Camera calibration in sport event scenarios

The main goal of this paper is the design of a novel and robust methodology for calibrating cameras from a single image in sport scenarios, such as a soccer field, or a basketball or tennis court. In these sport scenarios, the only references we use to calibrate the camera are the lines and circles delimiting the different regions. The first problem we address is the extraction of image primitives, including the challenging problems of shaded regions and lens distortion. From these primitives, we automatically recognise the location of the sport court in the scene by estimating the homography which matches the actual court with its projection onto the image. This is achieved even when only a few primitives are available. Finally, from this homography, we recover the camera calibration parameters. In particular, we estimate the focal length as well as the position and orientation in the 3D space. We present some experiments on models and real courts which illustrate the accuracy of the proposed methodology.     

Camera calibration for a mobile robot prototype

Stereovision is an effective technique to use a CCD video camera to determine the 3D position of a target object from two or more simultaneous views of the scene. Camera calibration is a central issue in finding the position of objects in a stereovision system. This is usually carried out by calibrating each camera independently, and then applying a geometric transformation of the external parameters to find the geometry of the stereo setting. After calibration, the distance of various target objects in the scene can be calculated with CCD video cameras, and recovering the 3D structure from 2D images becomes simpler. However, the process of camera calibration is complicated. Based on the ideal pinhole model of a camera, we describe formulas to calculate intrinsic parameters that specify the correct camera characteristics, and extrinsic parameters that describe the spatial relationship between the camera and the world coordinate system. A simple camera calibration method for our CCD video cameras and corresponding experiment results are also given. This work was presented in part at the 7th International Symposium on Artificial Life and Robotics, Oita, Japan, January 16–18, 2002     

Camera calibration based on receptive fields

Camera calibration is to identify a model that infers 3-D space measurements from 2-D image observations. In this paper, the nonlinear mapping model of the camera is approximated by a series of linear input-output models defined on a set of local regions called receptive fields. Camera calibration is thus a learning procedure to evolve the size and shape of every receptive field as well as parameters of the associated linear model. Since the learning procedure can also provide an approximation extent measurement for the linear model on each of the receptive fields, calibration model is consequently obtained from a fusion framework integrated with all linear models weighted by their corresponding approximation measurements. Since each camera model is composed of several receptive fields, it is feasible to unitedly calibrate multiple cameras simultaneously. The 3-D measurements of a multi-camera vision system are produced from a weighted regression fusion on all receptive fields of cameras. Thanks to the fusion strategy, the resultant calibration model of a multi-camera system is expected to have higher accuracy than either of them. Moreover, the calibration model is very efficient to be updated whenever one or more cameras in the multi-camera vision system need to be activated or deactivated to adapt to variable sensing requirements at different stages of task fulfillment. Simulation and experiment results illustrate effectiveness and properties of the proposed method. Comparisons with neural network-based calibration method and Tsai's method are also provided to exhibit advantages of the method.     

Camera calibration with moving one-dimensional objects

In this paper, we show that the rotating 1D calibrating object used in the literature is in essence equivalent to a familiar 2D planar calibration object. In addition, we also show that when the 1D object undergoes a planar motion rather than rotating around a fixed point, such equivalence still holds but the traditional way fails to handle it. Experiments are carried out to verify the theoretical correctness and numerical robustness of our results.     

双目摄像机定标的神经网络方法

研究基于反向传播神经网络的摄像机双目立体视觉定标新方法。传统方法基于三角测量原理技术,会带入成像畸变非线性误差,而这种新方法可以消除非线性因素的影响。该方法利用了BP网络良好的非线性映射能力以及学习、泛化能力,通过采用高精度样本数据训练BP网络,最终建立起立体视觉定标的网络模型。由于不需要考虑视觉模型误差、光学调整误差、广角畸变等因素对视觉检测系统测量精度的影响,因而能够有效地克服常规建模方法的不足,保证了检测系统具有较高的精度。     

Camera calibration using one-dimensional information and its applications in both controlled and uncontrolled environments

Camera model and its calibration are required in many applications for coordinate conversions between the two-dimensional image and the real three-dimensional world. Self-calibration method is usually chosen for camera calibration in uncontrolled environments because the scene geometry could be unknown. However when no reliable feature correspondences can be established or when the camera is static in relation to the majority of the scene, self-calibration method fails to work. On the other hand, object-based calibration methods are more reliable than self-calibration methods due to the existence of the object with known geometry. However, most object-based calibration methods are unable to work in uncontrolled environments because they require the geometric knowledge on calibration objects. Though in the past few years the simplest geometry required for a calibration object has been reduced to a 1D object with at least three points, it is still not easy to find such an object in an uncontrolled environment, not to mention the additional metric/motion requirement in the existing methods. Meanwhile, it is very easy to find a 1D object with two end points in most scenes. Thus, it would be very worthwhile to investigate an object-based method based on such a simple object so that it would still be possible to calibrate a camera when both self-calibration and existing object-based calibration fail to work. We propose a new camera calibration method which requires only an object with two end points, the simplest geometry that can be extracted from many real-life objects. Through observations of such a 1D object at different positions/orientations on a plane which is fixed in relation to the camera, both intrinsic (focal length) and extrinsic (rotation angles and translations) camera parameters can be calibrated using the proposed method. The proposed method has been tested on simulated data and real data from both controlled and uncontrolled environments, including situations where no explicit 1D calibration objects are available, e.g. from a human walking sequence. Very accurate camera calibration results have been achieved using the proposed method.     

Camera calibration with one-dimensional objects moving under gravity

Camera calibration using one-dimensional (1D) rigid objects is arresting the attentions of researchers since the easy-to-construct geometrical structure of the apparatuses. In this paper, we extend the motion patterns applicable for calibration with the motion of 1D objects. We show that a 1D object with three or more markers, rotating around one marker which is moving in a plane, provides constraint equations on camera intrinsic parameters. A stick moving under gravity without other forces acting on performs such a motion. Simulated tests show the feasibility and numerical robustness of this method.     

基于HALCON的模版匹配与相机标定

阐述了HALCON基于标定板的相机内外参数标定方法,同时对其中关键的模板匹配做出独立的探讨。通过HALCON软件进行相机的现场标定,计算左右相机的内外参数标定。相机的内参数一版为固定不变的,而视觉测量中,左右相机的外部方位或许会受外界影响而改变,有必要对相机的外参数做出独立的精确标定。     

多光谱成像仪几何定标系统设计与实现

针对目前常用的面阵多光谱成像仪,设计并实现了相机几何定标数据处理软件。深入研究了相机几何定标的原理与方法,通过对方法的改进对系统进行了优化,使数据处理的过程更便捷。使用自主研制的多光谱CCD相机采集的实验数据,采用该软件进行处理。通过实验结果精度分析和多次实验数据的处理,验证了该系统的可靠性和稳定性。     

一种基于平面消影点的摄像机定标方法

摄像机定标是计算机视觉中一个非常重要的问题.对CCD/INS复合末制导系统中摄像机定标问题进行了研究.文中介绍了一种基于平面消影点的摄像机定标方法.该方法从消影点的基本性质和方形平面模板的几何特征出发,推导并证明了正交消影点之间的约束关系式,从这个正交约束中可以解析地求出摄像机的有效焦距.消影点从3D-2D的对应点坐标中解算求得,相比于图像处理方法具有更好的抗干扰性.方法原理简单、实现方便,仿真实验和真实图像实验结果均验证了该方法的有效性.     

Online robot calibration based on vision measurement

Robot calibration is a useful diagnostic method to improve positioning accuracy in robot production and maintenance. Unlike traditional calibration methods that require expensive equipment and complex steps, a vision-based online robot calibration method that only requires several reference images is presented in this paper. The method requires a camera that is rigidly attached to the robot end effector (EE), and a calibration board must be settled around the robot where the camera can see it. An efficient automatic approach to detect the corners from the images of the calibration board is proposed. The poses of the robot can be estimated from the detected corners. The kinematic parameters can be conducted automatically based on the known poses of the robot. Unlike in the existing self-calibration methods, the great advantage of this online self-calibration method is that the entire process of robot calibration is automatic and without any manual intervention, enabling the robot calibration to be completed online when the robot is working. Therefore, the proposed approach is particularly suitable for unknown environments, such as deep sea or outer space. In these high-temperature and/or high-pressure environments, the shapes of the robot links are easy to change. Thus, the robot kinematic parameters are changed by allowing the robot to grab objects with different qualities to verify the performance of the online robot calibration. Experimental studies on a GOOGOL GRB3016 robot show that the proposed method has high accuracy, convenience, and high efficiency.     

基于OpenCV的摄像机标定

以增强现实系统中摄像机标定技术为研究对象,分析了开放计算机视觉函数库OpenCV中的摄像机模型,特别充分考虑了透镜的径向畸变和切向畸变影响及求解方法,给出了基于OpenCV的摄像机标定算法.该算法充分发挥了OpenCV的函数库功能,提高了标定精度和计算效率,具有良好的跨平台移植性,可以满足增强现实和其它计算机视觉系统的需要.     

Detecting and Handling Unreliable Points for Camera Parameter Estimation

The popularly used DLT method sometimes fails to give reliable camera parameter estimation. It is therefore important to detect the unreliability and provide the corresponding solutions. Based on a complete framework of invariance for six points, we construct two evaluation functions to detect the unreliability. The two evaluation functions do not involve any computations for the camera projective matrix or optical center and thus are efficient to perform the detection. Then, the guidelines corresponding to the different detection results are presented. In particular, a filtering RANSAC method to remove the detected unreliable points is provided. The filtering RANSAC proves to be successful in removing the unreliable points even if these points are of a large proportion.     

Retrieving multiple light sources in the presence of specular reflections and texture

Recovering multiple point light sources from a sparse set of photographs in which objects of unknown texture can move is challenging. This is because both diffuse and specular reflections appear to slide across surfaces, which is a well known physical fact. What is seldom demonstrated, however, is that it can be taken advantage of to address the light source recovery problem. In this paper, we therefore show that, if approximate 3D models of the moving objects are available or can be computed from the images, we can solve the problem without any a priori constraints on the number of sources, on their color, or on the surface albedos.Our approach involves finding local maxima in individual images, checking them for consistency across images, retaining the apparently specular ones, and having them vote in a Hough-like scheme for potential light source directions. The precise directions of the sources and their relative power are then obtained by optimizing a standard lighting model. As a byproduct we also obtain an estimate of various material parameters such as the unlighted texture and specular properties.We show that the resulting algorithm can operate in presence of arbitrary textures and an unknown number of light sources of possibly different unknown colors. We also estimate its accuracy using ground-truth data.     

Robot calibration using a 3D vision-based measurement system with a single camera

One of the problems that slows the development of off-line programming is the low static and dynamic positioning accuracy of robots. Robot calibration improves the positioning accuracy and can also be used as a diagnostic tool in robot production and maintenance. This work presents techniques for modeling and performing robot calibration processes with off-line programming using a 3D vision-based measurement system. The measurement system is portable, accurate and low cost, consisting of a single CCD camera mounted on the robot tool flange to measure the robot end-effector pose relative to a world coordinate system. Radial lens distortion is included in the photogrammetric model. Scale factors and image centers are obtained with innovative techniques, making use of a multiview approach. Results show that the achieved average accuracy using a common off-the-shelf CCD camera varies from 0.2 to 0.4 mm, at distances from 600 to 1000 mm from the target, respectively, with different camera orientations. Experimentation is performed on two industrial robots to test their position accuracy improvement using the calibration system proposed: an ABB IRB-2400 and a PUMA-500. The robots were calibrated at different regions and volumes within their workspace achieving accuracy from three to six times better when comparing errors before and after calibration, if measured locally. The proposed off-line robot calibration system is fast, accurate and easy to set up.     

Revisiting Zhang's 1D calibration algorithm

In recent years, the camera calibration using 1D patterns has been studied and improved by researchers all over the world. However, the progress in that area has been mainly in the sense of reducing the restrictions to the 1D pattern movement. On the other hand, the method's accuracy still demands improvements. In the present paper, the original technique proposed by Zhang is revisited and we demonstrate that the method's accuracy can be significantly improved, simply by analyzing and reformulating the problem. The numerical conditioning can be improved if a simple data normalization is performed. Furthermore, a non-linear solution based on the Partitioned Levenberg-Marquardt algorithm is proposed. That solution takes advantage of the problem's particular structure to reduce the computational complexity of the original method and to improve the accuracy. Tests using both synthetic and real images demonstrate that the calibration method using 1D patterns can be applied in practice, with accuracy comparable to other already traditional methods.     

Camera calibration and light source orientation from solar shadows

In this paper, we describe a method for recovering camera parameters from perspective views of daylight shadows in a scene, given only minimal geometric information determined from the images. This minimal information consists of two 3D stationary points and their cast shadows on the ground plane. We show that this information captured in two views is sufficient to determine the focal length, the aspect ratio, and the principal point of a pinhole camera with fixed intrinsic parameters. In addition, we are also able to compute the orientation of the light source. Our method is based on exploiting novel inter-image constraints on the image of the absolute conic and the physical properties of solar shadows. Compared to the traditional methods that require images of some precisely machined calibration patterns, our method uses cast shadows by the sun, which are common in natural environments, and requires no measurements of any distance or angle in the 3D world. To demonstrate the accuracy of the proposed algorithm and its utility, we present the results on both synthetic and real images, and apply the method to an image-based rendering problem.     

论数码与传统相机拍摄

数码相机的大众化发展后,引起了摄影界关于使用数码与传统相机的各类争论,笔者根据使用数码相机与传统相机进行摄影创作的相关状况对数码与传统相机进行对比,从相机性能与创作感受方面阐述数码与传统相机拍摄的优劣,提出在使用数码相机时必须要调整好创作观念、态度,使之与数码相机拍摄相适应,充分的发挥数码相机的优势。     

虚拟环境中的彩色CCD摄像机校准

根据虚拟演播室的需要,利用图像识别技术和Tsai两步校准算法的思想,在VisualC++平台上编制了CCD摄像机的校准软件。首先利用仿真数据对校准算法进行检验和分析,指出其中的规律和问题。其次在真实的蓝色演播室环境中对摄像机进行校准,提出了特定的处理方法,得到了满意的非线性焦距变化曲线。最后,详细分析了图像处理精度和校准算法对校准结果的影响。     

Accurate Camera Calibration from Multi-View Stereo and Bundle Adjustment

The advent of high-resolution digital cameras and sophisticated multi-view stereo algorithms offers the promise of unprecedented geometric fidelity in image-based modeling tasks, but it also puts unprecedented demands on camera calibration to fulfill these promises. This paper presents a novel approach to camera calibration where top-down information from rough camera parameter estimates and the output of a multi-view-stereo system on scaled-down input images is used to effectively guide the search for additional image correspondences and significantly improve camera calibration parameters using a standard bundle adjustment algorithm (Lourakis and Argyros 2008). The proposed method has been tested on six real datasets including objects without salient features for which image correspondences cannot be found in a purely bottom-up fashion, and objects with high curvature and thin structures that are lost in visual hull construction even with small errors in camera parameters. Three different methods have been used to qualitatively assess the improvements of the camera parameters. The implementation of the proposed algorithm is publicly available at Furukawa and Ponce (2008b).