Robust phase demodulation of interferograms with open or closed fringes

We present two robust algorithms for fringe pattern analysis with partial-field and closed fringes. The algorithm for partial-field fringe patterns is presented as a refinement method for precomputed coarse phases. Such an algorithm consists of the minimization of a regularized cost function that incorporates an outlier rejection strategy, which causes the algorithm to become robust. On the basis of the phase refinement method, we propose a propagative scheme for phase retrieval from closed-fringe interferograms. The algorithm performance is demonstrated by demodulating closed-fringe interferograms with complex spatial distribution of stationary points and gradients in the illumination components. (c) 2005 Optical Society of America