Axially distributed sensing with a monoscopic imaging lens for single-shot distance measurements.

Using the image-based optical measurement method known as axially distributed sensing (ADS), the depth information of a scene is retrieved by evaluating images recorded with a camera positioned on multiple points along a common optical axis. We describe the design of a monoscopic lens that images the scene from two different on-axis points of perspective simultaneously onto a single camera. Designed for use in a territorial surveillance video system, this lens allows for capturing 3D scene information based on ADS with a single shot. We present the physical foundations of this approach and its implementation as a compact lens system and show the usability of the system prototype, supported by performance tests.