A calibration-free lens distortion correction method for low cost digital imaging

This paper describes a new lens distortion correction method suitable for consumer digital imaging and consequent mobile computing applications. First, a convenient way of camera calibration for lens distortion coefficient estimation is proposed with experimental validation. An image warping method for lens distortion removal is formulated by inverse spatial mapping; subsequently, an approximation scheme is proposed which is adapted for real-time application. Finally, the method is extended such that the calibration stage can be completely removed. Experimental results show that the proposed method effectively replaces costly calibration process and provides a distortion-free quality image.