Optimization of prism-based stereoscopic imaging systems at the optical design stage with respect to required 3D measurement accuracy.

We address the optical design procedure of prism-based stereoscopic imaging systems. Conventional approach includes two sequential stages: selection of the hardware and development of the proper digital image processing algorithms. At each of these stages, specific techniques are applied, which are almost unrelated to each other. The main requirements to the imaging system include only the key parameters and the image quality. Therefore, the insufficient measurement accuracy may be revealed only after the prototype is assembled and tested. In this case, even applying complex time-consuming image processing and calibration procedures does not ensure the necessary precision. A radical solution of this issue is to include the measurement error estimation into the optical design stage. In this research, we discuss a simplified implementation of this approach and demonstrate the capabilities of optical design software for this purpose. We demonstrate the effectiveness of this approach by the analysis and optimization of a prism-based stereoscopic imager with respect to required 3D measurement accuracy. The results are meaningful for the development of 3D imaging techniques for machine vision, endoscopic and measurement systems.

Modeling and optimization of a geometrical calibration procedure for stereoscopic video endoscopes.

Stereoscopic video endoscopes are widely used for remote visual inspection and precise three-dimensional (3D) measurements in industrial and biomedical applications. The reconstruction of 3D points from the corresponding image points requires a geometrical calibration procedure, the accuracy of which affects the measurement uncertainty. We propose to perform an optimal choice of the calibration technique and the calibration target parameters using a computer simulation at the design stage. The effectiveness of this approach is demonstrated via the design of a self-developed miniature prism-based stereoscopic system. We simulated acquisition of calibration and measurement data using optical design software. The conventional calibration technique, requiring many positions of the flat target with arbitrary displacements and rotations, was compared with another one that uses the translation stage to provide pure translation of the target. We analyzed the impact of the translation uncertainty, the number of positions, the number of targets, and the uncertainty of image point coordinates on the uncertainty of calibration parameters and 3D measurements. We have shown that the second technique could provide acceptable measurement accuracy using only two images. The results of the computer simulation were confirmed experimentally using the prototype of the stereoscopic endoscope. The proposed approach may be used to optimize calibration techniques and reduce the cost of calibration equipment for various stereoscopic measurement systems.

Optimization of stereoscopic imager performance by computer simulation of geometrical calibration using optical design software.

Stereoscopic imagers are widely used in machine vision for three-dimensional (3D) visualization as well as in non-destructive testing for quantitative characterization of cracks, delamination and other defects. Measurement capability in these systems is provided by a proper combination of the optical parameters and data processing techniques. Conventional approach to their design consists of two sequential stages: optical system design and optimization of calibration and image processing algorithms. Such two-stage procedure often complicates both the hardware and the software, and results in a time-ineffective design procedure and cost-ineffective solution. We demonstrate a more effective approach and propose to estimate errors of 3D measurements at the early optical design stage. We show that computer simulation using optical design software allows not only optimizing optical parameters of the imager but also choosing the most effective mathematical model of the system and the equipment necessary for calibration. We tested the proposed approach on the design of miniature prism-based stereoscopic system and analyzed the impact of various factors (aberrations, tolerances, etc.) as on the image quality, so on the quality of calibration and 3D measurements accuracy. The proposed joint design approach may be highly effective for various measurement systems and applications when both optical parameters and image processing algorithms are not defined in advance and are necessary to be optimized.