Abstract-Omnidirectional cameras offer a much wider field of view than the perspective ones and alleviate the problems due to occlusions. However, both types of cameras suffer from the lack of depth perception. A practical method for obtaining depth in computer vision is to project a known structured light pattern on the scene avoiding the problems and costs involved by stereo vision. This paper is focused on the idea of combining omnidirectional vision and structured light with the aim to provide 3D information about the scene. The resulting sensor is formed by a single catadioptric camera and an omnidirectional light projector. It is also discussed how this sensor can be used in robot navigation applications.
Depth computation is an attractive feature in computer vision. The use of traditional perspective cameras for panoramic perception requires several images, most likely implying the use of several cameras or of a sensor with mobile elements. Moreover, misalignments can appear for non-static scenes. Omnidirectional cameras offer a much wider field of view (FOV) than perspective cameras, capture a panoramic image at every moment and alleviate problems due to occlusions. A practical way to obtain depth in computer vision is the use of structured light systems. This paper is focused on combining omnidirectional vision and structured light with the aim of obtaining panoramic depth information. The resulting sensor is formed by a single catadioptric camera and an omnidirectional light projector. The model and the prototype of a new omnidirectional depth computation sensor are presented in this article and its accuracy is estimated by means of laboratory experimental setups.
This paper introduces the vanishing points to self-calibrate a structured light system. The vanishing points permit to automatically remove the projector's keystone effect and then to self-calibrate the projector-camera system. The calibration object is a simple planar surface such as a white paper. Complex patterns and 3D calibrated objects are not required any more. The technique is compared to classic calibration and validated with experimental results.
Catadioptric sensors are combinations of mirrors and lenses made in order to obtain a wide field of view. In this paper we propose a new sensor that has omnidirectional viewing ability and it also provides depth information about the nearby surrounding. The sensor is based on a conventional camera coupled with a laser emitter and two hyperbolic mirrors. Mathematical formulation and precise specifications of the intrinsic and extrinsic parameters of the sensor are discussed. Our approach overcomes limitations of the existing omnidirectional sensors and eventually leads to reduced costs of production.
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