Method and Image Processing System for Determining Parameters of a Camera

Abstract

In one embodiment, a method includes generating a geometrical arrangement of a surrounding area, the geometrical arrangement describing a location of a first set of visual features in the space of the surrounding area; determining parameters of a camera, the parameters of the camera indicating one or more of an approximate location, orientation, or optical properties of the camera; applying determined parameters of the camera to the geometrical arrangement of the surrounding area to display the first set of visual features on a feature image; superimposing a second set of visual features extracted from an image recorded with the camera on the feature image; determining a measure of concordance between the locations of the first and second sets of visual features in the feature image; and if the measure of concordance has passed a limit value, using determined parameters of the camera as actual parameters of the camera.

1 - 15 . (canceled) 
     
     
         16 . A method comprising steps of:
 (1) generating a geometrical arrangement of a surrounding area, the geometrical arrangement describing a location of a first set of visual features in the space of the surrounding area;   (2) determining parameters of a camera, the parameters of the camera indicating one or MOM of an approximate location, orientation, or optical properties of the camera;   (3) applying determined parameters of the camera to the geometrical arrangement of the surrounding area to display the first set of visual features on a feature image;   (4) superimposing a second set of visual features extracted from an image recorded with the camera on the feature image;   (5) determining a measure of concordance between the locations of the first set of visual features and the second set of visual features M the feature image; and   (6) if the measure of concordance has passed a limit value,
 using determined parameters of the camera as actual parameters of the camera; or 
   (7) else if the measure of concordance has not passed the limit value,
 repeating steps (2)-(5) until the measure of concordance has passed the limit value, wherein last determined parameters of the camera are used as the actual parameters of the camera. 
   
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the step (5) of determining the measure of concordance between the locations of the first set of visual features and the second set of visual features in the feature image comprises determining whether the second set of visual features coincides with the first set of visual features in the feature image. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the step (5) of determining the measure of concordance between the locations of the first set of visual features and the second set of visual features in the feature image comprises comparing the absolute and relative positions of the individual visual features between the first and second sets. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the first set of visual features comprises those visual features that can be detected with a feature detector. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the step (1) of generating the geometrical arrangement of the surrounding area is done by applying a feature detector to several images of the surrounding area recorded from different perspectives. 
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the step (1) of generating the geometrical arrangement of the surrounding area is done by surveying the surrounding area with one or more of metering devices or sensors. 
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the step (2) of determining the parameters of the camera comprises establishing initial parameters of the camera. 
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the step (2) of determining the parameters of the camera comprises adjusting or changing the parameters of the camera if the measure of concordance between the locations of the first set of visual features and the second set of visual features in the feature image has not passed the limit value. 
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the second set of visual features is extracted from the image recorded with the camera by applying a feature detector to recorded image. 
     
     
         25 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the geometrical arrangement of the surrounding area is three dimensional. 
     
     
         26 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the feature image is two dimensional. 
     
     
         27 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the surrounding area is formed by a natural surrounding area and the camera is formed by a real camera. 
     
     
         28 . One or more computer-readable non-transitory storage media embodying software that is operable when executed to cause one or more processors to perform steps comprising:
 (1) generating a geometrical arrangement of a surrounding area, the geometrical arrangement describing a location of a first set of visual features in the space of the surrounding area;   (2) determining parameters of a camera, the parameters of the camera indicating one or more of an approximate location, orientation, or optical properties of the camera;   (3) applying determined parameters of the camera to the geometrical arrangement of the surrounding area to display the first set of visual features on a feature image;   (4) superimposing a second set of visual features extracted from an image recorded with the camera on the feature image;   (5) determining a measure of concordance between the location of the first set of visual features and the second set of visual features in the feature image; and   (6) if the measure of concordance has passed a limit value,
 using determined parameters of the camera as actual parameters of the camera; or 
   (7) else if the measure of concordance has not passed the limit values,
 repeating steps (2)-(5) until the measure of concordance has passed the limit value, wherein last determined parameters of the camera are used as the actual parameters of the camera. 
   
     
     
         29 . The media of  claim 28 , wherein step (5) of determining the measure of concordance between the locations of the first set of visual features and the second set of visual features in the feature image comprises determining whether the second of visual features coincides with the first set of visual features in the feature image. 
     
     
         30 . The media of  claim 28 , wherein the step (2) of determining the parameters of the camera comprises establishing initial parameters of the camera. 
     
     
         31 . The media of  claim 28 , wherein the step (2) of determining the parameters of the camera comprises adjusting, or changing the parameters of the camera if the measure of concordance between the locations of the first set of visual features and the second set of visual features in the feature image has not passed the limit value. 
     
     
         32 . A system comprising one or more processors and one or more computer-readable non-transitory storage media coupled to one or more of the processors, the one or more computer-readable non-transitory storage media comprising instructions operable when executed by one or more of the processors to cause the system to perform steps comprising:
 (1) generating a geometrical arrangement of a surrounding area, the geometrical arrangement describing a location of a first set of visual features in the space of the surrounding area;   (2) determining parameters of a camera, the parameters of the camera indicating one or more of an approximate location, orientation, or optical properties of the camera;   (3) applying determined parameters of the camera to the geometrical arrangement of the surrounding area to display the first set of visual features on a feature image;   (4) superimposing a second set of visual features extracted from an image recorded with the camera on the feature image;   (5) determining a measure of concordance between the locations of the first set of visual features and the second set of visual features in the feature image; and   (6) if the measure of concordance has passed a limit value,
 using determined parameters of the camera as actual parameters of the camera; or 
   (7) else if the measure of concordance has not passed the limit value,
 repeating steps (2)-(5) until the measure of concordance has passed the limit value, wherein last determined parameters of the camera are used as the actual parameters of the camera. 
   
     
     
         33 . The system of  claim 32 , wherein the step (5) of determining the measure of concordance between the locations of the first set of visual features and the second set of visual features in the feature image comprises determining whether the second set of visual features coincides with the first set of visual features in the feature image. 
     
     
         34 . The system of  claim 32 , wherein the step (2) of determining the parameters of the camera comprises establishing initial parameters of the camera. 
     
     
         35 . The system of  claim 32 , wherein the step (2) of determining the parameters of the camera comprises adjusting or changing the parameters of the camera if the measure of concordance between the locations of the first set of visual features and the second set of visual features in the feature image has not passed the limit value.