Fast and robust camera calibration using a compound planar target with ArUco markers

Camera calibration is one of the key technologies to realize precision measurement in photogrammetry. Traditional camera calibration method has the challenges of low calibration efficiency and accuracy under the conditions of complex background and uneven illumination. In this paper, a compound planar target comprising four ArUco markers and a circular grid is designed for camera calibration in complex scenes. First, the fast detection of planar targets is achieved using ArUco markers, then the robust orientation of planar targets is achieved by sorting circular markers. Finally, the ArUco markers are utilized for precise camera calibration by affine transformation to correct the eccentricity errors. The experimental results show that the proposed technique improves the efficiency and accuracy of camera calibration, with an almost doubling of detection performance and a 30% improvement in calibration accuracy, respectively.