Apparatus and method for reconstructing 3D shape of object with depth discontinuity using Helmholtz stereopsis

A method for reconstructing a 3D shape of an object by using Helmholtz stereopsis, the method comprising steps of:

• capturing, by a camera, only two pairs of images satisfying Helmholtz reciprocity condition, the two pairs of images including a first pair of images and a second pair of images;
• estimating, by a preprocessor, optical and geometrical characteristics of the camera;
• warping, by a geometric data reconstructor, each pair of images for one 3D point to place on the same epipolar line;
• calculating, by a 3D calculator, a normalized normal vector of the object on the basis of the warped images;
• calculating and optimizing, by the 3D calculator, 3D surface data of the object according best with the calculated normal vector;
• and
• determining, by the 3D calculator, a function representing a 3D shape of the object in consideration of a minimum cost from the optimization step,
• wherein the first pair of images is used to obtain 3D data of the object in an X-axis direction, the X-axis defined as a line connecting centers of two camera positions for the first pair of images, and the second pair of images is used to obtain 3D data of the object in a Y-axis direction, the Y-axis defined as a line connecting centers of two camera positions for the second pair of images, and
• wherein the X-axis and the Y-axis are perpendicular to each other.