Miniature 3D Depth Camera for Real-time Reconstruction

This paper developed a miniature 3D vision system for dynamic depth recovery. Our system is constituted by a DOE projector and two cameras. A single pattern with pseudo-random speckles was projected onto the surface of the target object and the coupling pattern was imaged by the stereo cameras. An optimal camera calibration algorithm is adopted to guarantee the measurement accuracy. The speckle pattern projected through a diffractive optical element (DOE) of size 8mm×8mm. The baseline between the stereo cameras is as short as 50mm. The system has the advantages of simple structure, small size, and low cost. It can be easily integrated into mobile devices such as tablet computers and mobile phones. In comparison with several other mature products, the proposed 3D depth camera can achieve 3D reconstruction with higher accuracy.