Simple, Accurate, and Robust Projector-Camera Calibration

Structured-light systems are simple and effective tools to acquire 3D models. Built with off-the-shelf components, a data projector and a camera, they are easy to deploy and compare in precision with expensive laser scanners. But such a high precision is only possible if camera and projector are both accurately calibrated. Robust calibration methods are well established for cameras but, while cameras and projectors can both be described with the same mathematical model, it is not clear how to adapt these methods to projectors. In consequence, many of the proposed projector calibration techniques make use of a simplified model, neglecting lens distortion, resulting in loss of precision. In this paper, we present a novel method to estimate the image coordinates of 3D points in the projector image plane. The method relies on an uncalibrated camera and makes use of local homographies to reach sub-pixel precision. As a result, any camera model can be used to describe the projector, including the extended pinhole model with radial and tangential distortion coefficients, or even those with more complex lens distortion models.