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Design of panoramic stereo imaging with single optical system
Zhi Huang1, Jian Bai, Xi Yun Hou
1State Key Laboratory of Modern Optical Instrumentation, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, China.
Optics Express
|March 16, 2012
Summary
A new panoramic stereo imaging system uses two panoramic annular lenses (PAL) to capture images on a single sensor. This innovative design improves depth extraction and works well in low light.
Area of Science:
- Optical Engineering
- Computer Vision
- Imaging Systems
Background:
- Panoramic imaging systems are crucial for capturing wide-field views.
- Stereo imaging enables depth perception but often faces limitations in field of view and resolution.
- Existing panoramic annular lens (PAL) systems have central blind zones that limit their utility.
Purpose of the Study:
- To introduce a novel panoramic stereo imaging system utilizing double PAL units.
- To address the limitations of central blind zones in single PAL systems.
- To analyze the design and depth extracting precision of the proposed system.
Main Methods:
- The system employs two coaxial PAL units imaging onto a single sensor with concentric imaging rings.
- Object position is calculated using triangulation principles.
- The central blind zone of one PAL unit is utilized by the other to enhance image coverage.
Main Results:
- The stereo field of view achieved is 60°~105° × 360°.
- The system provides a depth extracting resolution of approximately 500 mm at 1 line/cm.
- An F-number of approximately 3 allows for operation in low illumination environments.
Conclusions:
- The proposed double PAL system effectively overcomes the central blind zone issue.
- The system offers a wide stereo field of view and good depth resolution.
- Its design is suitable for applications requiring 3D information in low-light conditions.
