2,654 research outputs found

    Methods for Structure from Motion

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    A single-lobe photometric stereo approach for heterogeneous material

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    Shape from shading with multiple light sources is an active research area, and a diverse range of approaches have been proposed in recent decades. However, devising a robust reconstruction technique still remains a challenging goal, as the image acquisition process is highly nonlinear. Recent Photometric Stereo variants rely on simplifying assumptions in order to make the problem solvable: light propagation is still commonly assumed to be uniform, and the Bidirectional Reflectance Distribution Function is assumed to be diffuse, with limited interest for specular materials. In this work, we introduce a well-posed formulation based on partial differential equations (PDEs) for a unified reflectance function that can model both diffuse and specular reflections. We base our derivation on ratio of images, which makes the model independent from photometric invariants and yields a well-posed differential problem based on a system of quasi-linear PDEs with discontinuous coefficients. In addition, we directly solve a differential problem for the unknown depth, thus avoiding the intermediate step of approximating the normal field. A variational approach is presented ensuring robustness to noise and outliers (such as black shadows), and this is confirmed with a wide range of experiments on both synthetic and real data, where we compare favorably to the state of the art.Roberto Mecca is a Marie Curie fellow of the “Istituto Nazionale di Alta Matematica” (Italy) for a project shared with University of Cambridge, Department of Engineering and the Department of Mathematics, University of Bologna

    Surface analysis and fingerprint recognition from multi-light imaging collections

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    Multi-light imaging captures a scene from a fixed viewpoint through multiple photographs, each of which are illuminated from a different direction. Every image reveals information about the surface, with the intensity reflected from each point being measured for all lighting directions. The images captured are known as multi-light image collections (MLICs), for which a variety of techniques have been developed over recent decades to acquire information from the images. These techniques include shape from shading, photometric stereo and reflectance transformation imaging (RTI). Pixel coordinates from one image in a MLIC will correspond to exactly the same position on the surface across all images in the MLIC since the camera does not move. We assess the relevant literature to the methods presented in this thesis in chapter 1 and describe different types of reflections and surface types, as well as explaining the multi-light imaging process. In chapter 2 we present a novel automated RTI method which requires no calibration equipment (i.e. shiny reference spheres or 3D printed structures as other methods require) and automatically computes the lighting direction and compensates for non-uniform illumination. Then in chapter 3 we describe our novel MLIC method termed Remote Extraction of Latent Fingerprints (RELF) which segments each multi-light imaging photograph into superpixels (small groups of pixels) and uses a neural network classifier to determine whether or not the superpixel contains fingerprint. The RELF algorithm then mosaics these superpixels which are classified as fingerprint together in order to obtain a complete latent print image, entirely contactlessly. In chapter 4 we detail our work with the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) UK, who described to us with their needs and requirements which helped us to create a prototype RELF imaging device which is now being tested by MPS officers who are validating the quality of the latent prints extracted using our technique. In chapter 5 we then further developed our multi-light imaging latent fingerprint technique to extract latent prints from curved surfaces and automatically correct for surface curvature distortions. We have a patent pending for this method

    Key characteristics of specular stereo.

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    Because specular reflection is view-dependent, shiny surfaces behave radically differently from matte, textured surfaces when viewed with two eyes. As a result, specular reflections pose substantial problems for binocular stereopsis. Here we use a combination of computer graphics and geometrical analysis to characterize the key respects in which specular stereo differs from standard stereo, to identify how and why the human visual system fails to reconstruct depths correctly from specular reflections. We describe rendering of stereoscopic images of specular surfaces in which the disparity information can be varied parametrically and independently of monocular appearance. Using the generated surfaces and images, we explain how stereo correspondence can be established with known and unknown surface geometry. We show that even with known geometry, stereo matching for specular surfaces is nontrivial because points in one eye may have zero, one, or multiple matches in the other eye. Matching features typically yield skew (nonintersecting) rays, leading to substantial ortho-epipolar components to the disparities, which makes deriving depth values from matches nontrivial. We suggest that the human visual system may base its depth estimates solely on the epipolar components of disparities while treating the ortho-epipolar components as a measure of the underlying reliability of the disparity signals. Reconstructing virtual surfaces according to these principles reveals that they are piece-wise smooth with very large discontinuities close to inflection points on the physical surface. Together, these distinctive characteristics lead to cues that the visual system could use to diagnose specular reflections from binocular information.The work was funded by the Wellcome Trust (grants 08459/Z/07/Z & 095183/Z/10/Z) and the EU Marie Curie Initial Training Network “PRISM” (FP7-PEOPLE-2012-ITN, Agreement: 316746).This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from ARVO via http://dx.doi.org/10.1167/14.14.1

    Ionien heijastuminen Maan kvasi-poikittaisella keulasokilla Vlasiator-simulaatiossa

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    A stream of charged particles known as the solar wind constantly flows with supersonic speed in our solar system. As the supersonic solar wind encounters Earth's magnetic field, a bow shock forms where the solar wind is compressed, heated and slowed down. Not all ions of the solar wind pass through the shock but rather a portion are reflected back upstream. What happens to the reflected ions depends on the magnetic field geometry of the shock. In the case where the angle between the upstream magnetic field and the shock normal vector is small, the reflected ions follow the magnetic field lines upstream and form a foreshock region. In this case the shock is called quasi-parallel. In the case of a quasi-perpendicular shock, where the angle is large, the reflected ions gyrate back to the shock, accelerated by the convection electric field. Upon returning to the shock, the ions have more energy and either pass through the shock or are reflected again, repeating the process. Ion reflection is important for accelerating ions in shocks. In this work we study the properties and ion reflection of the quasi-perpendicular bow shock in Vlasiator simulations. Vlasiator is a plasma simulation which models the interaction between solar wind and the Earth's magnetic field. The code simulates the dynamics of plasma using a hybrid-Vlasov model, where ions are represented as velocity distribution functions (VDF) and electrons as magnetohydrodynamic fluid. Two Vlasiator runs are used in this work. The ion reflection is studied by analysing VDFs at various points in the quasi-perpendicular shock. The analysis is performed with reflections in multiple different frames. A virtual spacecraft is placed in the simulation to study shock properties and ion dynamics, such as the shock potential and ion reflection efficiency. These are compared to spacecraft observations and other simulations to test how well Vlasiator models the quasi-perpendicular bow shock. We find that the ion reflection follows a model for specular reflection well in all tested frames, especially in the plane perpendicular to the magnetic field. In addition, the study was extended to model second specular reflections which were also observed. We conclude that the ions in Vlasiator simulations are nearly specularly reflected. The properties of the quasi-perpendicular bow shock are found to be in quantitative agreement with spacecraft observations. Ion reflection efficiency is found to match observations well. Shock potential investigations revealed that spacecraft observations may have large uncertainties compared to the real shock potential

    Detection and Mapping of Specular Surfaces Using Multibounce Lidar Returns

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    We propose methods that use specular, multibounce lidar returns to detect and map specular surfaces that might be invisible to conventional lidar systems that rely on direct, single-scatter returns. We derive expressions that relate the time- and angle-of-arrival of these multibounce returns to scattering points on the specular surface, and then use these expressions to formulate techniques for retrieving specular surface geometry when the scene is scanned by a single beam or illuminated with a multi-beam flash. We also consider the special case of transparent specular surfaces, for which surface reflections can be mixed together with light that scatters off of objects lying behind the surface

    Optical constants of silicon carbide for astrophysical applications. II. Extending optical functions from IR to UV using single-crystal absorption spectra

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    Laboratory measurements of unpolarized and polarized absorption spectra of various samples and crystal stuctures of silicon carbide (SiC) are presented from 1200--35,000 cm1^{-1} (λ\lambda \sim 8--0.28 μ\mum) and used to improve the accuracy of optical functions (nn and kk) from the infrared (IR) to the ultraviolet (UV). Comparison with previous λ\lambda \sim 6--20 μ\mum thin-film spectra constrains the thickness of the films and verifies that recent IR reflectivity data provide correct values for kk in the IR region. We extract nn and kk needed for radiative transfer models using a new ``difference method'', which utilizes transmission spectra measured from two SiC single-crystals with different thicknesses. This method is ideal for near-IR to visible regions where absorbance and reflectance are low and can be applied to any material. Comparing our results with previous UV measurements of SiC, we distinguish between chemical and structural effects at high frequency. We find that for all spectral regions, 3C (β\beta-SiC) and the Ec\vec{E}\bot \vec{c} polarization of 6H (a type of α\alpha-SiC) have almost identical optical functions that can be substituted for each other in modeling astronomical environments. Optical functions for Ec\vec{E} \| \vec{c} of 6H SiC have peaks shifted to lower frequency, permitting identification of this structure below λ4μ\lambda \sim4\mum. The onset of strong UV absorption for pure SiC occurs near 0.2 μ\mum, but the presence of impurities redshifts the rise to 0.33 μ\mum. Optical functions are similarly impacted. Such large differences in spectral characteristics due to structural and chemical effects should be observable and provide a means to distinguish chemical variation of SiC dust in space.Comment: 46 pages inc. 8 figures and 2 full tables. Also 6 electronic-only data files. Accepted by Ap
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