Camera Image Distortion Correction via Automatic Pattern
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing image processing systems for vehicles face challenges in automatically correcting lens distortions and installation errors in camera images, particularly for wide-angle cameras, which require complex calibration patterns and tools, making them inconvenient for use.
Innovation Solution
An image processing apparatus and method that employs an automatic correction pattern, such as a triangle, quadrangle, or circle, to estimate camera parameters and correct lens distortions and installation errors using an optimization algorithm, eliminating the need for separate correction patterns.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a heavy pattern tool is used for camera calibration to obtain accurate results, then measurement precision is improved, but device complexity and ease of operation deteriorate because the tool must be carried around all the time
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a virtual correction pattern generated from image data instead of a physical pattern tool. The system captures an image containing a correction pattern, extracts feature points from the image, and uses these extracted points for camera calibration. This virtual copy eliminates the need to carry and manually set up physical calibration tools while maintaining calibration accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs automatic calibration by extracting feature points from captured images and computing camera parameters autonomously. The calibration process does not require manual intervention to position physical patterns or tools - the system self-calibrates using images already captured during normal operation, making the process as convenient as taking a photograph.
2Measurement precision
If a heavy pattern tool is used for camera calibration to obtain accurate results, then measurement precision is improved, but device complexity worsens due to the need for separate calibration equipment
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the calibration function with the normal image capture function. The same camera used for capturing target images is also used to capture the correction pattern. The calibration data is extracted and stored within the image processing system itself, eliminating separate calibration equipment and reducing overall system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of using physical calibration tools, the system creates a virtual calibration pattern from image data. The correction pattern is captured as an image, and its feature points are extracted to serve as calibration data. This virtual copy replaces all physical calibration tools and infrastructure.
3Manufacturing precision
If traditional distortion correction methods are used, then lens distortion can be corrected, but installation errors of the camera cannot be corrected, requiring separate calibration processes
Solution Approach 1:
The correction pattern and its feature points serve multiple functions simultaneously: they correct lens distortion, determine camera installation position, and calculate installation angles. This single calibration process handles all correction needs, eliminating the requirement for separate calibration procedures for different types of errors.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines distortion correction and installation error correction into a unified calibration process. Both corrections are achieved by extracting feature points from the same correction pattern image and computing multiple camera parameters (including distortion coefficients and installation parameters) from these points in a single operation.
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus having an automatic compensation function for an image obtained from a camera, and a method thereof, and provides an image processing apparatus having an automatic compensation function for an image obtained from a camera, the apparatus comprising: an automatic compensation pattern of which one or more can be provided in an arbitrary place near a camera; an input/output module which receives an image as an input from the camera and transmits the same to the image processing apparatus; and an image processing module which is a processing unit containing an algorithm for compensating for distortion of the image obtained from the camera, wherein the input/output module comprises an image input/output unit for transmitting/receiving data in between the camera and the image processing module, and a storage unit for storing information processed by the image processing module, and the image processing module comprises a distortion compensation unit, an image alignment estimation unit, and an image alignment generation unit, the distortion compensation unit extracting, from the received image, characteristic points of the automatic compensation pattern, estimating the absolute location and installation angle of the camera by using the information based on the extracted characteristic points, and performing lens distortion compensation by using an inner parameter stored in the storage unit, the image alignment estimation unit estimating, in the image, the camera installation location and rotational error as a change parameter by using information on the absolute location and installation angle of the camera estimated in the distortion compensation unit, and the image alignment generation unit compensating for the three-dimensional location and size of the image by using the change parameter estimated in the image alignment estimation unit.