Calibration of Kinect-type RGB-D sensors for robotic applications

Abstract

The paper presents a calibration model suitable for software-based calibration of Kinect-type RGB-D sensors. Additionally, it describes a two-step calibration procedure assuming a use of only a simple checkerboard pattern. Finally, the paper presents a calibration case study, showing that the calibration may improve sensor accuracy 3 to 5 times, depending on the anticipated use of the sensor. The results obtained in this study using calibration models of different levels of complexity reveal that depth measurement correction is an important component of calibration as it may reduce by 50% the errors in sensor reading.