# Camera Calibration using a Collimator System

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2409.20034 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2409.20034/

## Key facts

- Cited by 9 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- Builds on 6 of its 47 references that are in the map.
- First posted on arXiv 30 Sep 2024.

## Builds on (most cited first, 6 of 6)

- [ORB-SLAM3: An Accurate Open-Source Library for Visual, Visual-Inertial and Multi-Map SLAM](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2007.11898/) (2020)
- [Why Having 10,000 Parameters in Your Camera Model is Better Than Twelve](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1912.02908/) (2019)
- [Calibration Wizard: A Guidance System for Camera Calibration Based on Modelling Geometric and Corner Uncertainty](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1811.03264/) (2018)
- [BabelCalib: A Universal Approach to Calibrating Central Cameras](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2109.09704/) (2021)
- [Depth Sensing Beyond LiDAR Range](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2004.03048/) (2020)
- [Structure from Motion on a Sphere](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1604.00409/) (2016)

## Built on by (most cited first, 9 of 9)

- [Optimal Pose Guidance for Stereo Calibration in 3D Deformation Measurement](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2511.18317/) (2025)
- [Accurate Pose Estimation for Flight Platforms based on Divergent Multi-Aperture Imaging System](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2502.19708/) (2025)
- [High-precision visual navigation device calibration method based on collimator](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2502.18012/) (2025)
- [3D Trajectory Reconstruction of Moving Points Based on a Monocular Camera](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2502.19689/) (2025)
- [Collimator-assisted high-precision calibration method for event cameras](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2512.16092/) (2025)
- [3D Trajectory Reconstruction of Moving Points Based on Asynchronous Cameras](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2506.00541/) (2025)
- [A Pose-only Geometric Constraint for Multi-Camera Pose Adjustment](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2604.23704/) (2026)
- [Flexible Camera Calibration using a Collimator System](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2512.16113/) (2025)
- [Generic Camera Calibration using Blurry Images](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2603.05159/) (2026)

## Abstract (arXiv)

Camera calibration is a crucial step in photogrammetry and 3D vision applications. In practical scenarios with a long working distance to cover a wide area, target-based calibration methods become complicated and inflexible due to site limitations. This paper introduces a novel camera calibration method using a collimator system, which can provide a reliable and controllable calibration environment for cameras with varying working distances. Based on the optical geometry of the collimator system, we prove that the relative motion between the target and camera conforms to the spherical motion model, reducing the original 6DOF relative motion to 3DOF pure rotation motion. Furthermore, a closed-form solver for multiple views and a minimal solver for two views are proposed for camera calibration. The performance of our method is evaluated in both synthetic and real-world experiments, which verify the feasibility of calibration using the collimator system and demonstrate that our method is superior to the state-of-the-art methods. Demo code is available at https://github.com/LiangSK98/CollimatorCalibration.