A 6-DOF camera motion correction method using IMU sensors for photogrammetry and optical measurements

Abstract

Environmental conditions such as wind and ground traffic introduce motion in camera measurement systems and affect measurement accuracy. Conventional camera motion correction methods track static reference points with one or multiple cameras, reducing applicability. This study proposes a novel 6-degree-of-freedom (DOF) camera motion correction method using only an inertial measurement unit (IMU) sensor. A Kalman filter is adopted as a data fusion method to estimate the camera orientation and translation using IMU data. Six pinhole camera models are built to evaluate and correct 6-DOF camera motions. The motion correction efficiency and robustness are tested for different object distances and focal lengths of optical lenses. The motion correction ratio is statistically analysed and reaches approximately 80%. The object distance has little effect on the motion correction ratio. The rotation-induced pixel movement is independent of the object distance. More than 90% of the pixel movement noise is caused by camera rotation. The translation-induced pixel movement is inversely correlated with the object distance.