Geometric calibration of a camera and a turntable system using two views

Area of Science:

• Computer Vision
• Robotics
• Metrology

Background:

• Accurate 3D scanning of objects requires precise calibration of camera and motion systems.
• Existing methods may lack robustness or require complex setups for camera-turntable systems.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a novel, mathematically grounded calibration algorithm for camera-turntable 3D scanning systems.
• To determine the extrinsic geometric relationship between camera and turntable coordinate frames.

Main Methods:

• A minimal setup using a camera and a rotating turntable with a chessboard calibration pattern.
• Capturing two distinct views of the pattern before and after object rotation.
• Employing geometric reasoning to compute coordinate transformations and resolve rotational and translational ambiguities.

Main Results:

• The algorithm successfully computes the rotation axis direction of the turntable coordinate system unambiguously.
• A practical method is provided to resolve remaining degrees of freedom in origin and orientation.
• Experimental validation using a stereo-vision system demonstrates the method's efficacy.

Conclusions:

• The proposed calibration algorithm offers an accurate and practical solution for camera-turntable 3D scanning.
• This method facilitates precise 3D point cloud generation for comprehensive object reconstruction.