Generic gamma correction for accuracy enhancement in fringe-projection profilometry

Fringe-projection profilometry is one of the most commonly used noncontact methods for acquiring the threedimensional (3D) shape information of objects. In practice, the luminance nonlinearity caused by the gamma effect of a digital projector and a digital camera yields undesired fringe intensity changes, which substantially reduce the measurement accuracy. In this Letter, we present a robust and simple scheme to eliminate the intensity nonlinearity induced by the gamma effect by combining a universal phase-shifting algorithm with a gamma correction method. First, by using three-step and large-step phase-shifting techniques, the gamma value involved in the measurement system can be detected. Then, a gamma pre-encoding process is applied to the system for actual 3D shape measurements. With the proposed technique, high accuracy of measurement can be achieved with the conventional smallstep phase-shifting algorithm. The validity of the technique is verified by experiments.