A Generic Parameter Optimization Workflow for Camera Control Algorithms

Cameras are often controlled by algorithms adapting the image capturing process parameters (like exposure or gain) to the present scene. In most cases these algorithms have to be parametrized by a parameter set in order to... [ view full abstract ]

Cameras are often controlled by algorithms
adapting the image capturing process parameters (like exposure
or gain) to the present scene. In most cases these algorithms
have to be parametrized by a parameter set in order to define
the behavior of the control. The issue of selecting the best
parameter set for a specific application or environment arises.
The parameter selection is not a simple task since the internal
structure of the control algorithm is often not sufficiently known
by the user. Only the inputs (parameter sets) can be specified
and the outputs (images) can be analyzed.
This paper presents a generic workflow for the determination
of a parameter set which achieves good image quality for a
chosen application with specific light conditions. The developed
workflow is able to deal with any control algorithm and
any chosen application. In general, the four main steps of the
developed workflow are: 1. Build a database of images with their
related parameter sets, 2. Evaluate which image criteria are
best to assess the image quality for the particular application,
3. Choose an optimization method, 4. Optimize the parameter
sets. The presented workflow is developed and examined
based on the example of real-world automotive scenarios. At
the end of the paper experimental results confirm that the
optimized camera parameters achieve a meaningful and useful
optimization result regarding the images captured by the camera.