Patent ID: 7196721

Claim:
An information processing method of setting one of an internal parameter and an external parameter of a camera, comprising: acquiring a picked-up image obtained by picking up a calibration pattern in which black pattern elements and black-and-white pattern elements are arranged on a plane using the camera, each of the black pattern elements having a dark closed area in a bright background area, each of the black-and-white pattern elements having a dark closed area and a bright closed area inside the dark closed area; obtaining a black continuation area and a white continuation area by quantizing the picked-up image; judging the black pattern elements and the black-and-white pattern elements in the picked-up image based on the black continuation area and the white continuation area which are obtained in said obtaining step; and identifying which of the black-and-white pattern elements, in the calibration pattern, correspond to each of the judged black-and-white pattern elements, based on an arrangement relation of the judged black-and-white pattern elements; identifying which of the black pattern elements, in the calibration pattern, correspond to each of the judged black pattern elements, based on the arrangement relation of the judged black-and-white pattern elements; and setting at least one of the internal parameter and the external parameter based on correspondence between image coordinate values of the pattern elements on the picked-up image and spatial coordinate values of the pattern elements in a space, the correspondence being obtained by the identifying of the black-and-white pattern elements and the identifying of the black pattern elements, wherein the calibration pattern includes three or more black-and-white pattern elements arranged on a line and a black-and-white pattern element arranged at a position perpendicular to the line.