Accuracy improvement of time-of-flight depth measurement by combination of a high-resolution color camera

Abstract

Time-of-flight (ToF) cameras can acquire the distance between the sensor and objects with high frame rates, offering bright prospects for ToF cameras in many applications. Low-resolution and depth errors limit the accuracy of ToF cameras, however. In this paper, we present a flexible accuracy improvement method for depth compensation and feature points position correction of ToF cameras. First, a distance-error model of each pixel in the depth image is established to model sinusoidal waves of ToF cameras and compensate for the measured depth data. Second, a more accurate feature point position is estimated with the aid of a high-resolution camera. Experiments evaluate the proposed method, and the result shows the root mean square error is reduced from 4.38 mm to 3.57 mm.