A Novel, Efficient and Accurate Method for Lidar Camera Calibration

As autonomous systems evolve, the precise cali- bration of lidar and camera sensors remains a pivotal concern. Among the myriad of available techniques, target-based cal- ibration methods, which employ planar boards with distinct geometry and image patterns, have been a popular choice. These methods simplify the task of extracting corresponding features between the image and lidar point cloud. But many of these approaches also face a significant challenge, which is their sensitivity to lidar resolution and Field of View (FOV), which may degrade the reliability of the calibration results. Therefore, our research introduces a novel calibration method using a uniquely designed acrylic checkerboard which allows the lidar beam to pass through the white grids and reflect back from the black grids. This innovative technique sidesteps the com- mon challenges associated with lidar feature extraction. Our method’s distinct advantage lies in its ability to perform accu- rate calibrations at close distances, owing to the efficient feature extraction from both lidar and camera sensors. This novel, effi- cient, and accurate method can provide state-of-the-art results for camera lidar calibration in the field. Please also check our Github repository: https://github.com/WPI-APA-Lab/ Acrylic-Board-Lidar-Camera-Calibration