Autocalibration with the Minimum Number of Cameras with Known Pixel Shape

In 3D reconstruction, the recovery of the calibration parameters of the cameras is paramount since it provides metric information about the observed scene, e.g., measures of angles and ratios of distances. Autocalibration enables the estimation of the camera parameters without using a calibration device, but by enforcing simple constraints on the camera parameters. In the absence of information about the internal camera parameters such as the focal length and the principal point, the knowledge of the camera pixel shape is usually the only available constraint. Given a projective reconstruction of a rigid scene, we address the problem of the autocalibration of a minimal set of cameras with known pixel shape and otherwise arbitrarily varying intrinsic and extrinsic parameters. We propose an algorithm that only requires 5 cameras (the theoretical minimum), thus halving the number of cameras required by previous algorithms based on the same constraint. To this purpose, we introduce as our basic geometric tool the six-line conic variety (SLCV), consisting in the set of planes intersecting six given lines of 3D space in points of a conic. We show that the set of solutions of the Euclidean upgrading problem for three cameras with known pixel shape can be parameterized in a computationally efficient way. This parameterization is then used to solve autocalibration from five or more cameras, reducing the three-dimensional search space to a two-dimensional one. We provide experiments with real images showing the good performance of the technique.Comment: 19 pages, 14 figures, 7 tables, J. Math. Imaging Vi

Lines, Circles, Planes and Spheres

Let $S$ be a set of $n$ points in $\mathbb{R}^3$, no three collinear and not all coplanar. If at most $n-k$ are coplanar and $n$ is sufficiently large, the total number of planes determined is at least $1 + k \binom{n-k}{2}-\binom{k}{2}(\frac{n-k}{2})$. For similar conditions and sufficiently large $n$, (inspired by the work of P. D. T. A. Elliott in \cite{Ell67}) we also show that the number of spheres determined by $n$ points is at least $1+\binom{n-1}{3}-t_3^{orchard}(n-1)$, and this bound is best possible under its hypothesis. (By $t_3^{orchard}(n)$, we are denoting the maximum number of three-point lines attainable by a configuration of $n$ points, no four collinear, in the plane, i.e., the classic Orchard Problem.) New lower bounds are also given for both lines and circles.Comment: 37 page

On first order Congruences of Lines in P4\mathbb{P}^4 with irreducible fundamental Surface

In this article we study congruences of lines in $\mathbb{P}^n$, and in particular of order one. After giving general results, we obtain a complete classification in the case of $\mathbb{P}^4$ in which the fundamental surface $F$ is in fact a variety-i.e. it is integral-and the congruence is the irreducible set of the trisecant lines of $F$.Comment: 18 pages, AMS-LaTeX; submitte

On singular Luroth quartics

Plane quartics containing the ten vertices of a complete pentalateral and limits of them are called L\"uroth quartics. The locus of singular L\"uroth quartics has two irreducible components, both of codimension two in $\P^{14}$. We compute the degree of them and we discuss the consequences of this computation on the explicit form of the L\"uroth invariant. One important tool are the Cremona hexahedral equations of the cubic surface. We also compute the class in $\overline{M}_3$ of the closure of the locus of nonsingular L\"uroth quartics.Comment: Enlarged version. Computation of the class of the locus of Luroth quartics in the moduli space adde

On quartics with lines of the second kind

We study the geometry of quartic surfaces in IP^3 that contain a line of the second kind over algebraically closed fields of characteristic different from 2,3. In particular, we correct Segre's claims made for the complex case in 1943.Comment: 22 page

On the relationship between plane and solid geometry

Traditional geometry concerns itself with planimetric and stereometric considerations, which are at the root of the division between plane and solid geometry. To raise the issue of the relation between these two areas brings with it a host of different problems that pertain to mathematical practice, epistemology, semantics, ontology, methodology, and logic. In addition, issues of psychology and pedagogy are also important here. To our knowledge there is no single contribution that studies in detail even one of the aforementioned area