Tripod Operators for the Interpretation of Range Images
Abstract
A new kind of feature extraction operator for range images is introduced that facilitates object recognition in several ways. It consists of three points in 3-space fixed at the vertices of an equilateral triangle and one or more curves, called test curves, fixed in the reference frame of the triangle. This mathematical structure is then moved as a rigid body until the vertices all lie on the surface of some range image or modeled object. The point(s) of intersection of the test curve(s) and the surface are used to define local shape features which are invariant under rigid motions. These features can be used to automatically find distinctive regions at which the begin recognition, to rapidly screen candidate modeled objects for a match, and to speed pruning in the generation of interpretation trees. Tripod operators are applicable to all three dimensional shapes, and reduce the need for specialized feature detectors.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Feb 19, 1991
- Accession Number
- ADA232631
Entities
People
- Frank Pipitone
Organizations
- United States Naval Research Laboratory