A flexible method for zoom lens calibration and modeling using a planar checkerboard

This paper presents a flexible method for zoom lens calibration and modeling using a planar checkerboard. The method includes the following four steps. First, the principal point of the zoom-lens camera is determined by a focus-of-expansion approach. Second, the influences of focus changes on the principal distance are modeled by a scale parameter. Third, checkerboard images taken at varying object distances with convergent image geometry are used for camera calibration. Finally, the variations of the calibration parameters with respect to the various zoom and focus settings are modeled using polynomials. Three different types of lens are examined in this study. Experimental analyses show that high precision calibration results can be expected from the developed approach. The relative measurement accuracy (accuracy normalized with object distance) using the calibrated zoom-lens camera model ranges from 1:5 000 to 1:25 000. The developed method is of significance to facilitate the use of zoom-lens camera systems in various applications such as robotic exploration, hazard monitoring, traffic monitoring, and security surveillance.