Four Common Types Of 3D Vision

As 3D vision technology continues to evolve, various solutions have emerged to meet different industrial and commercial needs. This article HIFLY explores four prevalent 3D imaging technologies, analyzing their working principles, advantages, limitations, and typical application scenarios.

1. Binocular vision camera

Operating similarly to human binocular vision, stereo vision systems employ two angled cameras to capture images from slightly different perspectives. By calculating pixel displacement (disparity) between the two images, the system can estimate depth information and reconstruct 3D models.

Advantages:

Low-cost hardware configuration

Simple system architecture

Easy implementation and operation
Limitations:

Limited precision (typically millimeter-level)

Insufficient for high-precision industrial applications
Applications: Basic object recognition, autonomous vehicle navigation, and consumer-grade depth sensing.

2. Laser Line Profiler

This system combines a laser line projector with a camera positioned at a fixed angle. As the laser stripe scans across a moving object, the camera captures deformations in the projected line to generate 3D point clouds.

Advantages:

Exceptional Z-axis precision (sub-micron level)

XY-axis accuracy within tens of microns

Ideal for flatness/high-precision height measurement
Limitations:

Requires coordinated mechanical motion

Performance degrades with reflective surfaces
Industrial Dominance: Currently the most widely adopted 3D vision solution in manufacturing for quality inspection and dimensional verification.

3. Structured Light 3D Camera

This technology projects encoded light patterns (grids or speckles) onto targets. One or more cameras then analyze the distorted patterns caused by object surfaces to compute 3D coordinates.

Advantages:

Non-contact measurement

Motionless scanning capability

Micro-level precision in small fields of view

Effective in large-scale applications
Limitations:

Higher equipment costs

Sensitive to ambient light interference
Prime Application: 3D random grabbing

4. Time-of-Flight (ToF) Laser Scanner

ToF systems measure the round-trip time of infrared laser pulses to calculate distances. This direct time-of-flight measurement enables real-time 3D mapping.

Advantages:

Excellent real-time performance

Full-field depth acquisition

Compact system size
Limitations:

Limited measurement precision

Susceptible to multi-path interference
Commercial Prevalence: Widely used in consumer electronics (VR/AR), security systems, and medical imaging. Industrial applications primarily limited to AGV obstacle avoidance and basic navigation.

Technology Comparison and Selection Guide
Each technology excels in specific scenarios:

Cost-sensitive applications: Stereo vision

Ultra-high precision requirements: Laser line profiling

Complex surface scanning: Structured light

Real-time dynamic sensing: ToF systems