Calibration of multi-camera devices using reflections thereof

Abstract

The technology disclosed can provide capabilities such as calibrating an imaging device based on images taken by device cameras of reflections of the device itself. Implementations exploit device components that are easily recognizable in the images, such as one or more light-emitting devices (LEDs) or other light sources to eliminate the need for specialized calibration hardware and can be accomplished, instead, with hardware readily available to a user of the device—the device itself and a reflecting surface, such as a computer screen. The user may hold the device near the screen under varying orientations and capture a series of images of the reflection with the device's cameras. These images are analyzed to determine camera parameters based on the known positions of the light sources. If the positions of the light sources themselves are subject to errors requiring calibration, they may be solved for as unknowns in the analysis.