Fast Distance Computation with a Stereo Head-Eye System

Abstract

In this paper, a fast method is presented for computing the 3D Euclidean distance with a stereo head-eye system using a disparity map, a vergence angle, and a relative disparity. Our approach is to use the dense disparity for an initial vergence angle and a fixation point for its distance from a center point of two cameras. Neither camera calibration nor prior knowledge is required. The principle of the human visual system is applied to a stereo head-eye system with reasonable assumptions. Experimental results show that the 3D Euclidean distance can be easily estimated from the relative disparity and the vergence angle. The comparison of the estimated distance of objects with their real distance is given to evaluate the performance of the proposed method.

To whom all correspondence should be addressed. This research was supported by Creative Research Initiatives of the Ministry of Science and Technology, Korea.