Journal Article

Seeing around corners with edge-resolved transient imaging

Altmann, Yoann, Goyal, Vivek K., Saunders, Charles, Tachella, Julián, McLaughlin, Stephen, Tourneret, Jean-Yves, Dawson, Robin M. A., Murray-Bruce, John, Wong, Franco N. C., Rapp, Joshua

2020

Overview

Non-line-of-sight (NLOS) imaging is a rapidly growing field seeking to form images of objects outside the field of view, with potential applications in autonomous navigation, reconnaissance, and even medical imaging. The critical challenge of NLOS imaging is that diffuse reflections scatter light in all directions, resulting in weak signals and a loss of directional information. To address this problem, we propose a method for seeing around corners that derives angular resolution from vertical edges and longitudinal resolution from the temporal response to a pulsed light source. We introduce an acquisition strategy, scene response model, and reconstruction algorithm that enable the formation of 2.5-dimensional representations—a plan view plus heights—and a 180 ∘ field of view for large-scale scenes. Our experiments demonstrate accurate reconstructions of hidden rooms up to 3 meters in each dimension despite a small scan aperture (1.5-centimeter radius) and only 45 measurement locations. Non-line-of-sight imaging is typically limited by loss of directional information due to diffuse reflections scattering light in all directions. Here, the authors see around corners by using vertical edges and temporal response to pulsed light to obtain angular and longitudinal resolution, respectively.

• Publisher: Nature Publishing Group UK,Nature Publishing Group,Nature Portfolio
• Subject: 639/624/1107/510 / 639/766/930/2735 / Algorithms / Angular resolution / Aperture / Autonomous navigation / Computer engineering / Computer Science / Corners / Field of view / Humanities and Social Sciences / Image reconstruction / Laboratories / Light / Light sources / Line of sight / Measuring instruments / Medical imaging / Methods / multidisciplinary / Science / Science (multidisciplinary)