Catadioptric single-shot rangefinder for textured map building in robot navigation

The paper focuses on combining the advantages of both omnidirectional vision and structured light in order to obtain panoramic depth information for generating a complete 3D visual model of the surroundings of a mobile robot. The model is completed by mapping the imaged texture onto the objects through the central view point. This process is called single-shot scene reconstruction because a visual model of the scene is obtained from a single omnidirectional image. Several such reconstructions are then registered to build a 3D map of the scene while the robot is moving. The authors call this process range scan registration modelling. A mobile platform provided with a catadioptric camera coupled with an omnidirectional structured light projector was used for this purpose. Sensor calibration, image processing and experimental results are included.