Calibration of Asynchronous Camera Networks for Object Reconstruction Tasks

Camera network and multi-camera calibration for external parameters is a necessary step for a variety of contexts in computer vision and robotics, ranging from three-dimensional reconstruction to human activity tracking. This paper describes a method for camera network and/or multi-camera calibration suitable for specific contexts: the cameras may not all have a common field of view, or if they do, there may be some views that are 180 degrees from one another, and the network may be asynchronous. The calibration object required is one or more planar calibration patterns, rigidly attached to one another, and are distinguishable from one another, such as aruco or charuco patterns. We formulate the camera network and/or multi-camera calibration problem in this context using rigidity constraints, represented as a system of equations, and an approximate solution is found through a two-step process. Synthetic and real experiments, including scenarios of a asynchronous camera network and rotating imaging system, demonstrate the method in a variety of settings. Reconstruction accuracy error was less than 0.5 mm for all datasets. This method is suitable for new users to calibrate a camera network, and the modularity of the calibration object also allows for disassembly, shipping, and the use of this method in a variety of large and small spaces.