CNS Core: Medium: Characterization, Mitigation, and Management of Active 3D Camera Interference

该项目的重点是在主动3D摄像机网络中遇到的干扰。主动式3D相机在许多场景中得到广泛使用，主要用于了解相机附近物体的位置和存在。虽然昂贵的形式在自动驾驶车辆中用于理解环境是常见的，但技术改进已经导致这些设备变得便宜，并且适合集成在常见的移动的设备中，例如智能手机和平板电脑。在这样的移动的设备中，有源3D相机使用户能够以许多新的方式与物理世界交互。主动式3D相机通过向不同方向发送光脉冲来工作，并通过观察这些光脉冲的反射来了解其环境的特性。随着越来越多的设备配备有源3D摄像头，多个有源3D摄像头之间的干扰机会增加。由于来自不同有源3D相机的光脉冲在空间和时间上“碰撞”，因此对环境的推断将是不准确的。在自动驾驶汽车的情况下，这可能会导致对物理世界中物体的错误估计，从而导致灾难性的后果。在常见的移动的设备及其应用程序的情况下，这样的错误会导致用户体验和整体性能变差。虽然到目前为止，这个问题还不是一个重要的问题，但由于我们环境中有源3D相机的数量有限，其成本的显著降低可能会导致这些设备的爆炸式增长。该项目正在设计方法，通过这些方法可以检测和减轻主动3D相机之间的干扰，从而在不同的场景中保持其有用性。除了核心研究活动，该项目还涉及重要的教育组成部分，其中包括为本科生和研究生设置围绕3D相机和无线系统的实验室课程;在威斯康星大学麦迪逊分校校园的公共科学活动中创建互动的，以儿童为中心的“相机乐趣”研讨会;以及本科生参与研究活动。该推广计划涉及与工业合作伙伴的参与，通过项目网站，通过开源工件，通过会议和期刊公开传播成果，并创建特定论坛，鼓励来自代表性不足的群体的学生走向STEM职业。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This project focuses on interference encountered in active 3D camera networks. Active 3D cameras are gaining widespread use in many scenarios, primarily to understand location and presence of objects in vicinity of the camera. While expensive forms of it is common in autonomous vehicles for understanding the environment, technological improvements have led to these devices to be inexpensive, and suitable for integration in common mobile devices, such as smartphones and tablets. In such mobile devices, active 3D cameras enable many new ways that users can interact with the physical world. Active 3D cameras operate by sending light pulses in different directions, and by observing the reflections of these light pulses, can understand the properties of its environment. As more and more devices are equipped with active 3D cameras, chances of interference between multiple active 3D cameras go up. As the light pulses from different active 3D cameras "collide" in space and time, the inference about the environment is going to be inaccurate. In the case of autonomous vehicles this can lead to incorrect estimates of objects in the physical world leading to disastrous consequences. In the case of common mobile devices and their applications, such errors will lead to poor user experience and overall performance. While this problem has not been a significant issue thus far, due to limited number of active 3D cameras in our environment, the significant reduction in its cost will likely lead to an explosion of these devices. This project is designing methods by which such interference between active 3D cameras can be detected, mitigated, thereby preserving their usefulness in diverse scenarios. Beyond the core research activities, the project also involves significant educational components which include setup of a laboratory-oriented curriculum around 3D camera and wireless systems for students at both the undergraduate and graduate levels; creation of interactive, children-focused workshops on “fun with cameras” at public science events in the University Wisconsin-Madison campus; and engagement of undergraduates in research activities. The outreach plan involves engagement with industrial partners, public dissemination of results through project website, through open-sourced artifacts, and through conferences and journals, and in creating specific forums that encourage students from underrepresented groups towards STEM careers.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.