Single-Photon Structured Light
This enables 3D imaging for applications like robotics or surveillance in challenging conditions, but it is an incremental advance in structured light methods.
The paper tackles 3D scanning in low-light and high-speed scenarios by developing a structured light technique using SPAD arrays and binary projectors, achieving operation at up to 20 kHz and robustness to photon noise and ambient light.
We present a novel structured light technique that uses Single Photon Avalanche Diode (SPAD) arrays to enable 3D scanning at high-frame rates and low-light levels. This technique, called "Single-Photon Structured Light", works by sensing binary images that indicates the presence or absence of photon arrivals during each exposure; the SPAD array is used in conjunction with a high-speed binary projector, with both devices operated at speeds as high as 20~kHz. The binary images that we acquire are heavily influenced by photon noise and are easily corrupted by ambient sources of light. To address this, we develop novel temporal sequences using error correction codes that are designed to be robust to short-range effects like projector and camera defocus as well as resolution mismatch between the two devices. Our lab prototype is capable of 3D imaging in challenging scenarios involving objects with extremely low albedo or undergoing fast motion, as well as scenes under strong ambient illumination.