Multistack close range photogrammetry for low cost submillimeter metrology

Considerable research effort has been focused on evaluating the accuracy of meso-and macroscale digital close range photogrammetry. However, evaluations of accuracy and applications in the submillimeter scale are rare. In this paper the authors propose the development of a three-dimensional (3D) photogrammetric scanner, based on macrolens cameras, able to reconstruct the three-dimensional surface topography of objects with submillimeter features. The system exploits multifocal image composition and has been designed for installation on all types of Numerical Controlled or Robotic systems. The approach is exploitable for digitizing submillimeter features at mesoscale as well as macroscale objects.