Calibration and 3D reconstruction of underwater objects with non-single-view projection model by structured light stereo imaging.

Establishing the projection model of imaging systems is critical in 3D reconstruction of object shapes from multiple 2D views. When deployed underwater, these are enclosed in waterproof housings with transparent glass ports that generate nonlinear refractions of optical rays at interfaces, leading to invalidation of the commonly assumed single-viewpoint (SVP) model. In this paper, we propose a non-SVP ray tracing model for the calibration of a projector-camera system, employed for 3D reconstruction based on the structured light paradigm. The projector utilizes dot patterns, having established that the contrast loss is less severe than for traditional stripe patterns in highly turbid waters. Experimental results are presented to assess the achieved calibrating accuracy.

Improved stereo matching in scattering media by incorporating a backscatter cue.

In scattering media, as in underwater or haze and fog in atmosphere, image contrast deteriorates significantly due to backscatter. This adversely affects the performance of many computer vision techniques developed for clear open-air conditions, including stereo matching, when applied to images acquired in these environments. Since the strength of the scattering depends on the distance to the scene points, the scattering field embodies range information that can be exploited for 3-D reconstruction. In this paper, we present an integrated solution for 3-D structure from stereovision that incorporates the visual cues from both disparity and scattering. The method applies to images of scenes illuminated by artificial sources and natural lighting, and performance improves with discrepancy between the backscatter fields in the two views. Neither source calibration nor knowledge of medium optical properties is required. Instead, backscatter fields at infinity, i.e., stereo images taken with no target in the field of view, are directly employed in the estimation process. Results from experiments with synthetic and real data demonstrate the key advantages of our method.

CauStereo: range from light in nature.

Underwater, natural illumination typically varies strongly temporally and spatially. The reason is that waves on the water surface refract light into the water in a spatiotemporally varying manner. The resulting underwater illumination field forms a caustic network and is known as flicker. This work shows that caustics can be useful for stereoscopic vision, naturally leading to range mapping of the scene. Range triangulation by stereoscopic vision requires the determination of correspondence between image points in different viewpoints, which is often a difficult problem. We show that the spatiotemporal caustic pattern very effectively establishes stereo correspondences. Thus, we term the use of this effect as CauStereo. The temporal radiance variations due to flicker are unique to each object point, thus disambiguating the correspondence, with very simple calculations. Theoretical limitations of the method are analyzed using ray-tracing simulations. The method is demonstrated by underwater in situ experiments.

Opti-acoustic stereo imaging: on system calibration and 3-D target reconstruction.

Utilization of an acoustic camera for range measurements is a key advantage for 3-D shape recovery of underwater targets by opti-acoustic stereo imaging, where the associated epipolar geometry of optical and acoustic image correspondences can be described in terms of conic sections. In this paper, we propose methods for system calibration and 3-D scene reconstruction by maximum likelihood estimation from noisy image measurements. The recursive 3-D reconstruction method utilized as initial condition a closed-form solution that integrates the advantages of two other closed-form solutions, referred to as the range and azimuth solutions. Synthetic data tests are given to provide insight into the merits of the new target imaging and 3-D reconstruction paradigm, while experiments with real data confirm the findings based on computer simulations, and demonstrate the merits of this novel 3-D reconstruction paradigm.

Epipolar geometry of opti-acoustic stereo imaging.

Optical and acoustic cameras are suitable imaging systems to inspect underwater structures, both in regular maintenance and security operations. Despite high resolution, optical systems have limited visibility range when deployed in turbid waters. In contrast, the new generation of high-frequency (MHz) acoustic cameras can provide images with enhanced target details in highly turbid waters, though their range is reduced by one to two orders of magnitude compared to traditional low-/midfrequency (10s-100s KHz) sonar systems. It is conceivable that an effective inspection strategy is the deployment of both optical and acoustic cameras on a submersible platform, to enable target imaging in a range of turbidity conditions. Under this scenario and where visibility allows, registration of the images from both cameras arranged in binocular stereo configuration provides valuable scene information that cannot be readily recovered from each sensor alone. We explore and derive the constraint equations for the epipolar geometry and stereo triangulation in utilizing these two sensing modalities with different projection models. Theoretical results supported by computer simulations show that an opti-acoustic stereo imaging system outperforms a traditional binocular vision with optical cameras, particularly for increasing target distance and (or) turbidity.

Development and application of a video-mosaic survey technology to document the status of coral reef communities.

The recent decline in the condition of coral reef communities worldwide has fueled the need to develop innovative assessment tools to document coral abundance and distribution rapidly and effectively. While most monitoring programs rely primarily on data collected in situ by trained divers, digital photographs and video are used increasingly to extract ecological indicators, provide a permanent visual record of reef condition, and reduce the time that divers spend underwater. In this study, we describe the development and application of a video-based reef survey methodology based on an algorithm for image registration and the estimation of image motion and camera trajectory. This technology was used to construct two-dimensional, spatially accurate, high-resolution mosaics of the reef benthos at a scale of up to 400 m(2). The mosaics were analyzed to estimate the size and percent cover of reef organisms and these ecological indicators of reef condition were compared to similar measurements collected by divers to evaluate the potential of the mosaics as monitoring tools. The ecological indicators collected by trained divers compared favorably with those measured directly from the video mosaics. Five out of the eight categories chosen (hard corals, octocorals, Palythoa, algal turf, and sand) showed no significant differences in percent cover based on survey method. Moreover, no significant differences based on survey method were found in the size of coral colonies. Lastly, the capability to extract the same reef location from mosaics collected at different times proved to be an important tool for documenting change in coral abundance as the removal of even small colonies (<10 cm in diameter) was easily documented. The two-dimensional video mosaics constructed in this study can provide repeatable, accurate measurements on the reef-plot scale that can complement measurements on the colony-scale made by divers and surveys conducted at regional scales using remote sensing tools.