Image alignment for precise camera fixation and aim

Abstract

Two important problems in camera control are how to keep a moving camera fixated on a target point, and how to precisely aim a camera, whose approximate pose is known, towards a given 3D position. This paper describes how electronic image alignment techniques can be used to solve these problems, as well as provide other benefits such as stabilized video. Hence, stabilized, fixated imagery is obtained despite large latencies in the control loop, even for simple control strategies. These techniques have been tested using an airborne camera and real-time affine image alignment.