Towards a real-time 3D shape reconstruction using a structured light system

This paper deals with 3D shape reconstruction using a structured light system (SLS) which projects a matrix of laser rays onto the scene to be analyzed. The intrinsic problem of such a system is the correspondence problem solving, which in this particular case amounts to matching up the imaged spots and the originating laser rays. In this paper, we propose a method for automatically obtaining configurations of the system (COS) (i.e. the relative positions of the camera, laser projector, and measuring scene) that permit to achieve a direct and unambiguous correspondence. After, we propose a splitting cell algorithm, which efficiently performs a real-time correspondence procedure. Experimental results obtained from both simulated and real data demonstrate that our method provides our SLS with possibilities for real-time applications. (c) 2005 Pattern Recognition Society. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.