Wide-angle camera distortions and non-uniform illumination in mobile robot tracking

In this paper some fundamentals and solutions to accompanying problems in vision system design for mobile robot tracking are presented. The main topics are correction of camera lens distortion and compensation of non-uniform illumination. Both correction methods contribute to vision system performance if implemented in the appropriate manner. Their applicability is demonstrated by applying them to vision for robot soccer. The lens correction method successfully corrects the distortion caused by the camera lens, thus achieving a more accurate and precise estimation of object position. The illumination compensation improves robustness to irregular and non-uniform illumination that is nearly always present in real conditions. © 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.