Abstract

We present a new approach to depth measurement of a static scene. It combines the advantages of narrow and wide baseline imaging - giving easier matching and greater accuracies. The technique works with a sequence of images, and unifies the spatial and temporal analysis of data obtained from a camera moving in a straight line. The technique is based on the use of a dense sequence of images - images taken sufficiently close together that they have not only spatial but also temporal continuity. The sequence of data then forms a volume, slices of which directly encode both the three-dimensional positions of objects and such spatio-temporal events as the occlusion of one object by another. We will discuss the theory behind this technique, describe our implementations of the process, and present our current results. Our final discussion will deal with the direction in which we are taking the work: obtaining coherent three-dimensional descriptions of scene depth.

© 1987 Optical Society of America