Optimized aperture for estimating depth from projector's defocus

This paper proposes a method for designing a coded aperture, which is installed in a projector for active depth measurement. The aperture design is achieved by genetic algorithm. In this paper, a system for depth measurement using projector and camera system is introduced. The system involves a prototype projector with a coded aperture which is used to reconstruct a shape using Depth from Defocus (DfD) technique. Then, we propose a method to create a coded aperture to achieve the best performance on depth measurement. We also propose an efficient calibration technique on defocus parameters and a cost function for DfD to improve the accuracy and the robustness. Experimental results show that the proposed method can create an aperture pattern using simulation considering noise for fitness calculation. Evaluations are conducted to confirm that the proposed pattern is better than other patterns with our depth measurement algorithm.