Improved composite-pattern structured-light profilometry by means of postprocessing

Structured-light illumination (SLI) means projecting a series of structured or striped patterns from a projector onto an object and then using a camera, placed at an angle from the projector, to record the target's 3-D shape. For multiplexing these structured patterns in time, traditional SLI systems require the target object to remain still during the scanning process. Thus, the technique of composite-pattern design was introduced as a means of combining multiple SLI patterns, using principles of frequency modulation, into a single pattern that can be continuously projected and from which 3-D surface can be reconstructed from a single image, thereby enabling the recording of 3-D video. But the associated process of modulation and demodulation is limited by the spatial bandwidth of the projector-camera pair, which introduces distortion near surface or albedo discontinuities. Therefore, this paper introduces a postprocessing step to refine the reconstructed depth surface. Simulated experiments show an 78% reduction in depth error.