Patent · US Expired

Method for coordinating multiple fields of view in multi-camera

US5768443A · kind A · utility

277Cited by
6References
20Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateDec 19, 1995
Grant dateJun 16, 1998
Priority date
Expiry dateDec 19, 2015

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG01N21/95
  • WIPO fieldMeasurement
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

A method is provided for use in a multi-camera machine vision system wherein each of a plurality of cameras simultaneously acquires an image of a different portion of an object of interest. The invention makes it possible to precisely coordinate the fields of view of the plurality of cameras so that accurate measurements can be precisely performed across multiple fields of view, even in the presence of image distortion within each field of view. The method includes the steps of, at calibration-time, fixing the plurality of cameras with respect to a substantially rigid dimensionally-stable substrate including a plurality of calibration targets each having a reference feature. For each camera, an image of a calibration target is acquired to provide a plurality of acquired calibration target images. Then a distortion-correction map is generated for each acquired calibration target image. At run-time, for each camera, an image is acquired, at least two of the images including a portion of the object to provide a plurality of partial object images. These partial object images are then transformed by a distortion-correction map to provide a plurality of corrected partial object images. N…

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.