Plenoptic Camera 3D Profiling via Structured Light Temporal Matching
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for determining the three-dimensional profile of a surface using plenoptic cameras are computationally intensive and challenging, especially for surfaces with few features, and require significant resources or the use of physical markers, which are burdensome and not always applicable.
Innovation Solution
A system that projects a changing structured image onto the surface, synchronizes it with a sequence of plenoptic images, and uses temporal similarity matching between pixels to determine depth information, reducing computational complexity and eliminating the need for physical markers.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If pixel matching by searching for shape similarities is used to determine depth information, then depth information can be obtained, but computational resources are significantly consumed and the process becomes complicated especially for surfaces with few features
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by projecting structured lighting patterns (such as fringes or dot patterns) onto the surface before image acquisition. This pre-structures the visual information on the surface, creating distinctive patterns that can be easily tracked and matched across different views. The structured patterns are prepared in advance to facilitate subsequent pixel matching, eliminating the need for complex shape similarity searches on featureless surfaces.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes parameters by using multiple structured lighting patterns with different spatial frequencies, orientations, or phases. By varying these parameters across multiple projections, the system creates diverse visual signatures for different surface regions. This parameter variation enhances the distinguishability of surface features, making pixel matching more reliable and computationally efficient, particularly for surfaces that would otherwise lack distinctive features.
2Ease of operation
If physical markers are added to facilitate image matching, then image matching becomes easier, but the system becomes burdensome requiring placement and possible removal of markers
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical approach of physically attaching markers to the surface with an optical approach. Instead of mechanically placing physical markers that require handling and removal, the system projects optical patterns (structured lighting) that can be dynamically controlled and removed simply by stopping the projection. This substitution eliminates the mechanical complexity of marker placement and removal while achieving the same goal of facilitating image matching.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies dynamics by making the lighting patterns dynamic rather than static physical markers. The structured lighting patterns can be changed, moved, or removed at will by controlling the light source, providing flexibility without the permanence and handling requirements of physical markers. This dynamic approach allows the system to adapt to different measurement scenarios without requiring physical modification of the object being measured.
3Ease of operation
If active measurement methods with structured lighting are used, then image matching is facilitated, but spatial similarity search remains computationally expensive and pattern redundancy causes pixel matching ambiguity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies partial action by using a limited set of carefully designed structured lighting patterns rather than exhaustive or highly redundant patterns. By selecting just enough patterns to provide sufficient visual discrimination (without excessive redundancy), the system achieves effective pixel matching while minimizing computational load. The lighting patterns are optimized to provide the minimum necessary information for accurate matching, avoiding the computational expense of processing overly redundant data.
Data Source
AI summary
In the field of determining the three-dimensional profile of a surface, a system and a method for determining such a three-dimensional profile use a plenoptic camera and a structured lighting system. The method includes: acquiring a sequence of plenoptic images, each formed by a set of pixels each associated with a light intensity of an imaged surface element, and including a plurality of sub-images of the surface from different viewing angles, projecting onto the surface a sequence of structured images synchronised with the sequence of plenoptic images illuminating each imaged surface element by a succession of light intensities different from the successions of light intensities which illuminate the other imaged surface elements, constructing, for each pixel of the plenoptic image, an intensity vector representing the succession of light intensities, and pairing each pixel of a sub-image with a pixel of another sub-image depending on a similarity of the intensity vectors.