DEVICE AND METHOD FOR DETECTING WITHOUT CONTACT TWO-DIMENSIONAL OR THREE-DIMENSIONAL MARKED SURFACES AND/OR FOR DETECTING TWO-DIMENSIONAL OR THREE-DIMENSIONAL MOVEMENTS

摘要

The invention concerns a device comprising a movement detector (1) which detects without contact the position of the device parallel to a marked surface (8) in two and/or three dimensions, a distance measuring element which determines without contact, for each detected position value of the movement detector (1), the variation between the movement detector (1) and the marked surface, and a signal processing unit which computes on the basis of the movement detector position signals and of the distance measuring element data capable of being electronically stored related to the marked surface and/or the movement produced by the movement detector. The movement detector (1) is preferably a matrix consisting of optical detecting means arranged side by side in a surface, such as photodiodes or pixels of an image detector. The variation between the image detector and the marked surface is preferably determined by means detecting the time taken by a light signal to travel the distance. Said device is particularly appropriate for position detecting for image reading electronic appliances, as well as for determining without contact the structure of surfaces in medical and dental applications.