Vertical Fisheye Stereo Camera Layout for Wide-Angle Depth Sensing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing RGB-D cameras face challenges in achieving a wide viewing angle, particularly in horizontal and vertical directions, which limits their effectiveness in applications such as robotics and autonomous driving, and fisheye lenses used in stereo matching often fail to provide efficient depth information due to distortion and limited baseline alignment.
Innovation Solution
A stereo camera apparatus is designed with two fisheye lenses arranged vertically to enhance both horizontal and vertical viewing angles, utilizing an equirectangular projection scheme to convert fisheye images, enabling efficient stereo matching by aligning epipolar lines with vertical directions for accurate depth calculation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a rectilinear projection lens is used, then an image similar to human perception is obtained, but the horizontal viewing angle is limited to about 120 degrees
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the projection parameter from rectilinear to fisheye projection, allowing the lens to achieve a horizontal viewing angle of 180 degrees or more while maintaining usable image quality for depth estimation
2Area of moving object
If a fisheye lens is used to achieve a viewing angle greater than 120 degrees, then the horizontal viewing angle can exceed 180 degrees, but the image suffers from barrel distortion and cannot perform efficient stereo matching through 1D search
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from horizontal stereo camera arrangement to vertical arrangement, changing the dimension of baseline separation. This allows fisheye lenses to achieve wide horizontal viewing angles while maintaining efficient stereo matching in the vertical direction where epipolar lines remain aligned
3Area of moving object
If fisheye lenses are used in stereo cameras, then the viewing angle is widened, but distance information cannot be obtained in the same direction as the baseline
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the baseline orientation from horizontal to vertical, allowing depth information to be obtained in the vertical direction while maintaining wide horizontal viewing angles. This dimensional change resolves the conflict between wide-angle coverage and accurate depth measurement
4Measurement precision
If two cameras are arranged horizontally to increase baseline, then depth information accuracy improves, but the vertical viewing angle remains limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent reorients the camera arrangement from horizontal to vertical, transferring the baseline separation to the vertical dimension. This enables both accurate depth measurement through increased baseline and expanded vertical viewing angle coverage
Data Source
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AI summary
Disclosed are a wide viewing angle stereo camera apparatus and a depth image processing method using the same. A stereo camera apparatus includes a receiver configured to receive a first image and a second image of a subject captured through a first lens and a second lens that are provided in a vertical direction; a converter configured to convert the received first image and second image using a map projection scheme; and a processing configured to extract a depth of the subject by performing stereo matching on the first image and the second image converted using the map projection scheme, in a height direction.