Evaluating the depth resolution of 3D sensors for manufacturing automation applications

Abstract

The Intelligent Systems Division (ISD) at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is performing research to support the development of documentary standards within ASTM subcommittee E57.23 on Industrial 3D Machine Vision Systems. This subcommittee is addressing the performance evaluation of 3D imaging systems that are used for manufacturing automation and vision guided robotics. The applications of these systems extend to other areas such as robotic bin picking, autonomous vehicles, 3D reconstruction, and entertainment. This paper discusses the activities of one work item (WK73176) that is addressing the evaluation of the depth resolution of a 3D imaging system. The key contributions of this paper include the description of multiple methods to determine the resolution of a 3D imaging system.