Study of ambient light influence for three-dimensional scanners based on structured light

Abstract

Ambient light in a scene can introduce errors into range data from most commercial three-dimensional range scanners, particularly scanners that are based on projected patterns and structured lighting. We study the effects of ambient light on a specific commercial scanner. We further present a method for characterizing the range accuracy as a function of ambient light distortions. After a brief review of related research, we first describe the capabilities of the scanner we used and define the experimental setup for our study. Then we present the results of the range characterization relative to ambient light. In these results, we note a systematic error source that appears to be an artifact due to a structured light pattern. We conclude with a discussion of this error and the physical meaning of the results overall. © 2007 Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers.