Method and system for calibrating a camera of a vehicle

• US 10,152,794 B2
• Filed: 12/15/2014
• Issued: 12/11/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Continental Automotive France (Continental AG), Continental Automotive GmbH (Continental AG)
• Original Assignee: Continental Automotive France (Continental AG), Continental Automotive GmbH (Continental AG)
• Inventors: Garcia, Lucien
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Trang U
• Application Number:
  US15/105,584
• Publication Number:
  US 20160328851A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,457 Days
• Field of Search: 348148, 348 86
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 11/002 for measuring two or more coordinates
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 21/042 Calibration or calibration artifacts G01B3/30, G01B9/02072 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30204 Marker
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30252 Vehicle exterior; Vicinity of vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/80 Analysis of captured images to determine intrinsic or extrinsic camera parameters, i.e. camera calibration

Abstract

A method, a medium (20) and a system (10) for calibrating a camera (32) of a vehicle (30). The calibration system (10) is remarkable in that it includes a calibration medium (20), including at least a first calibration reference (24) and a mirror (26), and a vehicle (30), including at least a second calibration reference (34). The method can be used to calibrate the camera (32) by determining the spatial compensation values between the camera (32) and the vehicle (30), without any need to align the vehicle (30) perfectly facing the calibration medium (20).

Claims

1. A method for calibrating a camera (32) of a vehicle (30), based on a calibration medium (20) comprising at least one first calibration reference (24), the calibration medium (20) comprising a mirror (26) and the vehicle (30) comprising at least one second calibration reference (34), wherein the method comprises:

aligning the vehicle with the camera and the vehicle facing the mirror of the calibration medium with the at least one second calibration reference (34) reflecting in the mirror;

a first step (E1) of using the camera to take a first image of the at least one first calibration reference (24) and using a position in the first image of the at least one first calibration reference (24) in determining first spatial compensation values between the camera (32) and the at least one first calibration reference (24), the first spatial compensation values corresponding to a first set of three rotations and three translations required to move from a center of a reference frame (C) associated with the camera to a center of the first calibration reference;

a second step (E2) of using the camera to take a second image of the at least one second calibration reference (34) via the mirror (26) and using the second image in determining second spatial compensation values between the camera (32) and the second image (IM) of the at least one second calibration reference (34), the second spatial compensation values corresponding to a second set of three rotations and three translations required to move from the center of the reference frame associated with the camera to a center of the image of the second calibration reference reflected by the mirror;

a third step (E3) of determining third spatial compensation values between the camera (32) and the at least one second calibration reference (34) on a basis of the first and second spatial compensation values determined in the first step (E1) and the second step (E2), the third compensation values corresponding to a third set of three rotations and three translations required to move from the center of the reference frame associated with the camera to the center of the second calibration reference;

a fourth step (E4) of determining fourth spatial compensation values between the camera (32) and the vehicle (30) on a basis of the third spatial compensation values determined in the third step (E32) and fifth spatial compensation values between the vehicle (30) and the at least one second calibration reference (34), the fifth spatial compensation values corresponding to a fourth set of three rotations and three translations required to move from the center of a reference frame (V) associated with the vehicle to the center of each of the at least one second calibration reference (34); and

a fifth step of calibrating the camera (32) of the vehicle (30) on a basis of the fifth spatial compensation values.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a preliminary step (E0) of determining the fifth spatial compensation values between the vehicle (30) and the at least one second calibration reference (34).

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein,

said calibration medium (20) is fixed with respect to the vehicle during the first and second steps,

the calibration medium (20) comprises a wall or a panel (20) with the mirror (26) fixed to the wall or the panel (20), and a plurality of the at least one first calibration reference (24) positioned around the mirror and on the wall or the panel (20), and

in the second step, the image of the vehicle is reflected in the mirror.

4. The method as claimed in claim 3, wherein, the vehicle (30) comprises a windshield (33) on which the camera (32) is mounted, and the at least one second calibration reference (34) is positioned on said windshield (33).

5. The method as claimed in claim 4, wherein, the vehicle (30) comprises a plurality of the at least one second calibration reference (34).

6. The method as claimed in claim 4, wherein, the vehicle (30) comprises three of the at least one second calibration reference.

7. The method as claimed in claim 4, wherein, the vehicle (30) comprises three of the at least one second calibration reference, the three of the at least one second calibration reference being non-aligned.

8. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein,

the first step (E1) of determining the first spatial compensation values between the camera (32) and the at least one first calibration reference (24) includes use of a pinhole model which includes a curve that comprises six variables whose coefficients correspond to the first set of the three translations and three rotations required to move from the position of the center of each the at least one first calibration reference (24) to a corresponding position on the first image acquired by the camera.

9. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein,

said calibration medium (20) is fixed with respect to the vehicle during the first and second steps.

10. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein,

said calibration medium (20) is fixed with respect to the vehicle during the camera taking the first and second images,

the calibration medium (20) comprises a wall or a panel (20) with the mirror (26) at the wall or the panel (20), and a plurality of the at least one first calibration reference (24) positioned around the mirror and on the wall or the panel (20), and

in the second step, the image of the vehicle is reflected in the mirror.

11. A system for calibrating a camera of a vehicle, said system (10) comprising:

the vehicle (30) comprising the camera (32) to be calibrated;

a calibration medium (20) for calibrating the camera (32), said medium (20) being fixed during the calibration of said camera (32), the calibration medium (20) comprising;

a plurality of first calibration references (24),

a flat mirror (26), and

the medium taking the form of a wall or a panel (20) on which the first calibration references (24) are positioned, and to which the mirror (26) is fixed; and

at least one second calibration reference (34), wherein during the calibration of said camera (32) the vehicle is aligned with the camera and the vehicle facing the mirror of the calibration medium with the at least one second calibration reference (34) reflecting in the mirror, the camera operable to take a first image of the at least one first calibration reference (24) suitable in determining first spatial compensation values between the camera (32) and the at least one first calibration reference (24), the first spatial compensation values corresponding to a first set of three rotations and three translations required to move from a center of a reference frame (C) associated with the camera to a center of the first calibration reference, and the camera operable to take a second image of the at least one second calibration reference (34) via the mirror (26) suitable in determining second spatial compensation values between the camera (32) and the second image (IM) of the at least one second calibration reference (34) via the mirror (26), the second spatial compensation values corresponding to a second set of three rotations and three translations required to move from the center of the reference frame associated with the camera to a center of the image of the second calibration reference reflected by the mirror,

wherein third spatial compensation values between the camera (32) and the at least one second calibration reference (34) are determinable on a basis of the first and second spatial compensation values, the third compensation values corresponding to a third set of three rotations and three translations required to move from the center of the reference frame associated with the camera to the center of the second calibration reference, and

wherein fourth spatial compensation values between the camera (32) and the vehicle (30) are determinable on a basis of the third spatial compensation values and fifth spatial compensation values between the vehicle (30) and the at least one second calibration reference (34), the fifth spatial compensation values corresponding to a fourth set of three rotations and three translations required to move from the center of a reference frame (V) associated with the vehicle to the center of each of the at least one second calibration reference (34).

12. The system as claimed in claim 11, wherein the vehicle (30) comprises a windshield (33) on which the camera (32) is mounted, and the at least one second calibration reference (34) is positioned on said windshield (33).

13. The system as claimed in claim 11, wherein the vehicle (30) comprises a plurality of the at least one second calibration reference (34).

14. The system as claimed in claim 12, wherein the vehicle (30) comprises a plurality of the at least one second calibration reference.

15. The system as claimed in claim 13, wherein the vehicle (30) comprises three of the at least one second calibration reference.

16. The system as claimed in claim 14, wherein the vehicle (30) comprises three of the at least one second calibration reference.

17. A method for calibrating a camera (32) of a vehicle (30), based on a calibration medium (20) comprising at least one first calibration reference (24), the calibration medium (20) comprising a mirror (26) and the vehicle (30) comprising at least one second calibration reference (34), wherein the method comprises:

aligning the vehicle with the camera facing the mirror and with the at least one second calibration reference (34) reflecting in the mirror;

a first step (E1) of using the camera to take a first image of the at least one first calibration reference (24) and using a position in the first image of the at least one first calibration reference (24) in determining first spatial compensation values between the camera (32) and the at least one first calibration reference (24), the first spatial compensation values corresponding to a first set of rotations and translations required to move from a center of a reference frame (C) associated with the camera to a center of the first calibration reference;

a second step (E2) of using the camera to take a second image of the at least one second calibration reference (34) via the mirror (26) and using the second image in determining second spatial compensation values between the camera (32) and the second image (IM) of the at least one second calibration reference (34), the second spatial compensation values corresponding to a second set of rotations and translations required to move from the center of the reference frame associated with the camera to a center of the image of the second calibration reference reflected by the mirror;

a third step (E3) of determining third spatial compensation values between the camera (32) and the at least one second calibration reference (34) on a basis of the first and second spatial compensation values determined in the first step (E1) and the second step (E2), the third compensation values corresponding to a third set of rotations and translations required to move from the center of the reference frame associated with the camera to the center of the second calibration reference;

a fourth step (E4) of determining fourth spatial compensation values between the camera (32) and the vehicle (30) on a basis of the third spatial compensation values determined in the third step (E32) and fifth spatial compensation values between the vehicle (30) and the at least one second calibration reference (34), the fifth spatial compensation values corresponding to a fourth set of rotations and translations required to move from the center of a reference frame (V) associated with the vehicle to the center of each of the at least one second calibration reference (34); and

a fifth step of calibrating the camera (32) of the vehicle (30) on a basis of the fifth spatial compensation values.

18. The method as claimed in claim 17, wherein,

said calibration medium (20) is fixed with respect to the vehicle during the first and second steps, and

the calibration medium (20) comprises a wall or a panel (20) with the mirror (26) fixed to the wall or the panel (20), and a plurality of the at least one first calibration reference (24) positioned around the mirror and on the wall or the panel (20).

19. The method as claimed in claim 18, wherein,

the vehicle (30) comprises a windshield (33) on which the camera (32) is mounted,

the vehicle (30) comprises a plurality of the at least one second calibration reference (34), and

one of the plurality of the at least one second calibration reference (34) is positioned on said windshield (33).

20. The method as claimed in claim 18, wherein,

the first step (E1) of determining the first spatial compensation values between the camera (32) and the at least one first calibration reference (24) includes use of a pinhole model which includes a curve that comprises six variables whose coefficients correspond to the first set of the three translations and three rotations required to move from the position of the center of each the at least one first calibration reference (24) to a corresponding position on the first image acquired by the camera.