Range imaging sensors development at NRC Laboratories

Abstract
Laser range finders can be used in a variety of geometries to match requirements of applications such as robot vision, inspection, prosthesis fabrication, CAD/CAM, computer graphics, and automatic assembly. A review is presented of the development of five prototypes which have specified advantages for a class of applications. One of these is based on the use of a mask with a conventional TV camera lens, and the others are variations of synchronized laser scanners. Also described is a segmentation technique based on Fourier transformations and a database of 3D images that are made available for computer vision researchers.