Development and validation of a reconstruction approach for three-dimensional confined-space tomography problems

Area of Science:

• Optical Engineering
• Computational Imaging
• 3D Reconstruction

Background:

• Tomography often faces challenges with light refraction when imaging through optical interfaces.
• Traditional open-space tomography algorithms are not directly applicable to confined-space imaging due to optical complexities.
• Accurate 3D reconstruction in confined environments requires accounting for signal distortion.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a novel tomography approach for confined-space imaging.
• To establish an algorithm that accurately describes the mapping between optical signals and their projections in confined spaces.
• To improve the accuracy of 3D reconstructions in the presence of optical walls.

Main Methods:

• Development of the cross-interfaces computed tomography (CICT) algorithm.
• Validation using quantitative comparison of measured and simulated projections through an optical cylinder.
• Numerical and experimental validation with a simulated flame phantom and a laminar cone flame.

Main Results:

• The CICT algorithm successfully models the mapping relationship between target optical fields and projections.
• Quantitative validation confirmed the accuracy of the CICT approach in handling optical interfaces.
• Both numerical and experimental results demonstrated CICT's capability in confined-space tomography.

Conclusions:

• CICT provides a robust solution for tomography problems in confined spaces.
• The developed method significantly improves reconstruction accuracy compared to traditional open-space techniques.
• CICT is effective for imaging applications involving optical walls and signal refraction.