Automatic high-precision self-calibration of camera-robot systems

— In this article a new method is presented to obtain a full and precise calibration of camera-robot systems with eyein-hand cameras. It achieves a simultaneous and numerically stable calibration of intrinsic and extrinsic camera parameters by analysing the image coordinates of a single point marker placed in the environment of the robot. The method works by first determining a rough initial estimate of the camera pose in the tool coordinate frame. This estimate is then used to generate a set of uniformly distributed calibration poses from which the object is visible. The measurements obtained in these poses are then used to obtain the exact parameters with CMA-ES (Covariance Matrix Adaptation Evolution Strategy), a derandomised variant of an evolution strategy optimiser. Minimal claims on the surrounding area and flexible handling of environmental and kinematical limitations make this method applicable to a range of robot setups and camera models. The algorithm runs autonomously w...

• Type: Conference
• Year: 2009
• Where: ICRA
• Authors: Andreas Jordt, Nils T. Siebel, Gerald Sommer
• Keywords: Calibration, Extrinsic Camera Parameters, ICRA 2009, Initial Estimates, Robotics