A new method for 3D object reconstruction in real-time

A novel real-time depth-mapping principle and camera where pulsed laser light is combined with a gain-modulated camera and a phase-locked loop control of laser intensity is described in this paper. The depth resolution is variable depending on the resolution of the camera and of the gating possibilities of the sensor. A sensor of 1 Mpixel is used providing a resolution of 1024 × 1024 which can be gated with very high speeds up to a few ns. Front images of real objects are reconstructed in 3D views based on the data provided by the laser imaging technique and on a new image processing algorithm, in real-time. The new method based on pulsed laser diodes is applicable to various types of image sensors as required by the application domain. As such the camera can be used for gaming, for controlling through gestures various computer applications spanning from digital signage to for example unmanned vehicles. Results are provided for a low end camera used in gaming. A new human computer interface based on gesture control is described. A series of experiments in which the camera is used to capture human gestures which are interpreted and recognized by various image processing algorithms are given.