High-resolution, high-speed three-dimensional shape measurement using projector defocusing

Abstract

We present a high-resolution, high-speed three-dimensional (3-D) shape measurement technique that can reach the speed limit of a digital fringe projection system without significantly increasing the sys- tem cost. Instead of generating sinusoidal fringe patterns by a computer directly, they are produced by defocusing binary ones. By this means, with a relatively inexpensive camera, the 3-D shape measurement sys- tem can double the previously maximum achievable speed and reach the refreshing rate of a digital-light-processing projector: 120 Hz. C 2011 Society With the advancement of computational geometry for shape analysis, high-resolution, high-speed three-dimensional (3-D) shape measurement is increasingly important, with broad applications ranging from homeland security to great human health. However, it remains challenging to develop inexpensive systems. In this research, we are tackling this problem via an alternative route.