17-Point Algorithm Revisited: Toward a More Accurate Way

17-point algorithm is a popular method in relative pose estimation of multi-cameras. However, the role of overlap in 17-point algorithm remains unexplored. And the relaxed way in solving constrained normal equation leads to sub-optimal results. Both of them influence accuracy of the estimated pose. In this paper, we theoretically analyze the influence of overlap and the solvability of 17-point algorithm. In addition, we show that the abuse of overlap can harm accuracy in practice. In light of these findings, we propose an improved 17-point algorithm, which avoids using overlaps and derives a simple way to solve normal equation on manifold. Both simulations and real world data experiments demonstrate the proposed one outperforms the traditional 17-point algorithm in term of accuracy.