Indeterminacy of Camera Intrinsic Parameters in Structure from Motion Using Images from Constant-Pitch Flight Design
Intrinsic parameter estimation by self-calibration is commonly used in Unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)-based photogrammetry with Structure from Motion (SfM). However, obtaining stable estimates of these parameters from image-based SfM—which relies solely on images, without auxiliary data such as groun...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2025-06-01
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| Series: | Remote Sensing |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/17/12/2030 |
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| author | Truc Thanh Ho Riku Sato Ariyo Kanno Tsuyoshi Imai Koichi Yamamoto Takaya Higuchi |
| author_facet | Truc Thanh Ho Riku Sato Ariyo Kanno Tsuyoshi Imai Koichi Yamamoto Takaya Higuchi |
| author_sort | Truc Thanh Ho |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Intrinsic parameter estimation by self-calibration is commonly used in Unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)-based photogrammetry with Structure from Motion (SfM). However, obtaining stable estimates of these parameters from image-based SfM—which relies solely on images, without auxiliary data such as ground control points (GCPs)—remains challenging. Aerial imagery acquired with the constant-pitch (CP) flight pattern often exhibits non-linear deformations, highly unstable intrinsic parameters, and even alignment failures. We hypothesize that CP flights form a “critical configuration” that renders certain intrinsic parameters indeterminate. Through numerical experiments, we confirm that a CP flight configuration does not provide sufficient constraints to estimate focal length (f) and the principal point coordinate (cy) in image-based SfM. Real-world CP datasets further demonstrate the pronounced instability of these parameters. As a remedy, we show that by introducing intermediate strips into the CP flight plan—what we call a CP-Plus flight—can effectively mitigate the indeterminacy of f and cy in simulations and markedly improve their stability in all tested cases. This approach enables more effective image-only SfM workflows without auxiliary data, simplifies data acquisition, and improves three-dimensional reconstruction accuracy. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-da27b4e793744d7194fd81c2c08c8834 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2072-4292 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Remote Sensing |
| spelling | doaj-art-da27b4e793744d7194fd81c2c08c88342025-08-20T03:27:25ZengMDPI AGRemote Sensing2072-42922025-06-011712203010.3390/rs17122030Indeterminacy of Camera Intrinsic Parameters in Structure from Motion Using Images from Constant-Pitch Flight DesignTruc Thanh Ho0Riku Sato1Ariyo Kanno2Tsuyoshi Imai3Koichi Yamamoto4Takaya Higuchi5Graduate School of Sciences and Technology for Innovation, Yamaguchi University, 2-16-1 Tokiwadai, Yamaguchi 755-8611, JapanGraduate School of Sciences and Technology for Innovation, Yamaguchi University, 2-16-1 Tokiwadai, Yamaguchi 755-8611, JapanGraduate School of Sciences and Technology for Innovation, Yamaguchi University, 2-16-1 Tokiwadai, Yamaguchi 755-8611, JapanGraduate School of Sciences and Technology for Innovation, Yamaguchi University, 2-16-1 Tokiwadai, Yamaguchi 755-8611, JapanGraduate School of Sciences and Technology for Innovation, Yamaguchi University, 2-16-1 Tokiwadai, Yamaguchi 755-8611, JapanGraduate School of Sciences and Technology for Innovation, Yamaguchi University, 2-16-1 Tokiwadai, Yamaguchi 755-8611, JapanIntrinsic parameter estimation by self-calibration is commonly used in Unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)-based photogrammetry with Structure from Motion (SfM). However, obtaining stable estimates of these parameters from image-based SfM—which relies solely on images, without auxiliary data such as ground control points (GCPs)—remains challenging. Aerial imagery acquired with the constant-pitch (CP) flight pattern often exhibits non-linear deformations, highly unstable intrinsic parameters, and even alignment failures. We hypothesize that CP flights form a “critical configuration” that renders certain intrinsic parameters indeterminate. Through numerical experiments, we confirm that a CP flight configuration does not provide sufficient constraints to estimate focal length (f) and the principal point coordinate (cy) in image-based SfM. Real-world CP datasets further demonstrate the pronounced instability of these parameters. As a remedy, we show that by introducing intermediate strips into the CP flight plan—what we call a CP-Plus flight—can effectively mitigate the indeterminacy of f and cy in simulations and markedly improve their stability in all tested cases. This approach enables more effective image-only SfM workflows without auxiliary data, simplifies data acquisition, and improves three-dimensional reconstruction accuracy.https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/17/12/2030UAV-based photogrammetrystructure from motion (SfM)indeterminacyintrinsic parameterscritical configuration |
| spellingShingle | Truc Thanh Ho Riku Sato Ariyo Kanno Tsuyoshi Imai Koichi Yamamoto Takaya Higuchi Indeterminacy of Camera Intrinsic Parameters in Structure from Motion Using Images from Constant-Pitch Flight Design Remote Sensing UAV-based photogrammetry structure from motion (SfM) indeterminacy intrinsic parameters critical configuration |
| title | Indeterminacy of Camera Intrinsic Parameters in Structure from Motion Using Images from Constant-Pitch Flight Design |
| title_full | Indeterminacy of Camera Intrinsic Parameters in Structure from Motion Using Images from Constant-Pitch Flight Design |
| title_fullStr | Indeterminacy of Camera Intrinsic Parameters in Structure from Motion Using Images from Constant-Pitch Flight Design |
| title_full_unstemmed | Indeterminacy of Camera Intrinsic Parameters in Structure from Motion Using Images from Constant-Pitch Flight Design |
| title_short | Indeterminacy of Camera Intrinsic Parameters in Structure from Motion Using Images from Constant-Pitch Flight Design |
| title_sort | indeterminacy of camera intrinsic parameters in structure from motion using images from constant pitch flight design |
| topic | UAV-based photogrammetry structure from motion (SfM) indeterminacy intrinsic parameters critical configuration |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/17/12/2030 |
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