Matching algorithm performance analysis for autocalibration method of stereo vision

Stereo vision is one of the interesting research topics in the computer vision field. Two cameras are used to generate a disparity map, resulting in the depth estimation. Camera calibration is the most important step in stereo vision. The calibration step is used to generate an intrinsic parameter of each camera to get a better disparity map. In general, the calibration process is done manually by using a chessboard pattern, but this process is an exhausting task. Self-calibration is an important ability required to overcome this problem. Self-calibration required a robust and good matching algorithm to find the key feature between images as reference. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the performance of three matching algorithms for the autocalibration process. The matching algorithms used in this research are SIFT, SURF, and ORB. The result shows that SIFT performs better than other methods

Quantification of uncertainty in a stereoscopic particle image velocimetry measurement

In Stereoscopic Particle Image Velocimetry (Stereo-PIV), the three velocity components are obtained by illuminating a planar region in the flow field and recording the region of interest using two cameras at an angle. Calibration, planar velocity estimation, and velocity reconstruction are the three essential steps involved in the process. Earlier efforts to quantify the accuracy in a Stereo-PIV measurement process have shown higher error in out of plane motion. However, a detailed analysis of the measurement uncertainty involved in a Stereo-PIV calibration-based reconstruction process has yet to be presented. This analysis provides a detailed framework to specify the uncertainty in the coefficients of the calibration mapping function and the uncertainty involved in self-calibration step for correction of the registration error. Using Taylor series expansion for uncertainty propagation the contribution of the calibration step uncertainties are combined with planar field uncertainties to predict the overall uncertainty in the reconstructed velocity components. The analysis is tested using simulated random field images and experimental vortex ring images. The results emphasize the sensitivity and interdependence of the individual uncertainties involved in each step of a Stereo-PIV measurement process

Hybrid Focal Stereo Networks for Pattern Analysis in Homogeneous Scenes

In this paper we address the problem of multiple camera calibration in the presence of a homogeneous scene, and without the possibility of employing calibration object based methods. The proposed solution exploits salient features present in a larger field of view, but instead of employing active vision we replace the cameras with stereo rigs featuring a long focal analysis camera, as well as a short focal registration camera. Thus, we are able to propose an accurate solution which does not require intrinsic variation models as in the case of zooming cameras. Moreover, the availability of the two views simultaneously in each rig allows for pose re-estimation between rigs as often as necessary. The algorithm has been successfully validated in an indoor setting, as well as on a difficult scene featuring a highly dense pilgrim crowd in Makkah.Comment: 13 pages, 6 figures, submitted to Machine Vision and Application

On the Calibration of Active Binocular and RGBD Vision Systems for Dual-Arm Robots

This paper describes a camera and hand-eye calibration methodology for integrating an active binocular robot head within a dual-arm robot. For this purpose, we derive the forward kinematic model of our active robot head and describe our methodology for calibrating and integrating our robot head. This rigid calibration provides a closedform hand-to-eye solution. We then present an approach for updating dynamically camera external parameters for optimal 3D reconstruction that are the foundation for robotic tasks such as grasping and manipulating rigid and deformable objects. We show from experimental results that our robot head achieves an overall sub millimetre accuracy of less than 0.3 millimetres while recovering the 3D structure of a scene. In addition, we report a comparative study between current RGBD cameras and our active stereo head within two dual-arm robotic testbeds that demonstrates the accuracy and portability of our proposed methodology

3D Visual Perception for Self-Driving Cars using a Multi-Camera System: Calibration, Mapping, Localization, and Obstacle Detection

Cameras are a crucial exteroceptive sensor for self-driving cars as they are low-cost and small, provide appearance information about the environment, and work in various weather conditions. They can be used for multiple purposes such as visual navigation and obstacle detection. We can use a surround multi-camera system to cover the full 360-degree field-of-view around the car. In this way, we avoid blind spots which can otherwise lead to accidents. To minimize the number of cameras needed for surround perception, we utilize fisheye cameras. Consequently, standard vision pipelines for 3D mapping, visual localization, obstacle detection, etc. need to be adapted to take full advantage of the availability of multiple cameras rather than treat each camera individually. In addition, processing of fisheye images has to be supported. In this paper, we describe the camera calibration and subsequent processing pipeline for multi-fisheye-camera systems developed as part of the V-Charge project. This project seeks to enable automated valet parking for self-driving cars. Our pipeline is able to precisely calibrate multi-camera systems, build sparse 3D maps for visual navigation, visually localize the car with respect to these maps, generate accurate dense maps, as well as detect obstacles based on real-time depth map extraction

Stereo Matching in the Presence of Sub-Pixel Calibration Errors

Stereo matching commonly requires rectified images that are computed from calibrated cameras. Since all under-lying parametric camera models are only approximations, calibration and rectification will never be perfect. Additionally, it is very hard to keep the calibration perfectly stable in application scenarios with large temperature changes and vibrations. We show that even small calibration errors of a quarter of a pixel are severely amplified on certain structures. We discuss a robotics and a driver assistance example where sub-pixel calibration errors cause severe problems. We propose a filter solution based on signal theory that removes critical structures and makes stereo algorithms less sensitive to calibration errors. Our approach does not aim to correct decalibration, but rather to avoid amplifications and mismatches. Experiments on ten stereo pairs with ground truth and simulated decalibrations as well as images from robotics and driver assistance scenarios demonstrate the success and limitations of our solution that can be combined with any stereo method