A Distributed System of Pan/tilt Cameras for 3D Tracking

Abstract

This thesis describes a distributed system of cameras for visually tracking feature points in 3D. The concept of a network of cameras is introduced. Two or more calibrated cameras from a network of cameras are used to triangulate the location of a point in 3D based on camera positions and pan/tilt angles. A survey of methods for interior and exterior calibration is provided and a method suitable for multiple cameras in arbitrary positions has been implemented. A low-cost camera unit has been designed using off-the-shelf components that include a small CCD board camera and two servo-controlled mechanisms for pan and tilt. Experimental results demonstrate the performance of a network of cameras.