The advantages of three-dimensional electro-optic imaging sensors

摘要

Electro-optic identification sensors provide photographic quality images and were developed to identify objects of interest on the ocean bottom. Two of these high-resolution sensors are currently in use: one based on Streak Tube Imaging Lidar (STIL) technology and the other based on Laser Line Scan (LLS) technology. Both of these sensors produce high fidelity imagery that is unparalleled in quality for underwater imaging systems. They differ in that LLS sensors produce two-dimensional (2-D) contrast images only while STIL produces three-dimensional (3-D) data that can be rendered into 2-D contrast and range maps (images). Although still an emerging technology, recent advances have begun to point to significant advantages with the supplementary range information (3-D information) in identifying objects of interest on the sea floor. This paper discusses some of these advantages of range information for 3-D visual display, computer aided identification and target recognition, modeling, and the general identification process.