Improving photometric stereo with laser sectioning

Surfaces that are recovered by integrating slope estimates are prone to errors due to discontinuities. We propose combining laser sectioning and photometric stereo to estimate surface shape. Photometric stereo is used to estimate slope; laser lines are employed to measure four height profiles. Albedo, shadowing and surface curvature are used to identify suspected discontinuities in the surface. The slopes are integrated along paths that start from the height profiles and avoid discontinuities. The scheme is shown to mitigate the bias and surface discontinuity problems associated with photometric stereo.