Three-dimensional pose estimation of symmetrical objects

An apparatus for estimating a three-dimensional (“3D”) pose of an object in an image having an angle of rotational symmetry, comprising:

• a memory configured for storing the image or a patch of the image;
• and
• a processor configured to:
• determine, via a classifier, whether a rotation angle of the object in the image or the patch of the image is within a first predetermined range;
• and
• in response to a determination that the rotation angle is within the first predetermined range:
• determine a mirror image of the object;
• determine two-dimensional (2D) projections of a three-dimensional (3D) bounding box of the object by applying a trained regressor to the mirror image of the object in the image or the patch of the image;
• and
• estimate the 3D pose of the object based on the 2D projections.

An apparatus for estimating a three-dimensional (“3D”) pose of an object in an image having an angle of rotational symmetry, comprising:

• means for storing the image or a patch of the image;
• means for using a classifier to determine whether a rotation angle of the object in the image or the patch of the image is within a first predetermined range;
• means for determining a mirror image of the object in response to a determination that the rotation angle of the object in the image or the patch of the image is within the first predetermined range;
• means for using a regressor to determine two-dimensional (2D) projections of a three-dimensional (3D) bounding box of the object to the mirror image of the object in the image or the patch of the image;
• and
• means for estimating the 3D pose of the object in response to the determination of 2D projections.

A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon or therein instructions that, when executed by a processor, perform a method for estimating a three-dimensional (“3D”) pose of an object in an image having an angle of rotational symmetry, the method comprising:

• obtaining the image or a patch of the image which includes the object;
• determining, via a classifier, whether a rotation angle of the object in the image or the patch of the image is within a first predetermined range;
• and
• in response to a determination that the rotation angle is within the first predetermined range:
• determining a mirror image of the object,
• estimating two-dimensional (2D) projections of a three-dimensional (3D) bounding box of the object by applying a trained regressor to the mirror image of the object in the image or the patch of the image, and
• estimating the 3D pose of the object given the 2D projections.