Lens distortion determination with plane calibration targets

Abstract

A new methodology for parameter free lens distortion determination is introduced providing high precision capacity and low effort by omission of subsequent camera calibration. It uses a plane grid pattern with precise geometry. The method is based on the iterative estimation of the distortion using several views from different observation positions by fitting a projective transform of the known grid pattern to the observed image point coordinates. An error analysis is preliminary performed which contributes to the approach of the new algorithm. Experiments on real and simulated data show the power of the new method and the possibility of target error correction. Further extension towards the ability of the new method for high-end precision measurements is suggested.