Abstract

An apparatus for creating a pair of images for use in stereo photography or photogrammetry, and adjusting the overlap of the images by automatically adjusting the convergence of a pair of image gathering devices and by placing an adaptor having a set of mirrors located in front of a camera lens. The outer two mirrors face generally outward along the optical axis of the lens. The centers of the outer two mirrors are spaced apart by an appropriate interocular distance. The convergence of the two outer mirrors is adjustable by swiveling them simultaneously and equally about their centerlines with a ganging mechanism. A focusing sensor is used to provide a distance signal, which is then used to adjust the convergence of the mirrors in response to the distance of the subject, so as to maximize the overlap between the left and right images. In an alternate embodiment, the pair of images are generated by a pair of imaging sensors mounted in place of the outer mirrors. A method of photogrammetry using the apparatus of invention to determine the position of an object in three dimensions is presented.