Construction of a compact range image sensor using a multi-slit laser projector suitable for a robot hand

In this paper, a compact range image sensor used for short-range measurements is constructed with a multi-slit laser projector. Three-dimensional (3D) information obtained with a sensor is important for a robot that grasps an object. Sensors attached to robots for measurement are often hindered by occlusion by the hand immediately before an object is grasped. The constructed sensor is compact enough to be attached to a robot´s hand, and occlusion can thus be avoided Compactness of the sensor is achieved by using a small CMOS camera and a laser projector and setting the baseline length between them as short as possible. The short baseline length also enables measurement in a short distance. Some experiments verify that the constructed sensor obtains accurate 3D information of objects in a short distance.