angle and a right angle.

6. An optical deflecting element according to any one of claims 3 to 4, wherein the angular difference between the first angle and a right angle is smaller than the angular difference between the second angle and a right angle.

7. An optical deflecting element according to any one of claims 2 to 6, wherein

- The first annular portion (471) has the shape of at least a part of a first lateral surface of a directed into the interior of the base cone,

- The second annular portion (472) has the shape of a second lateral surface of a truncated cone and / or

- The third annular portion has the shape of a third lateral surface of a truncated cone.

8. An optical deflecting element according to any one of claims 2 to 6, wherein the first annular portion (671), the second annular portion (672) and / or the third annular portion has a curved surface.

9. An optical deflecting element according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the base body (452) has the outer shape of a cylinder, in particular a circular cylinder.

The optical deflecting element according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the light input side (460) has a convex curvature (465).

The optical deflecting element according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the light input side (760) has a curved first annular portion (761) and at least one curved second annular portion (762).

The optical deflecting element according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein said base body (452) has a through hole (454) extending coaxially with said optical axis (417).

13. An optical deflecting element according to claim 12, wherein the through-hole is a core bore (454) having the shape of a cylinder concentric with the optical axis (417).

14. An optical measuring device for the three-dimensional measurement of a cavity (125) formed in an object, in particular for the three-dimensional measurement of the auditory canal (125) of a human or animal living being, the optical measuring device (100) comprising A light source configured to emit illumination light along an illumination beam path;

An optical deflection element (150, 450) according to one of claims 1 to 13, which spatially structures the emitted illumination light (111) in such a way that at least one about the optical axis (117, 417) of the deflection element (150, 450) is provided on the inner wall. circulating lighting line (128) is generated, whose shape depends on the size and shape of the cavity (125), and

• A camera (145), which via an imaging beam path

(136) detecting at least one illumination line (128) at a triangulation angle (θ).

15. An optical measuring device according to claim 14, additionally comprising

An evaluation unit (146), which is arranged downstream of the camera (145) and which is set up such that the size and the shape of at least part of the illumination line (149) captured by the camera (145) are processed by image processing Cavity (125) is automatically determined.

16. An optical measuring device according to any one of claims 14 to 15, additionally comprising

A projection optical system (112), which is arranged in the illumination beam path.

17. Optical measuring device according to one of claims 14 to 16, additionally comprising

• one in the optical axis (117) of the deflection element

(120) arranged at an oblique angle beam splitter

(113)

- Which deflects the illumination beam path (116) in such a way that an object-side section of the illumination beam path (116) runs parallel to the optical axis (117) or - Which deflects the imaging beam path such that an image-side portion of the imaging beam path is at an angle to the optical axis.

18. Optical measuring device according to one of claims 14 to

17, wherein at least a portion of the illumination beam path (116), in which the illumination light (111) is guided parallel to the optical axis (117), is formed around the imaging beam path (136) extending centrally in the optical axis (117).

19. Optical measuring device according to one of claims 14 to

18, additionally comprising • light guiding means (135) disposed in the imaging beam path (136) and arranged to transmit a two dimensional image (148) of the illumination lines (128) towards the camera (145).

20. A method for generating a concentrically fanned, spatially-structured light beam (422), the method comprising • emitting a primary light beam (411) onto an optical deflection element (450) according to one of claims 1 to 13, such that the primary light beam (411) at the light input side (460) in the base body (452) of the optical deflection element (450) and emerges as a secondary light beam (422) on the light output side (470) from the base body (452), wherein the secondary light beam (422) at least one ke - has gel-shaped light structure (422a, 422b).