Accuracy of exterior orientation for a range camera

While known in principle for over 10 years range cameras have recently received increased attention. As the technology matures, interest is given to the possible applications of such sensors. Clearly the applicability of the sensor is connected to its reliability and accuracy. At the centre of this study lies the question how accurately the exterior orientation of a range camera can be estimated, given a reference point cloud. Before we can assess the accuracy of a quantity derived from processing sensor readings, we have to examine the accuracy of the sensor itself. This leads to an investigation of range camera calibration. In this study we present our results on calibrating a PMD sensor and applying the correction data to the problem of computing the exterior orientation of a range camera. We present results derived from practical experiments and discuss the influence of different correction approaches on orientation through point cloud alignment.

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