Synchronous modulate, gate and integrate 3d sensor

A confocal three-dimensional sensor for measuring height of an array of points on an object, the sensor comprising:

• a light source;
• a light source modulator configured to temporally modulate light source intensity;
• a pinhole aperture array configured to be illuminated by the light source and receive reflected light from the object;
• a focus-tunable lens configured to focus illumination passing through the pinhole aperture array onto the object and image reflected light from the object onto the pinhole aperture array;
• a focus modulator operably coupled to the focus-tunable lens, the focus modulator being configured to sweep axial focal position;
• an imaging system to image the pinhole aperture array onto a camera detector;
• a camera detector configured to receive reflected light from the object imaged onto the pinhole aperture array by the focus-tunable lens and to provide an output measurement indicative of total transmitted light through the pinhole aperture array for each point in the array of points;
• a processor operably coupled to the camera detector, the processor being configured to synchronously cause the light source modulator to modulate light source intensity while causing the focus modulator to sweep axial focal position.

A confocal three-dimensional sensor for measuring height of an array of points on an object, the sensor comprising:

• a light source;
• a light source modulator configured to temporally modulate light source intensity;
• a pinhole aperture array configured to be illuminated by the light source and receive reflected light from the object;
• a focus modulator configured to sweep axial focal position;
• an imaging system to image the pinhole aperture array onto a camera detector;
• an interference objective configured to focus illumination passing through the pinhole aperture array onto the object and to provide a coherence interference signal onto the pinhole aperture array during a focus sweep;
• a camera detector configured to receive the coherence interference signal transmitted through the pinhole aperture array and to provide an output measurement indicative of total transmitted light through the pinhole aperture array for each point in the array of points;
• a processor operably coupled to the camera detector, the processor being configured to synchronously cause the light source modulator to modulate light source intensity while causing the focus modulator to sweep axial focal position.