A new method for acquiring time-sequential range images by integrating stereo pairs of thermal and intensity images

A new method for acquiring time-sequential range images is proposed. Stereo pairs of thermal and intensity images are synchronously acquired and are mutually registered. Stereo thermal images are segmented into isotemperature regions. Contour based matching is done for the isotemperature regions. To supplement sparse range data obtained from the contour matching, dynamic programming matching is performed for either intensity profiles or edges in the stereo intensity images. By corresponding pixel pairs obtained from the matching processes, the 3-D coordinates of the points can be calculated. Experiments with real scenes having moving human beings show promising results