Structure from motion (SfM) is a range imaging technique for estimating three-dimensional (3D) structures from two-dimensional (2D) image sequences from a single camera. Because it can recover 3D information from a single, inexpensive camera, it can be a cost-effective solution as compared to stereo imaging systems or range sensors like lidar or automotive radar. SfM can also increase the robustness of advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) while working in tandem with other sensors, such as radar, to provide automatic emergency braking (AEB).
However, when a camera used as part of a structure-from-motion system is stationary, the captured 2D image sequences can appear the same, and thus may fail to provide information regarding 3D structure. Under such conditions, SfM fails to recover 3D range information, generally described by of a set of points in 3D space, from the 2D image sequences. Consequently, in automotive scenario having an outward-looking camera placed inside the vehicle, SfM may not be useful when the vehicle is not moving.
Prior approaches for obtaining SfM in stationary scenarios carry forward the point cloud generated when the camera was moving. Such approaches sometimes account for objects moving into and out of a stationary-camera scene by applying background subtraction or other segmentation techniques to preserve the 3D points pertaining to the background. Although such techniques may be able to handle cases involving the removal of 3D points where a new object has come in the scene, they may not be able to handle cases requiring the addition of 3D points in regions of the scene where objects have moved out of the scene.