Imaging system comprising real-time image registration
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A multi-camera imager (MCI) comprising:
- first and second cameras each having a center of projection, an optical axis extending from the center of projection, an image plane intersected by the optical axis at a principal point and a photosensor comprising pixels on which the camera images scenes;
a memory having stored therein;
instructions executable to implement a first transform configured to map image plane coordinates of features of a scene located at a same predetermined distance from the MCI imaged by the first camera to image plane coordinates of the same features imaged by the second camera;
data defining an epipolar line segment in the image plane of the second camera that corresponds to a projection line in the first camera, for each of a plurality of image plane coordinates in the image plane of the first camera; and
instructions executable to adjust the first transform based on the epipolar line segments to provide a second transform configured to map image plane coordinates of features of a scene located at a distance from the MCI different from the predetermined distance that are imaged by the first camera to image coordinates of the same features imaged by the second camera; and
a processor configured to register images of a scene acquired by the first and second cameras to each other based on the instructions and data stored in the memory.
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Abstract
A multi-camera imager (MCI) configured to register a first image of a scene acquired by a first camera comprised in the MCI to a second image of the same scene acquired by a second camera in the MCI based on adjusting a transform configured to register images of a calibration target acquired by the first and second cameras for a same fixed position and orientation of the calibration target using epipolar line segments in one of the cameras associated with image plane coordinates in the other of the cameras.
75 Citations
20 Claims
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1. A multi-camera imager (MCI) comprising:
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first and second cameras each having a center of projection, an optical axis extending from the center of projection, an image plane intersected by the optical axis at a principal point and a photosensor comprising pixels on which the camera images scenes; a memory having stored therein; instructions executable to implement a first transform configured to map image plane coordinates of features of a scene located at a same predetermined distance from the MCI imaged by the first camera to image plane coordinates of the same features imaged by the second camera; data defining an epipolar line segment in the image plane of the second camera that corresponds to a projection line in the first camera, for each of a plurality of image plane coordinates in the image plane of the first camera; and instructions executable to adjust the first transform based on the epipolar line segments to provide a second transform configured to map image plane coordinates of features of a scene located at a distance from the MCI different from the predetermined distance that are imaged by the first camera to image coordinates of the same features imaged by the second camera; and a processor configured to register images of a scene acquired by the first and second cameras to each other based on the instructions and data stored in the memory. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A method of registering a first camera to a second camera of a multi-camera imager (MCI), each camera having a center of projection, an optical axis extending from the center of projection, an image plane intersected by the optical axis at a principal point and a photosensor comprising pixels on which the camera images scenes, the method comprising:
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providing a calibration target at a known position and known orientation relative to the MCI, the calibration target having fiducials; operating the first and second cameras to acquire first and second images of the calibration target at the known position and orientation; using the first and second images to determine a first transform configured to map image plane coordinates in the image plane of the first camera of images of fiducials in the calibration target imaged in the first image to image plane coordinates in the image plane of the second camera of images of the same fiducials imaged by the second camera in the second image; and associating an epipolar line segment in the image plane of the second camera that corresponds to a projection line in the first camera for each of a plurality of image plane coordinates in the image plane of the first camera. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification