Sub-pixel data fusion and edge-enhanced distance refinement for 2D/3D images
Marvin Lindner, Martin Lambers, Andreas Kolb · International Journal of Intelligent Systems Technologies and Applications · 2008
An important field of research in computer vision is the 3D analysis and reconstruction of objects and scenes. A rather new technology in this context is the Photonic Mixer Device (PMD), based on the Time-Of-Flight principle, which measures full-range distance information in real-time. Unfortunately, PMD-based devices have still limited resolution and provide only IR intensity information. This paper describes a fast algorithmic approach to combine high resolution colour images with PMD distance data, acquired using a binocular camera set-up. The resulting combined RGBZ-data not only enhances the visual result, but also represents a basis for advanced data processing, e.g. object recognition with sub-pixel accuracy. A simple but efficient method is used to detect geometric occlusion caused by the binocular set-up, which otherwise will lead to false colour assignments. Additionally, we introduce an enhanced filtering technique used for the edge-enhanced distance refinement of the geometry provided by the PMD camera. The technique incorporates a proper handling of boundaries and an iterative refinement approach, which can be used to enhance the 2D/3D-fusion accuracy.