The Role of a Digital Intelligent Camera in Automating Industrial Photogrammetry

In the past few years the automation of digital industrial photogrammetric systems has increased dramatically. Due to digital image processing software, coded targets and automatic matching methods, a huge number of photogrammetric measurement tasks can be fully automated. In many cases a "one button click" is enough to provide the three dimensional co-ordinates of measured points without any manual interaction, immediately after acquiring the images. The technology of intelligent cameras is a logical step towards automated photogrammetric measurements. An intelligent camera, which has an integrated computer, analyses the image immediately after it is taken. This technology provides not only a much shorter processing time for the images but also more control over the measurement process just when it is needed, during image acquisition. This takes place in the form of real time feedback.
This paper describes the role of a digital intelligent camera in the automation of an industrial photogrammetric measurement system and gives an overview of existing automation techniques in industrial photogrammetry. As an example of an intelligent camera, the performance of the new INCA digital intelligent camera, developed and manufactured by Geodetic Services, Inc. (GSI) and distributed by Leica, is described.