6 DOF pose estimation of polyhedral objects based on analysis of geometric features in x-ray images

摘要

An x-ray vision can be a unique method to monitor in real time and analyze the motion of mechanical parts which are invisible from outside. Our problem is to identify the pose, i.e. the position and orientation of an object from x-ray projection images. It is assumed here that the x-ray imaging conditions that include the relative coordinates of the x-ray source and the image plane are predetermined and the object geometry is known. In this situation, an x-ray image of an object at a given pose can be estimated computationally by using a priori known x-ray projection image model. It is based on the assumption that a pose of an object can be determined uniquely to a given x-ray projection image. Thus, once we have the numerical model of x-ray imaging process, x-ray image of the known object at any pose could be estimated. Then, among these estimated images, the best matched image could be searched and found. When adequate features in the images are available instead of the image itself, the problem becomes easier and simpler. In this work, for simplicity, only polyhedral objects are considered whose image features consist of corner points and edge lines in their projection images. Based on the corner points and lines found in the images, the best-matched pose of a polyhedral object can be determined. To achieve this, we propose an adequate and efficient image processing algorithm to extract the features of objects in x-ray images. The performance of the algorithms is discussed in detail including the limitations of the method. To evaluate the performance of the proposed method a series of simulation studies is carried out for various imaging conditions.