System for 3D Acquisition and 3D Reconstruction using Structured Light for Sewer Line Inspection

Abstract: The assessment of sewer pipe systems is a highly important, but at the same time cumbersome and error-prone task. We introduce an innovative system based on single-shot structured light modules that facilitates the detection and classification of spatial defects like jutting intrusions, spallings, or misaligned joints. This system creates highly accurate 3D measurements with sub-millimeter resolution of pipe surfaces and fuses them into a holistic 3D model. The benefit of such a holistic 3D model is twofold: on the one hand, it facilitates the accurate manual sewer pipe assessment, on the other, it simplifies the detection of defects in downstream automatic systems as it endows the input with highly accurate depth information. In this work, we provide an extensive overview of the system and give valuable insights into our design choices.