SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR PROCESSING MULTICAMERA ARRAY IMAGES

• US 20140354828A1
• Filed: 11/22/2012
• Published: 12/04/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/22/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Israel Aerospace Industries Limited (Government of Israel)
• Original Assignee: ELTA Systems Limited (Government of Israel)
• Inventors: Gostynski, Victor, Abraham, Michael, Rubinstein, Ron
• Granted Patent: US 9,485,499 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/187
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10032 Satellite or aerial image; Remote sensing
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30181 Earth observation
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2210/56 Particle system, point based geometry or rendering
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/14 Transformations for image registration, e.g. adjusting or mapping for alignment of images
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/4038 Image mosaicing, e.g. composing plane images from plane sub-images
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/33 using feature-based methods
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/80 Analysis of captured images to determine intrinsic or extrinsic camera parameters, i.e. camera calibration
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 17/002 for television cameras
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/698 for achieving an enlarged field of view, e.g. panoramic image capture
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/90 Arrangement of cameras or camera modules, e.g. multiple cameras in TV studios or sports stadiums

Abstract

A system for calibrating multi-camera array images, comprising an array of at least four acquisition devices, configured to acquire images; at least one reference acquisition device configured to acquire at least one reference image at least partially overlapping at least four of the images; and a processor configured to extract tie points between the at least four of the images and the at least one reference image and utilize the tie points for calibrating the at least four of the images in respect of the at least one reference image.

Claims

1. A system for calibrating multi-camera array images, comprising:

a. an array of at least four acquisition devices, configured to acquire images;

b. at least one reference acquisition device configured to acquire at least one reference image at least partially overlapping at least four of said images;

c. a processor configured to extract tie points between said at least four of said images and said at least one reference image and utilize said tie points for calibrating said at least four of said images in respect of said at least one reference image.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the distance between at least one reference acquisition device and each of the acquisition devices of said array is smaller or equal to:

3. The system of claim 1 wherein at least one of said reference images overlaps one or more of the following:

(a) at least part of each of said images;

(b) the centers of each of said images;

(c) at least half of the area covered by each of said images.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein said calibrating is at least one of the geometric calibrating and radiometric calibrating.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein said at least one reference acquisition device has at least one superior parameter over said acquisition devices.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein said at least one reference acquisition device is of superior geometric accuracy.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein at least one of said array, said acquisition devices and said reference acquisition device is adjustable.

10. The system of claim 1 wherein said acquisition devices are still cameras or video cameras and wherein said at least one reference acquisition device is a still camera or a video camera.

14. The system of claim 1 wherein at least two of said images are of a narrower field of view than said at least one reference image.

15. The system of claim 1 wherein said processor is further configured to utilize said at least one reference image for adjusting at least one of the following parameters of more than two of said images:

a. Position;

b Orientation;

c. Focal length;

d. Scale;

e. Lens distorton.

18. The system of claim 1 wherein said images and said at least one reference image cover a substantially unchanged scene.

19. The system of claim 1 wherein said images and said at least one reference image are acquired during a single imaging pass or substantially simultaneously.

21. The system of claim 1 wherein said system is mounted on a moving platform and wherein the time difference between acquiring said at least one reference image and each of said images is smaller or equal to:

22. The system claim 1 wherein at least one of said images does not overlap any other image of said images.

4-5. -5. (canceled)

11-13. -13. (canceled)

16-17. -17. (canceled)

20. (canceled)

23-26. -26. (canceled)

27. A method for calibrating multi-camera array images, comprising:

a. acquiring at least four images;

b. acquiring at least one reference image at least partially overlapping at least four of said images;

c. extracting tie points between said at least four images and said at least one reference image and utilizing said tie points for calibrating said at least four images in respect of said at least one reference image.

28. The method of claim 27 wherein the images are acquired using an array of at least four acquisition devices and the at least one reference image is acquired using at least one reference acquisition device, and wherein the distance between the at least one reference acquisition device and each of the acquisition devices of said array is smaller or equal to:

29. The method of claim 27 wherein at least one of said reference images overlaps one or more of the following:

(a) at least part of each of said images;

(b) the centers of each of said images;

(c) at least half of the area covered by each of said images.

32. The method of claim 27 wherein said calibrating is at least one of geometric calibrating and radiometric calibrating.

33. The method of claim 27 wherein said at least one reference image has at least one superior parameter over said images.

34. The method of claim 27 wherein said at least one reference image is of superior geometric accuracy.

35. The method of claim 27 wherein at least two of said images are of a narrow field of view than said at least one reference image.

36. The method of claim 27 further comprising utilizing said at least one reference image for adjusting at least one of the following parameters of at least two of said images

a. Position;

b. Orientation;

c. Focal length;

d. Scale;

e, Lens distortion.

39. The method of claim 27 wherein said images and said at least one reference image cover a substantially unchanged scene.

40. The method of claim 27 wherein said images and said at least one reference image are acquired during a single imaging pass or substantially simultaneously.

42. The method of claim 27 wherein the images are acquired using an array of at least four acquisition devices and the at least one reference image is acquired using at least one reference acquisition device, and wherein said images and said at least one reference image are acquired from a moving platform, and wherein the time difference between acquiring said at least one reference image and each of said images is smaller or equal to:

43. The method of claim 27 wherein at least one of said images does not overlap any other image of said images.

45. A least one non-transitory computer readable medium comprising computer readable instructions that control at least one processor to implement the method of claim 27.

30-31. -31. (canceled)

37-38. -38. (canceled)

41. (canceled)

44. (canceled)