Detection and orientation evaluation for three-dimensional objects

This paper presents a novel method for detection and orientation evaluation for three-dimensional (3-D) objects based on range images. It is based on the calculation of the phase Fourier transform of the 3-D object range image. The method permits the estimation of the angular position of the object. It works with rotations around an axis perpendicular to the line of sight, although it exhibits a certain nodding tolerance. Simulated results demonstrate the ability of the new introduced method. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.