APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR ACQUIRING A TWO-DIMENSIONAL IMAGE OF THE SURFACE OF A THREE-DIMENSIONAL OBJECT

摘要

An apparatus for acquiring a two-dimensional image of an external surface of a three-dimensional object is described. The apparatus includes a conveyor for supporting and displacing the object, a camera for capturing images of portions of the object surface, and a friction member for rotating the object. The camera is configured to capture images corresponding to successive exposed portions of the object surface, and to sequentially capture the images as respective single frames. The apparatus further includes an electronic control unit adapted to read out a sub-frame from the single frame, store the sub-frame, and assemble successive sub-frames into an assembled frame corresponding to a two-dimensional image of an unpeeled surface area of the object.

主权项

1. An apparatus for acquiring a two-dimensional image of an external surface of a three-dimensional object, comprising:
a conveyor for supporting and displacing the object along a path; a camera for capturing images of portions of the object surface; a friction member for rotating the object about an axes of rotation to expose successive portions of the object surface to the camera, wherein the camera is configured to capture images corresponding to the successive exposed portions of the object surface, and wherein the camera is configured to sequentially capture the images as respective single frames; and electronic control unit adapted, for each successive single frame, to:
read out a sub-frame from the single frame, the sub-frame corresponding to a respective individual portion of the exposed portion of the object surface, whereby the successive sub-frames correspond to successive and adjacent individual portions of the object surface having no mutual overlap;store the sub-frames; andassemble the successive sub-frames into an assembled frame corresponding to a two-dimensional image of an unpeeled surface area of the object, wherein the object is a capsule of the type used in pharmaceutical or healthcare applications, the conveyor includes at least one carrier provided with a housing configured to receive the object and a driving member adapted to move the carrier relative to the friction member, and the friction member is arranged to contact locally the external surface of the object when the object is placed in the housing of the carrier.