Influence of Initial Orientation of Polarizer in Imaging System on Measurement Accuracy of Atmospheric Polarization Pattern and Correction Method

The atmospheric polarization pattern provides an orientation reference for bionic polarized light navigation. Solar meridian bending can be observed in the distribution of the polarization angle in the atmospheric polarization pattern measured when a deviation angle occurs between the initial orientation of the transmission axis of the polarizer and the polarization reference axis of the camera in the measurement system for the atmospheric polarization pattern. To overcome the influence of the deviation angle on the measurement of the atmospheric polarization pattern, this paper presents a model of the deviation angle error and analyzes the influence of the deviation angle on the measurement accuracy of the atmospheric polarization pattern in detail. Then, it proposes a method of correcting the deviation angle by the characteristics of the atmospheric polarization pattern, that is, utilizing the neutral points and symmetry of the atmospheric polarization pattern to obtain the optimal symmetry axis for the distribution of the polarization angle and thereby correct the deviation angle. The experimental results show that the measurement accuracy of the atmospheric polarization pattern can be improved by correcting the deviation angle.