Three-dimensional shape measuring apparatus

1. A three-dimensional shape measuring apparatus comprising:

a light source;

an objective that condenses light emitted from the light source;

a stage on which a specimen is placed;

a scanner that two-dimensionally scans light that is condensed by the objective and is illuminated on the specimen;

an optical sensor that receives light that has been illuminated via the objective and has been reflected by the specimen; and

a processor that includes hardware, the processor being configured to perform control to:

image a sensor signal from the optical sensor;

store, in a memory, control information indicating a state of the three-dimensional shape measuring apparatus at a point in time of imaging, the control information being obtained in synchronization with the imaging of the sensor signal; and

control a transfer timing of the control information stored in the memory in accordance with a transfer timing of image data obtained by the imaging so as to output the control information to an image transfer path in association with the image data.

2. The three-dimensional shape measuring apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the processor performs control to:

store, in the memory, a focal position in an optical axis direction as the control information, and

output data of the focal position in the optical axis direction that has been stored in the memory, in association with the image data at a timing at which the focal position was obtained.

3. The three-dimensional shape measuring apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the processor performs control to:

store, in the memory, an imaging position on a two-dimensional plane as the control information, and

output data of the imaging position on the two-dimensional plane that has been stored in the memory, in association with the image data at a timing at which the imaging position was obtained.

4. The three-dimensional shape measuring apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein:

the processor is further configured to perform control to generate a synchronization signal at a time of two-dimensionally scanning light by the scanner,

the optical sensor is arranged in a position conjugate to a focal position of the objective, and the optical sensor is included in a confocal diaphragm that receives light that has been illuminated via the objective and has been reflected by the specimen,

the processor performs control to store, in the memory, the control information of the three-dimensional shape measuring apparatus at a time of capturing an image, the control information being obtained in synchronization with the imaging performed on the sensor signal, and

the processor performs control to output the control information needed to generate the confocal image in association with the image data.

5. The three-dimensional shape measuring apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein the processor performs control to store, in the memory, the control information that is obtained for each scanning of each image frame in accordance with the generated synchronization signal.

6. The three-dimensional shape measuring apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein the processor performs control to store, in the memory, the control information that is obtained for each scanning of each line in an image frame in accordance with the generated synchronization signal.

7. The three-dimensional shape measuring apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein the processor performs control to store, in the memory, the control information that is obtained for each scanning of each pixel in an image frame in accordance with the generated synchronization signal.

8. The three-dimensional shape measuring apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the processor performs control to output the control information to the image transfer path within a valid period of a synchronization signal indicating a reading timing of the sensor signal.

9. The three-dimensional shape measuring apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein the processor performs control to output the control information in association with image data of each frame within a period that is not used to transfer the image data in a valid period of a vertical synchronization signal of synchronization signals generated at a time of scanning by the scanner.

10. The three-dimensional shape measuring apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein the processor performs control to output the control information in association with data of each line in a frame within a period that is not used to transfer image data in a valid period of a horizontal synchronization signal of synchronization signals generated at a time of scanning by the scanner.

11. The three-dimensional shape measuring apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein the processor performs control to output the control information in association with data of each pixel within a cycle of a synchronization signal generated at a time of scanning by the scanner, or a period of a return path of an XY-scan.

12. The three-dimensional shape measuring apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:

a controller that processes the control information and the image data that have been associated and transferred via the image transfer path so as to measure a three-dimensional shape,

wherein:

the processor performs control to perform mapping by inserting the control information stored in the memory into the image data in accordance with a prescribed arrangement condition, and

the controller decrypts the control information, and processes the image data that corresponds to the control information, in accordance with the prescribed arrangement condition.