Method of and apparatus for measuring shape

A method of measuring shapes, comprising the steps of:

• dividing a surface to be measured having a three-dimensional shape into a plurality of partial regions having mutually overlapped regions;
• measuring surface shapes and relative positional attitudes of said plurality of partial regions;
• roughly joining measured data on the surface shapes of said plurality of partial regions to one another, based on said relative positional attitudes;
• fitting the measured data on said surface shape of a second of said partial regions to the measured data on the surface shape of a first of said partial regions in said overlapped regions only in a normal average direction indicative of an average of normal directions of said plurality of partial regions on the surface to be measured;
• and
• joining adjacent said partial regions to one another to thereby measure an entire three-dimensional shape of the surface to be measured.

A shape measuring apparatus comprising:

• partial surface measuring means for dividing a surface to be measured having a three-dimensional shape into a plurality of partial regions having mutually overlapped regions and measuring surface shapes of said plurality of partial regions;
• moving means for respectively determining positional attitudes of said partial regions and said partial surface measuring means;
• and
• measurement control means for roughly joining measured data on the surface shapes of said partial regions to one another, based on said positional attitudes, and thereafter fitting the measured data on the surface shape of a second of said partial regions to the measured data on the surface shape of a first of said partial regions in said overlapped regions only in the direction of a substantial normal to the surface of each said overlapped region so as to join adjacent said partial regions to one another to thereby measure an entire three-dimensional shape of the surface to be measured.

A shape measuring apparatus comprising:

• partial surface measuring means for dividing a surface to be measured having a three-dimensional shape into a plurality of partial regions having mutually overlapped regions and measuring surface shapes of said plurality of partial regions;
• moving means for respectively determining positional attitudes of said partial regions and said partial surface measuring means;
• and
• measurement control means for roughly joining measured data on the surface shapes of said partial regions to one another, based on said positional attitudes, and thereafter fitting the measured data on the surface shape of a second of said partial regions to the measured data on the surface shape of a first of siad partial regions in said overlapped regions only in a normal average direction indicative of an average of normal directions of said plurality of partial regions on the surface to be measured, so as to join adjacent said partial regions to one another to thereby measure an entire three-dimensional shape of the surface to be measured.