Patent ID: 7623701

Claim:
An apparatus for reconstructing a 3D shape of an object by using Helmholtz stereopsis, the apparatus comprising: an image capturer for capturing only two pairs of images satisfying Helmholtz reciprocity condition, the two pairs of images including a first pair of images and a second pair of images; a preprocessor for estimating optical and geometrical characteristics of a camera used for the image capturing; and a geometrical data reconstructor for converting Helmholtz restrictions generated from the respective pairs of the images into partial differential equations on the basis of the estimated optical and geometrical characteristics, and reconstructing 3D surface data of an object with depth discontinuity at a boundary between regions on the basis of the partial differential equations, wherein the first pair of images is used to obtain 3D data of the object in an X-axis direction, the X-axis defined as a line connecting centers of two camera positions for the first pair of images, and the second pair of images is used to obtain 3D data of the object in a Y-axis direction, the Y-axis defined as a line connecting centers of two camera positions for the second pair of images, and wherein the X-axis and the Y-axis are perpendicular to each other.