Improving Sub-Pixel Estimation of Laser Stripe Reflection Center by Autoconvolution on FPGA

Modern laser scanners perform high-speed real-time image processing algorithms while operating in harsh industrial environments. Their performance goal is to extract the central position of the laser line reflection with Gaussian distribution. Traditional algorithms for sub-pixel estimation, such as the Center of Gravity (CG) or Parabolic Fit (PF), show poor performances under low SNR or if the pixels are saturated. Data pre-processing usually has a key role in suppressing the effects of various noise sources and dynamic environment, especially when the images are overexposed and the top of Gaussian pulse is flattened. Both in simulation and in experiment, this study explains a method that improves the accuracy of estimation of the laser stripe reflection center, by using an autoconvolution for extending the bit-width of pixel intensity. Autoconvolution of the image line is an efficient real-time pre-processing filtering method for improving the accuracy of CG calculation. The proposed algorithm is implemented on Field-Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) and experimentally validated at real operational environment. It is shown that this method can reduce the error of CG laser reflection center estimation for more than one pixel in size when the image is highly affected by external noise sources and ambient light.