Camera calibration method for an infrared horizon sensor with a large field of view
Huajian DENG1,2, Hao WANG1,2(), Xiaoya HAN3, Yang LIU1,2, Zhonghe JIN1,2
1. Micro-Satellite Research Center, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, China 2. Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Micro-nano Satellite Research, Hangzhou 310027, China 3. Beijing Institute of Tracking and Telecommunications Technology, Beijing 100094, China
Inadequate geometric accuracy of cameras is the main constraint to improving the precision of infrared horizon sensors with a large field of view (FOV). An enormous FOV with a blind area in the center greatly limits the accuracy and feasibility of traditional geometric calibration methods. A novel camera calibration method for infrared horizon sensors is presented and validated in this paper. Three infrared targets are used as control points. The camera is mounted on a rotary table. As the table rotates, these control points will be evenly distributed in the entire FOV. Compared with traditional methods that combine a collimator and a rotary table which cannot effectively cover a large FOV and require harsh experimental equipment, this method is easier to implement at a low cost. A corresponding three-step parameter estimation algorithm is proposed to avoid precisely measuring the positions of the camera and the control points. Experiments are implemented with 10 infrared horizon sensors to verify the effectiveness of the calibration method. The results show that the proposed method is highly stable, and that the calibration accuracy is at least 30% higher than those of existing methods.
邓华健, 王昊, 韩晓亚, 刘洋, 金仲和. 适用于大视场红外地球敏感器的相机标定方法[J]. Frontiers of Information Technology & Electronic Engineering, 2023, 24(1): 141-153.
Huajian DENG, Hao WANG, Xiaoya HAN, Yang LIU, Zhonghe JIN. Camera calibration method for an infrared horizon sensor with a large field of view. Front. Inform. Technol. Electron. Eng, 2023, 24(1): 141-153.