Global calibration method for non-overlapping cameras based on rigidly connected stereo targets

In complex field of view (FOV) environments, a single camera’s FOV measurement range is limited and cannot cover the entire object under test for global calibration. Multiple cameras are used mostly for large FOV environment measurements, but the traditional one- and two-dimensional targets used for global calibration in large FOV environments are prone to overlapping FOV. Furthermore, other large-sized targets are difficult to produce and process, and the laser projection method and plane mirror calibration methods are easily affected by the outdoor environment. To solve this problem, a non-common FOV binocular calibration method based on rigidly connected stereo targets is proposed. The calibration process is as follows: First, the rigidly connected target, which is composed of two plane targets with a checkerboard, is placed in front of the two cameras, and the vision sensor captures the corresponding sub-target image; then, the target is moved multiple times, and the transformation relationship between multiple vision sensors is obtained according to the spatial constraint characteristics of the rigidly connected target. Hence, the method overcomes the limitation of the non-overlapping FOV calibration method that relies on large measuring instruments. The experimental results show that the RMS error of the 13 mm distance is 0.16 mm. The proposed method is effective, simpler to operate than other methods, and does not rely on the constraint of complex targets. More importantly, this measurement method solves the difficult problem of measurement in non-public FOV, meeting the requirements of large FOV measurement ranges.