Calibration and 3D reconstruction of underwater objects with non-single-view projection model by structured light stereo imaging

Establishing the projection model of imaging systems is critical in 3D reconstruction of object shapes from multiple 2D views. When deployed underwater, these are enclosed in waterproof housings with transparent glass ports that generate nonlinear refractions of optical rays at interfaces, leading to invalidation of the commonly assumed single-viewpoint (SVP) model. In this paper, we propose a non-SVP ray tracing model for the calibration of a projector-camera system, employed for 3D reconstruction based on the structured light paradigm. The projector utilizes dot patterns, having established that the contrast loss is less severe than for traditional stripe patterns in highly turbid waters. Experimental results are presented to assess the achieved calibrating accuracy.