SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR CALIBRATION OF A 360 DEGREE CAMERA SYSTEM

• US 20140300754A1
• Filed: 04/08/2014
• Published: 10/09/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/08/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Omnivision Technologies Incorporated (Will Semiconductor Co., Ltd. Shanghai)
• Original Assignee: Omnivision Technologies Incorporated (Will Semiconductor Co., Ltd. Shanghai)
• Inventors: Gadjali, Hasan, Hsieh, Jeff, HO, Tawei
• Granted Patent: US 8,866,913 B1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/187
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 17/002 for television cameras

Abstract

Systems and methods for calibrating a 360 degree camera system include imaging reference strips, analyzing the imaged data to correct for pitch, roll, and yaw of cameras of the 360 degree camera system, and analyzing the image data to correct for zoom and shifting of the cameras. Each of the reference strips may include a bullseye component and a dots component to aid in the analyzing and correcting.

Claims

1. A method of calibrating a 360 degree camera system having a plurality of cameras, comprising:

placing the 360 degree camera system at a first location;

placing reference strips at respective additional locations, each additional location equidistant from the first location and each additional location corresponding to a viewing angle intersection between two adjacent cameras of the 360 degree camera system;

adjusting the height of the 360 degree camera system such that the camera height is equal to the middle of the reference strips;

capturing imaged data of two of the reference strips using each of the cameras;

straightening imaged reference strips within the image data captured by a first camera of the plurality of cameras; and

,

matching the imaged reference strips imaged by the first camera to the image reference strips captured by each camera adjacent to the first camera.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein each reference strip includes a bullseye component and a dots component, each dots component including two rows of dots, each row substantially vertical and parallel to the other row.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein between corresponding dots of each row of dots is two bars.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of placing reference strips includes placing each reference strip in a respective stationary location, such that the reference strip is substantially vertical and is substantially flat.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of placing reference strips includes using a laser print guide to verify the angle between each reference strip.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein the step of adjusting includes adjusting the height of the 360 degree camera system such that the camera height is equivalent to the center of a middle one of the bullseye components of the reference strips.

7. The method of claim 2, wherein the step of straightening includes:

correcting for pitch misalignment within the imaged data captured by the first camera;

correcting for roll misalignment within the imaged data captured by the first camera; and

,

correcting for yaw misalignment within the imaged data captured by the first camera.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the step of correcting for pitch misalignment includes digitally forcing each row of dots components to be substantially parallel within the imaged data.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the step of correcting for roll misalignment includes digitally forcing each row of dots to be substantially vertical within the imaged data.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the step of correcting for yaw misalignment includes digitally forcing two of the reference strips to the same height within the imaged data.

11. The method of claim 2, wherein the step of matching includes:

correcting for zoom misalignment within the imaged data captured by each of the cameras; and

,

correcting for shift misalignment within the imaged data captured by each of the cameras.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the step of correcting for zoom misalignment includes expanding and/or shrinking the imaged data of a first camera to match the image data of an adjacent camera.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the step of correcting for shift misalignment includes translating the image data of a first camera to align with image data of an adjacent camera.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising outputting a calibration setting based upon the steps of straightening and matching to the 360 degree camera system to calibrate the camera system.

15. A system for calibrating a 360 degree camera system having a plurality of cameras, the system including:

a non-transitory memory including a database for storing image data captured by each of the plurality of cameras, the image data including imaged reference strips;

a processor;

a plurality of reference strips; and

,

calibration software stored within the memory as computer readable instructions executable by the processor, the calibration software configured to;

analyze the image data to straighten the imaged reference strips within the imaged data captured by each of the plurality of cameras, and

analyze the image data to match the imaged reference strips imaged by a first camera of the plurality of cameras to the imaged reference strips imaged by another of the plurality of cameras adjacent to the first camera.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the calibration software is further configured to:

correct for pitch misalignment within the imaged data captured by the first camera;

correct for roll misalignment within the imaged data captured by the first camera; and

,

correct for yaw misalignment within the imaged data captured by the first camera.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein in order to match the imaged reference strips, the calibration software is further configured to:

correct for zoom misalignment within the imaged data captured by each of the cameras; and

,

correct for shift misalignment within the imaged data captured by each of the cameras.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein a height of the cameras of the 360 degree camera system is equivalent to a middle of the reference strips.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein each reference strip includes a bullseye component and a dots component, each dots component including two rows of dots, each row substantially vertical and parallel to the other row.

20. The system of claim 15, wherein the 360 degree camera system is located at a first location and each of the reference strips are respectively located at an additional location, each additional location being equidistant from the first location and corresponding to a viewing angle intersection between two adjacent cameras of the 360 degree camera system.