SUMMARYIn this paper we propose a method for estimating timeto-contact in scattering media. Images taken in scattering media are often unclear and blurry, making it difficult to detect appropriate geometric information from these images for computing the 3 dimensional properties of the scene. Therefore, instead of searching for geometric information, we attempt to use photometric information instead. In our approach, we use the observed image intensity. The method proposed in this paper is able to utilize the effect of scattering media on the resultant image and estimate the time-to-contact toward objects without any prior knowledge of the scene, cameras, and the scattering media. This method is then evaluated using simulated and real images.

In this paper, we propose a method for estimating time-to-contact in scattering media, such as fog. Images taken in the scattering media are unclear, and thus, we cannot detect appropriate geometric information from images for computing 3D information. In this paper, we consider not geometric information but photometric information such as observed intensity. In our method, we can eliminate the effect of scattering media and estimate the time-to-contact toward objects without any prior knowledge.