Pose Estimation of Free-form Objects: Theory and Experiments

In this report we present geometric foundations and an algorithmic approach to deal with the 2D-3D pose estimation problem for free-form surface models. This work is an extension to earlier studies presented in [29]. The discussion of 1D contour models in [29] is extended to 2D free-form surface models. We use a parametric representation of surfaces and apply Fourier transformations to gain low-pass descriptions of objects. We present an algorithm for pose estimation, which uses the silhouette of the object as pictorial information and recovers the 3D pose of the object even for changing aspects of the object during image sequences. We further present extensions to couple surface and contour information on objects and show the potential of our chosen approach for complex objects and scenes

Monocular Pose Estimation Based on Global and Local Features

The presented thesis work deals with several mathematical and practical aspects of the monocular pose estimation problem. Pose estimation means to estimate the position and orientation of a model object with respect to a camera used as a sensor element. Three main aspects of the pose estimation problem are considered. These are the model representations, correspondence search and pose computation. Free-form contours and surfaces are considered for the approaches presented in this work. The pose estimation problem and the global representation of free-form contours and surfaces are defined in the mathematical framework of the conformal geometric algebra (CGA), which allows a compact and linear modeling of the monocular pose estimation scenario. Additionally, a new local representation of these entities is presented which is also defined in CGA. Furthermore, it allows the extraction of local feature information of these models in 3D space and in the image plane. This local information is combined with the global contour information obtained from the global representations in order to improve the pose estimation algorithms. The main contribution of this work is the introduction of new variants of the iterative closest point (ICP) algorithm based on the combination of local and global features. Sets of compatible model and image features are obtained from the proposed local model representation of free-form contours. This allows to translate the correspondence search problem onto the image plane and to use the feature information to develop new correspondence search criteria. The structural ICP algorithm is defined as a variant of the classical ICP algorithm with additional model and image structural constraints. Initially, this new variant is applied to planar 3D free-form contours. Then, the feature extraction process is adapted to the case of free-form surfaces. This allows to define the correlation ICP algorithm for free-form surfaces. In this case, the minimal Euclidean distance criterion is replaced by a feature correlation measure. The addition of structural information in the search process results in better conditioned correspondences and therefore in a better computed pose. Furthermore, global information (position and orientation) is used in combination with the correlation ICP to simplify and improve the pre-alignment approaches for the monocular pose estimation. Finally, all the presented approaches are combined to handle the pose estimation of surfaces when partial occlusions are present in the image. Experiments made on synthetic and real data are presented to demonstrate the robustness and behavior of the new ICP variants in comparison with standard approaches

Monocular pose estimation based on global and local features

The presented thesis work deals with several mathematical and practical aspects of the monocular pose estimation problem. Pose estimation means to estimate the position and orientation of a model object with respect to a camera used as a sensor element. Threemain aspects of the pose estimation problem are considered. These are themodel representations, correspondence search and pose computation. Free-form contours and surfaces are considered for the approaches presented in this work. The pose estimation problem and the global representation of free-form contours and surfaces are defined in the mathematical framework of the conformal geometric algebra (CGA), which allows a compact and linear modeling of the monocular pose estimation scenario. Additionally, a new local representation of these entities is presented which is also defined in CGA. Furthermore, it allows the extraction of local feature information of these models in 3D space and in the image plane. This local information is combined with the global contour information obtained from the global representations in order to improve the pose estimation algorithms. The main contribution of this work is the introduction of new variants of the iterative closest point (ICP) algorithm based on the combination of local and global features. Sets of compatible model and image features are obtained from the proposed local model representation of free-form contours. This allows to translate the correspondence search problem onto the image plane and to use the feature information to develop new correspondence search criteria. The structural ICP algorithm is defined as a variant of the classical ICP algorithm with additional model and image structural constraints. Initially, this new variant is applied to planar 3D free-form contours. Then, the feature extraction process is adapted to the case of free-form surfaces. This allows to define the correlation ICP algorithm for free-form surfaces. In this case, the minimal Euclidean distance criterion is replaced by a feature correlation measure. The addition of structural information in the search process results in better conditioned correspondences and therefore in a better computed pose. Furthermore, global information (position and orientation) is used in combination with the correlation ICP to simplify and improve the pre-alignment approaches for the monocular pose estimation. Finally, all the presented approaches are combined to handle the pose estimation of surfaces when partial occlusions are present in the image. Experiments made on synthetic and real data are presented to demonstrate the robustness and behavior of the new ICP variants in comparison with standard approaches

Automatische Registrierung adaptiver Modelle zur Typerkennung technischer Objekte [online]

Anwendungen der Bildanalyse werden in zunehmendem Maße unter Verwendung dreidimensionaler Modelle realisiert und fusionieren auf diese Weise Methoden der Computergrafik und der Bildauswertung. Mit dem Ziel der automatischen Erfassung dynamischer Szenenaktivitäten ist in den letzten Jahren ein vermehrter Einsatz adaptiver Modelle zu beobachten. In der vorliegenden Arbeit wird ein neu entwickeltes Verfahren zur automatischen Konstruktion adaptiver Modelle für technische Objekte vorgestellt. Ferner werden Module zur automatischen Anpassung dieser adaptiven Modelle an Grauwertbilder beschrieben, die durch Synthese-Analyse-Iterationen die Brücke zur Bildanalyse schlagen. Die zentrale Stärke der vorgestellten Komponenten liegt darin, dass sie aus Einzelbildern dreidimensionale Rekonstruktionen für unbekannte Objektvarianten liefern. Wie experimentell gezeigt wird, sind diese Rekonstruktionen geometrisch genauer als handelsübliche Modelle. Die Leistungsfähigkeit der entwickelten Verfahren wird am Beispiel der Flugzeugtypisierung gezeigt. Darüber hinaus wird die Anwendbarkeit der Module zur Lageschätzung demonstriert