Abstract
This paper presents a lightweight 3D vision system called Equal Baseline Camera Array (EBCA). EBCA can work in different light conditions and it can be applied for measuring large range of distances. The system is a useful alternative to other known distance measuring devices such as structured-light 3D scanners, time-of-flight cameras, Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) devices and structure from motion techniques. EBCA can be mounted on a robotic arm without putting significant load on its construction. EBCA consists of a central camera and a ring of side cameras. The system uses stereo matching algorithms to acquire disparity maps and depth maps similarly as in case of using stereo cameras. This paper introduces methods of adapting stereo matching algorithms designed for stereo cameras to EBCA. The paper also presents the analysis of local, semi-global and global stereo matching algorithms in the context of the EBCA usage. Experiments show that, on average, results obtained from EBCA contain 37.49% less errors than the results acquired from a single stereo camera used in the same conditions.
Highlights
A vision system is one of the most important part of an autonomous robot designed for recognizing objects in its vicinity and interacting with them
Previous research performed on Equal Baseline Camera Array (EBCA) by the author of this paper showed that the best results are obtained when this algorithm is used with the Exceptions Excluding Merging Method (EEMM) designed for applying stereo matching algorithms to EBCA [11]
Using merging methods presented in this paper improves results between 21.75% and 45.56% for stereo matching algorithms GC Expansion, Treereweighted Message Passing (TRWS) and StereoSGBM
Summary
A vision system is one of the most important part of an autonomous robot designed for recognizing objects in its vicinity and interacting with them. There is a large variety of 3D imaging devices designed for obtaining depth maps consisting of distances from an imaging device to objects located within its field of view [1] These devices have different characteristics and features. Stereo cameras do not need to be relocated to make a 3D image They are in large extent resistant to a negative influence of intensive natural light. The most significant advantage of this array is such that EBCA makes it possible to obtain greater quality of 3D images than a stereo camera preserving valuable features of stereo cameras such as compact size and weight. (2) Designing a method for applying stereo matching algorithms to a EBCA The method makes it possible to improve results between 21.03% and 45.16% in comparison to results obtained from a stereo camera. The method makes it possible to improve results between 21.03% and 45.16% in comparison to results obtained from a stereo camera. (3) The analysis of different types of stereo matching algorithms in the context of the EBCA usage. (4) Experiments presenting the quality of algorithms designed for EBCA
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