Pattern codification strategies in structured light systems

Coded structured light is considered one of the most reliable techniques for recovering the surface of objects. This technique is based on projecting a light pattern and imaging the illuminated scene from one or more points of view. Since the pattern is coded, correspondences between image points and points of the projected pattern can be easily found. The decoded points can be triangulated and 3D information is recovered. We present an overview of the existing techniques, as well as a new and definitive classification of patterns for structured light sensors. We have implemented a set of representative techniques in this field and present some comparative results. The advantages and constraints of the different patterns are also discussed.