A few questions

Snehal Bhayani (201211008)

January 16, 2014
Assumptions and notations
Lets assume a pair of cameras with centres at O
1
and O
2
and the calibration matrices be the same for both
cameras, denoted by K GL(3) such that K(3, 3) = 1. Let the image planes associated with cameras O
1
and
O
2
be
1
and
2
respectively. Let the conics in the two image planes be C
1

1
and C
2

2
. Let a third
plane, be oriented in space, containing a conic C. For general orientation we assume that O
1
, O
2
dont lie
on the plane . This arrangement of the three planes ,
1
and
2
constructs homographies
1
H
1
:
1
,
H
2
:
2
and H :
1

2
.
H = H
1
2
H
1
Here we are assuming the three planes ,
1
and
2
to be represented as euclidean planes rather than projective
planes. As any practical application can be seen to have the cameras at nite location and thus any projective
point representing a nite camera center would be uniquely identied by its corresponding euclidean (or ane)
counterpart. E.g. if the point is [x, y, z, w], we can safely assume w = 0 and hence [x, y, z, w] corresponds to
[x/w, y/w, z/w] in R
3
.
And the respective conics are related through the above mentioned homographies as
C = H
T
1
C
1
H
1
1
, C = H
T
2
C
2
H
1
2
and C
2
= H
T
C
1
H
1
(1)
The conics C, C
1
and C
2
are represented by 3 3 symmetric invertible matrices.
The assumptions and the situation so detailed above are about relative local coordinate systems. Indeed one can
see that the quantities: homographies and conics are local with respect to the coordinate system assumed
in each of the planes.
Question 1
Before taking up the problem with two cameras, we can consider a situation with just one camera and the scene
plane . And for any relative orientation of the camera
2
from the scene plane , we can have a homography
H representing the mapping
1

3
. Thus any relative orientation of the camera and the planes will give us
a homography. Now the actual question is,
For a given homography can we orient the camera and scene plane in order to induce the given
matrix.
As mentioned before, having xed coordinate systems in both the planes, the given homography actually
translates to a euclidean problem. The homography, assuming a xed coordinate system, gives us four point
correspondences
4
between the two planes
1
and .
a
i
b
i
, a
i

1
, b
i
, 1 i 4
Thus the problem is nding an orientation between the camera and scene plane such that the point correspon-
dences as mentioned above are obtained. And one can show that not any given homography (or a set of four
point correspondences) can be represented by an arrangement of the camera and the scene plane.
1
By a homography we would mean a 3 3 real invertible matrix.
2
Henceforth the term camera will mean a centre O
1
, its image plane
1
and the calibration matrix, K xed as well as known.
3
One more point to note is, we can x any coordinate system in
1
and planes. Thereafter any change of coordinate system in
any of the planes amounts to multiplying the obtained homography matrix by an invertible matrix of coordinate transformation.
4
The point correspondences are also assumed to have been measured in the pre-decided euclidean coordinate system.
1
Poncelets theorem
A version of the famous Poncelets theorem mentions that When a planar scene is the central projection of
another plane(image plane), the plane scene and the image plane stay in perspective correspondence even if
the scene plane is rotated about the line of intersection of the image and the scene planes. And the center of
perspectivity moves in a circle in the plane perpendicular to this line of intersection.
For our requirements we can translate the same theorem as Given an orientation of the scene plane and
the camera(consisting of the center, image plane and the calibration matrix, with a xed coordinate system)
inducing the given homography, any further change in the relative orientation of the scene plane with respect
to the camera will change the homography.
This fact is an important point towards building up the original problem. For it shows that in order to maintain
the same homography in spite of change in orientation of scene plane with respect to the image plane, the camera
centre also needs to move with respect to image plane(specically in a circle). This means if we attempt to
keep the distance of the camera centre from image plane xed, no two dierent orientations of
scene plane can give the same homography.
Question 2
Adding one more camera to the above arrangement, we have two cameras
5
and also the scene plane, . Again
any orientation so formed would give us a homography H :
1

2
. And the question we are asking is the
inverse (as in Question 1 above):
Given a homography, H, can we orient the two cameras and the scene plane such that the H is
induced between the two image planes, by point transfer
6
through the scene plane?
This means that given homography H :
1

2
, we can arrange the three entities so as to obtain H
1
:
1
,
H
2
:
2
and H = H
2
H
1
1
.
And the orientation so obtained is identied by the parameters R(Rotation matrix between the two image
planes ) and t(translation vector between the two camera centres). We hypothesize that a given H can help us
to identify the specic R and t.
As it turns out the quantities R and t depend on H as well as on e
7
.
Algebraically the relation is specied as :
R =
1
(K
1
HK +K
1
ev
T
K) (2)
t = K
1
e, (3)
where is a non-zero scalar, and v is a parameter vector uniquely specifying the orientation of the scene plane
in space. So the problem of pose estimation as stated in literature is:
Given some correspondences between the two images
1
and
2
, we have to estimate R and t.
This is being done through estimation of H and e through the given correspondences and then infer R and
t through H and e. But in the cases when only one conic correspondence is known we dont have a unique
solution to H and e, it is not possible to estimate R and t through equation 2 and 3. From equation 1 we get
a solution space limiting the possible values of H.
Varying R and t
One more question is the change in H and e by changing R and t. In other words if we vary R and t would
H and e also vary? Algebraically we can see from equation (3) that e depends directly only on t and that
too linearly. But what can be said about H?
5
with camera centres at O
1
and O
2
, as well as the image planes
1
and
2
.
6
By point transfer we mean a c, a
1
, c
2
if and only if there exists a point b , such that a b and b c.
7
e is known to be the epipole in
2
, the point of intersection of line joining O
1
and O
2
and the plane
2
.
2