AbstractsComputer Science

Object Recognition is the art of localizing predefined objects in image sensor data. In this thesis a depth sensor was used which has the benefit that the 3D pose of the object can be estimated. This has applications in e.g. automatic manufacturing, where a robot picks up parts or tools with a robot arm. This master thesis presents an implementation and an evaluation of a system for object recognition of 3D models in depth sensor data. The system uses several depth images rendered from a 3D model and describes their characteristics using so-called feature descriptors. These are then matched with the descriptors of a scene depth image to find the 3D pose of the model in the scene. The pose estimate is then refined iteratively using a registration method. Different descriptors and registration methods are investigated. One of the main contributions of this thesis is that it compares two different types of descriptors, local and global, which has seen little attention in research. This is done for two different scene scenarios, and for different types of objects and depth sensors. The evaluation shows that global descriptors are fast and robust for objects with a smooth visible surface whereas the local descriptors perform better for larger objects in clutter and occlusion. This thesis also presents a novel global descriptor, the CESF, which is observed to be more robust than other global descriptors. As for the registration methods, the ICP is shown to perform most accurately and ICP point-to-plane more robust.