On modelling 3-D objects using multiple sensory data

Abstract

In this paper, we introduce a new algorithm for modelling 3-D objects using information gathered from both active and passive sensing mechanisms. Construction of the structural description of a 3-D object is composed of two stages: (i) The visible surface orientation and partial structure are first inferred from a set of single views, and (ii) the partial surface structures inferred from different viewpoints are integrated to complete the 3-D structural description of the object. In the first stage, an active stripe coding technique is used which projects spatially modulated patterns to encode the objects surfaces for analysis. The visible surface orientation is inferred using a constraint satisfaction process based upon the observed orientation of the projected patterns. The visible surface structure is recovered through integrating a dense orientation map. In the second stage, an iterative construction/refinement scheme is used which exploits both passive and active sensing for representing the object surfaces. The bounding volume description of the object is first constructed using multiple occluding contours which are acquired through passive sensing. The bounding volume is then refined using the partial surface structures inferred from active sensing. The final surface structure is recorded in a memory efficient data structure where the surface contours in a set of parallel planar cross sections are recorded. We expect this approach to be widely applicable in the field of robotics, geometric modeling and factory automation.