360-degrees profilometry using strip-light projection coupled to Fourier phase-demodulation

Area of Science:

• Optical Engineering
• Metrology
• Computer Vision

Background:

• Traditional 3D digitalization uses projected light-strips and triangulation.
• Current methods rely on light-strip centroid estimation, which has limitations in accuracy.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce Fourier phase-demodulation as an alternative for 360-degree 3D solid digitalization.
• To compare the performance of Fourier phase-demodulation against traditional light-strip centroid estimation.

Main Methods:

• Constructing a carrier-frequency fringe pattern by combining individual light-strip images.
• Applying Fourier transform techniques for phase demodulation of the fringe pattern.
• Digitizing solids with varying topographic complexity, including a Rubik's cube and a human skull model.

Main Results:

• Fourier phase-demodulation demonstrated reduced noise compared to centroid-based triangulation.
• The accuracy of phase demodulation increases linearly with fringe density.
• The method provides analytic signal amplitude, useful for surface detail visualization.

Conclusions:

• Fourier phase-demodulation is a viable and superior alternative for 360-degree 3D solid digitalization.
• This technique offers enhanced accuracy and richer data for surface analysis.
• The method holds potential for applications requiring precise 3D surface reconstruction.