Camera Placement Planning Avoiding Occlusion: Test Results Using a Robotic Hand/Eye System

C;lffiera ~lacernem experiments are presemed that demonstrate LI-Je effectiveness of a vie'.vpoim planning algorithm that avoids occlusion of a visual target A CCD camera mounted on a robot in a hand-eye configuration is p~aced at planned unobstructed vie'NpOints to observe a target on a real object. The validity of the method is tested by placing the camera inside the viewing region. that is constructed using the proposed new sensor placement planning algorithm. and observing whether the target is truly visible. The accuracy of the boundary of the constructed viewing region is tested by placing the camera at the critical locations of the viewing region boundary and confirming that the target is barely visible. The corresponding scenes from the candidate viewpoints are shown demonstrating that occlusions are properly avoided. T.lis '.vork WlS supported in part by DARP.-\ cont::lct :--:COJ39-S";-C-O 165 lnd IBM T,], '.V:lcscn R(!s~3..rc;' C:!:1te:-. ~tanufJcxin6 ~esearc:-t. Camera Placement Planning Avoiding Occlusion: Test Results using a Robotic Hand/Eye System Kostantinos Tarabanis I Computer Science Department Columbia University New York, 'N"Y 10027 ABSTRACT Roger Y. Tsai Manufacturing Research IBM T. J. Watson Research Center Yorktown Heights. NY 10598 Camera placement experiments are presented that demonstrate the effectiveness of a viewpoint planning algorithm that avoids occlusion of a visual target. A CCD camera mounted on a robot in a hand-eye configuration is placed at planned unobstructed viewpoints to observe a target on a real object. The validity of the method is tested by placing the camera inside the viewing region. that is constructed using the proposed new sensor placement planning algorithm, and observing·whether the target is truly visible. The accuracy of the boundary of the constructed viewing region is tested by placing the camera at the critical locations of the viewing region boundary and confirming that the target is barely visible. The corresponding scenes from the candidate viewpoints are shown demonstrating that occlusions are properly avoided.