Overview of three-dimensional integral imaging-based object recognition in low illumination conditions with visible range image sensors

We overview three-dimensional (3D) integral imaging-based object recognition in low illumination conditions. Imaging in very low illumination conditions, especially using passive, visible-range image sensors, remains a challenging endeavor that is particularly complicated by read-noise dominant images and provides unsatisfactory results when using conventional two-dimensional imaging strategies in photon-starved conditions. However, using passive three-dimensional integral imaging, which is optimal in a maximum likelihood sense, we are able to significantly improve imaging capabilities under low illumination conditions and allow for object detection and recognition. We overview reported work on 3D integral imaging object visualization, and recognition in low light including recent work utilizing convolutional neural networks for object recognition in very low illumination conditions.