A new laser stripe detection algorithm for 3D scanning applications

Abstract

The paper proposes a new and simple laser stripe detection algorithm for 3D scanning with surface illumination by a laser stripe. The algorithm for selecting areas of a blackand-white image containing images of a laser stripe is based on the calculation of the gradient and Laplacian of the image intensity using standard digital image processing procedures. The proposed detection algorithm is characterized by low computational cost and does not imply any a priori knowledge about the object being detected and the image, including the knowledge of the laser stripe width. The paper also describes a new algorithm for converting a laser stripe image into a broken line, suitable for use in 3D scanning with laser illumination.