Calibration of a 3D endoscopic system based on active stereo method for shape measurement of biological tissues and specimen.

For endoscopic medical treatment, measuring the size and shape of the lesion, such as a tumor, is important for the improvement of diagnostic accuracy. We are developing a system to measure the shapes and sizes of living tissue by active stereo method using a normal endoscope on which a micro pattern projector is attached. In order to perform 3D reconstruction, estimating the intrinsic and extrinsic parameters of the endoscopic camera and the pattern projector is required. Particularly, calibration of the pattern projector is difficult. In this paper, we propose a simultaneous estimation method of both intrinsic and extrinsic parameters of the pattern projector. This simplifies the calibration procedure required in practical scenes. Furthermore, we have developed an efficient user interface to intuitively operate the calibration and reconstruction procedures. Using the developed system, we measured the shape of an internal tissue of the soft palate of a human and a biological specimen.