On the Importance of Being Asymmetric in Stereopsis—Or Why We Should Use Skewed Parallel Cameras

This paper presents a new clever camera sensor, where relative pose determination is not needed, and the sensor is simultaneously capable of using vergence micromovements. Sweeping depth using vergence micromovements promises subpixel depth precision, measuring zero disparity at each time instant. We show that curves preserving zero disparity are exactly conics, nondegenerate or degenerate. Oddly enough, only circles (Vieth-Müller circles) are routinely considered, either theoretically or in practical work, in vergence stereo. Horopters in human vision, cf. Ogle (1932), closely resemble conics.We introduce translational vergence by suggesting the use of a pair of shift-optics CCD cameras. The nonrigidity causes zero disparity curves to become planes, for each fixation. (They are degenerate conics.) We have parallel optical axes, but slanting left and right primary lines of sight. During vergence movements, the primary lines of sight move over time. This has farreaching consequences: Binocular head-eye systems all involve relative camera rotation, to fixate. But, camera rotation is unnecessary. Hence, for relative depth maps, there is no need for measuring camera rotation (relative camera pose) from mechanical sources. Nor are algorithms needed for calculating epipolar lines. The suggested technique removes the need for camera rotations about the optical centers in a binocular head-eye system.