Research progress and prospect of catadioptric panoramic system

As a new panoramic vision system developed in recent 10 years, the catadioptric panoramic system has advantages in miniaturization, structural flexibility, low cost and real-time compared to conventional methods such as camera rotation scanning, multi-camera image stitching, and fisheye lens large field imaging. In this review, the recent progress in basic catadioptric panoramic system, including imaging models, system calibration, distortion correction and overall well-focused imaging, are summarized. Moreover, the extended applications in infrared imaging and stereo vision are also presented. Finally, the existing unsolved problems are discussed. It is also suggested that the future catadioptric panoramic system will focus on non-single view imaging model, improving of the spatial resolution method and implementing of the real-time processing algorithm.