Apparatus and method for 3D surface measurement

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9322643-B2
Application number	US-201214350359-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 17, 2012
Priority date	Oct 18, 2011
Publication date	Apr 26, 2016
Grant date	Apr 26, 2016

Abstract

An apparatus for 3D surface measurement of a target surface, the apparatus comprising: a first projector configured to project a fringe pattern onto the target surface; a second projector configured to project a fringe pattern onto the target surface; a first camera configured to capture the fringe patterns projected by the first projector and the second projector; a second camera configured to capture the fringe patterns projected by the first projector and the second projector; and a computer configured to perform fringe pattern processing of the fringe patterns captured by the first camera and the second camera and to perform data stitching and merging to obtain a 3D surface reconstruction.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An apparatus for 3D surface measurement of a target surface, the apparatus comprising:
only two projectors, the two projectors comprising, a first projector configured to project a fringe pattern onto the target surface and;
a second projector configured to project a fringe pattern onto the target surface;
only two cameras, the two cameras comprising, a first camera configured to capture the fringe patterns projected by the first projector and the second projector and;
a second camera configured to capture the fringe patterns projected by the first projector and the second projector;
wherein the first projector, the second projector, the first camera and the second camera are calibrated with a same global coordinates,
wherein the first projector and the first camera form a first optical 3D sensor configured to capture a first fringe pattern, wherein the second projector and the first camera form a second optical 3D sensor configured to capture a second fringe pattern, wherein the first projector and the second camera form a third optical 3D sensor configured to capture a third fringe pattern, and wherein the second projector and the second camera form a fourth optical 3D sensor configured to capture a fourth fringe pattern; and
a computer configured to:
perform fringe pattern processing of the first fringe pattern to generate a first 3D point cloud,
perform fringe pattern processing of the second fringe pattern to generate a second 3D point cloud,
perform fringe pattern processing of the third fringe pattern to generate a third 3D point cloud,
perform fringe pattern processing of the fourth fringe pattern to generate a fourth 3D point cloud, and
perform data stitching and merging of the first 3D point cloud, the second 3D point cloud, the third 3D point cloud, and the fourth 3D point cloud to obtain a 3D surface reconstruction using the calibration with the same global coordinates.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a frame configured to support and position the first projector, the second projector, the first camera and the second camera over and around the target surface.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first projector and the second projector are positioned diametrically opposite each other about the target surface.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first camera and the second camera are positioned diametrically opposite each other about the target surface.

5. A method for 3D surface measurement of a target surface, the method comprising the steps of:
a first projector, of only two projectors, projecting a fringe pattern onto the target surface;
a first camera, of only two cameras, capturing a first fringe pattern projected by the first projector;
a second camera, of the only two cameras, capturing a second fringe pattern projected by the first projector;
a second projector projecting a fringe pattern onto the target surface;
the first camera capturing a third fringe pattern projected by the second projector;
the second camera capturing a fourth fringe pattern projected by the second projector;
wherein the first projector and the first camera form a first optical 3D sensor, wherein the second projector and the first camera form a second optical 3D sensor, wherein the first projector and the second camera form a third optical 3D sensor, and wherein the second projector and the second camera form a fourth optical 3D sensor;
a computer processing the captured fringe patterns and performing data stitching and merging to obtain a 3D surface reconstruction, wherein processing the captured fringe patterns comprises processing the first fringe pattern to generate a first 3D point cloud, processing the second fringe pattern to generate a second 3D point cloud, processing the third fringe pattern to generate a third 3D point cloud, and processing the fourth fringe pattern to generate a fourth 3D point cloud; and
calibrating the first projector, the second projector, the first camera and the second camera with a same global coordinates prior to the first projector projecting the fringe pattern onto the target surface.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein processing the captured fringe patterns comprises performing phase retrieval and a phase invalidity identification process.

7. The method of claim 5 , wherein performing data stitching and merging comprises calculating an interval distance between two neighboring points obtained from processing the captured fringe patterns.

Assignees

• Univ Nanyang Tech

Inventors

• Huang Lei
• Ng Chi Seng
• Koh Hoe Jyh
• Asundi Anand Krishna

Classifications

• G06T7/0057

  Physics · mapped topic

• G06T7/0075

  Physics · mapped topic

• G01B11/2545 Primary

  with one projection direction and several detection directions, e.g. stereo · CPC title

• G01N21/8806

  Specially adapted optical and illumination features · CPC title

• G01B11/25

  by projecting a pattern, e.g. {one or more lines,} moiré fringes on the object (G01B11/255 takes precedence {; image analysis for depth or shape recovery G06T7/50}) · CPC title