Temperature Compensation Method for Raster Projectors used in 3D Structured Light Scanners.

Area of Science:

• Metrology
• Optical Engineering
• Computer Vision

Background:

• Raster projectors are crucial for active lighting in 3D structured light scanners.
• Temperature fluctuations can cause significant errors in measurements due to projector image deformation.
• Understanding thermal effects is vital for accurate 3D scanning applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the impact of temperature on raster projector image stability.
• To analyze thermal deformations caused by projector warm-up and ambient temperature changes.
• To develop and validate a software compensation method for thermal drift.

Main Methods:

• Experimental analysis of raster projector thermal behavior.
• Characterization of image distortions under varying temperatures.
• Development and implementation of a software-based compensation algorithm.
• Verification experiments to quantify compensation effectiveness.

Main Results:

• Thermal deformations were observed in projected images due to temperature variations.
• The developed software compensation method effectively reduced thermal drift.
• Compensation decreased projected image thermal drift by up to 14 times.
• The method is adaptable for existing raster projector-based measurement systems.

Conclusions:

• Temperature significantly affects raster projector accuracy in 3D scanning.
• The proposed software compensation method offers a practical solution to mitigate thermal drift.
• This technique enhances the reliability and precision of structured light scanning systems.