Development and characterisation of an easily configurable range imaging system

IEEE Trans. Instrum. Meas.

Bailey

Payne

et al. 2011

Self Cite

Abstract-Range imaging is a technology that utilizes an amplitude-modulated light source and gain-modulated image sensor to simultaneously produce distance and intensity data for all pixels of the sensor. The precision of such a system is, in part, dependent on the modulation frequency. There is typically a tradeoff between precision and maximum unambiguous range. Research has shown that, by taking two measurements at different modulation frequencies, the unambiguous range can be extended without compromising distance precision. In this paper, we present an efficient method for combining two distance measurements obtained using different modulation frequencies. The behavior of the method in the presence of noise has been investigated to determine the expected error rate. In addition, we make use of the signal amplitude to improve the precision of the combined distance measurement. Simulated results compare well to actual data obtained using a system based on the PMD19k range image sensor.Index Terms-Ambiguity, image sensor, range imaging, time of flight (ToF), 3-D camera.

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Analysis of Errors in ToF Range Imaging With Dual-Frequency Modulation

IEEE Trans. Instrum. Meas.

Bailey

Payne

et al. 2011

Self Cite

“…Further details regarding this system can be found in [8]. A scene has been set up with five pairs of test targets with each pair's actual distances measured as 2.501, 3.745, 5.005, 6.253 and 7.499 m using a Leica DISTO distance meter with a manufacturer specified accuracy of ±1 mm.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Maximizing precision over extended unambiguous range for TOF range imaging systems

2010 IEEE Instrumentation &Amp; Measurement Technology Conference Proceedings

Carnegie

Payne

et al. 2010

Self Cite

Abstract-The maximum unambiguous range for time-of-flight range imaging systems is inversely proportional to the chosen modulation frequency. However, increasing the unambiguous range by decreasing the modulation frequency will generally also degrade the range measurement precision. We describe a technique that significantly extends the range of a time-of-flight imaging system without compromising range precision. This is achieved by employing two modulation frequencies simultaneously. The chosen frequencies can be a combination of high and low frequency, or two similarly high frequencies.In this paper we present experimental results comparing single frequency; dual high and low frequency; and dual high frequency operation and demonstrate that range precision need not be appreciably compromised to achieve an extended unambiguous range.

“…This is illustrated in Figure 7 [9]. Note the circular arrangement of the illumination diodes on the right.…”

Section: Real-time Capable Designmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…Space constraints restrict a more detailed review of the theory and implementation of full-field ranging systems. The interested reader is referred to reviews of such systems in [5] or the more detailed descriptions of the techniques we employ in [6][7][8][9][10] or further theoretical treatment in [11]. FFRIS devices currently on the market include systems developed by PMDTechnologies [12], Mesa Imaging [13] and Cantesa [14], with two typical examples illustrated in Figure 5.…”

Section: Principles Of Full-field Image Rangingmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The next iteration in the system development [9] replaced the Image Intensifier and the digital camera with a PMDTechnologies PMD19k-2 image sensor chip. This CMOS based PMD sensor permits the gain modulation of the imaging pixels to be controlled on-chip, effectively replacing the shuttering function previously performed by the image intensifier and the image acquisition function of the camera.…”

Section: Real-time Capable Designmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Design and Construction of a Configurable Full-Field Range Imaging System for Mobile Robotic Applications

Carnegie

McClymont

Lecture Notes in Electrical Engineering

et al. 2011

Mobile robotic devices rely critically on extrospection sensors to determine the range to objects in the robot's operating environment. This provides the robot with the ability both to navigate safely around obstacles and to map its environment and hence facilitate path planning and navigation. There is a requirement for a full-field range imaging system that can determine the range to any obstacle in a camera lens' field of view accurately and in real-time. This paper details the development of a portable full-field ranging system whose bench-top version has demonstrated submillimetre precision. However, this precision required non-real-time acquisition rates and expensive hardware. By iterative replacement of components, a portable, modular and inexpensive version of this full-field ranger has been constructed, capable of real-time operation with some (user-defined) trade-off with precision.