Camera FOV Calculator for Robotics & Autonomous Vehicles

Calculate horizontal, vertical and diagonal field of view from sensor size and focal length — plus camera ground coverage at any detection range.

UDHY Tools / Camera Field of View (FOV) Calculator

⚙️ Input Parameters

Sensor Width (mm)

1/2.3″ ≈ 6.4mm

Sensor Height (mm)

1/2.3″ ≈ 4.8mm

Focal Length (mm)

Wide: 2.8–4 | Tele: 12–25

Detection Range (m)

Distance for coverage calc

📊 Results

📷

Enter sensor dimensions and focal length to compute field of view angles and ground coverage.

Horizontal FOV

—°

Vertical FOV—

Diagonal FOV—

Ground width at range—

Ground height at range—

Why Camera FOV Matters for AV and Robotics Engineers

What This Calculates

FOV defines the angular extent a camera can see. Horizontal FOV determines lane coverage width; vertical FOV matters for detecting objects spanning height ranges. Ground coverage at range is the most practical number — it tells you exactly how wide and tall a scene your camera captures at your required detection distance.

When to Use It

Selecting lenses for AV front/side/rear cameras
Calculating overlap between adjacent cameras
Specifying minimum FOV in procurement documents
Validating lane marking visibility at operating speed
ROS 2 camera_info calibration parameter verification

Formula

H_FOV = 2×arctan(W/(2×f)) V_FOV = 2×arctan(H/(2×f)) D_FOV = 2×arctan(√(W²+H²)/(2×f))Ground_W = 2×range×tan(H_FOV/2) Ground_H = 2×range×tan(V_FOV/2)

Built by Dr. Dilip Kumar Limbu · Co-Founder, MooVita · Former Principal Scientist, A*STAR · UDHY Engineering Tools

How to Calculate Camera FOV

Horizontal FOV =
2 × atan(sensor width / 2 × focal length)

Vertical FOV =
2 × atan(sensor height / 2 × focal length)

Diagonal FOV =
2 × atan(sensor diagonal / 2 × focal length)

Example

A camera with a 6.4 mm sensor width and 4 mm focal length has approximately a 77° horizontal FOV.

Assumptions to the calculator
This calculator assumes a rectilinear camera model and uses sensor dimensions and focal length to calculate angular FOV. Ground coverage assumes a flat target plane and does not account for camera pitch, roll, lens distortion, terrain slope or mounting geometry.

FAQs on Camera Field of View

1. How do I calculate camera field of view from focal length and sensor size?

Camera FOV is calculated using the formula: FOV = 2 × arctan(sensor_dimension / (2 × focal_length)). Apply this separately to sensor width and height for horizontal and vertical FOV. For example, a 6.4mm wide sensor with a 4mm focal length gives: HFOV = 2 × arctan(6.4 / 8) = 2 × arctan(0.8) ≈ 77°. This calculator handles the trigonometry automatically — enter your sensor dimensions and focal length for the result.

2. What camera FOV is recommended for autonomous vehicle front cameras?

Most AV front camera stacks use a combination of FOVs to cover different detection tasks. A wide-angle camera (90–120° horizontal FOV) provides near-field coverage and pedestrian detection at intersection crossings. A medium camera (50–70° HFOV) covers the primary driving lane and traffic signs at 30–60m. A narrow telephoto (20–35° HFOV) covers long-range detection at 100m+. Waymo’s Jaguar platform, for example, uses 29 cameras with overlapping FOVs for full 360° coverage with multiple resolution zones.

3. What is the difference between horizontal and vertical FOV in cameras?

Horizontal FOV describes the angular width of the camera’s view — relevant for lane coverage and side detection. Vertical FOV describes the angular height — relevant for detecting objects that span a height range (pedestrians, cyclists, traffic lights). Most image sensors are wider than they are tall (matching standard video aspect ratios), so horizontal FOV is typically larger than vertical FOV for the same focal length.

4. How does focal length affect camera FOV?

Shorter focal lengths produce wider FOV (more scene captured, less detail per pixel). Longer focal lengths produce narrower FOV (less scene captured, more detail per pixel). For a fixed sensor size, doubling the focal length approximately halves the angular FOV. For AV applications: wide-angle lenses (short focal length) are used for near-field coverage and intersection awareness; telephoto lenses (long focal length) are used for long-range traffic sign and obstacle detection.

5. Why does ground coverage at range matter for AV sensor design?

Ground coverage at range is the practical metric that determines whether your camera can see what it needs to see at your required detection distance. An AV camera with 90° HFOV at 50m covers approximately 100m of ground width — far wider than needed for lane detection, suggesting a narrower lens may provide better range performance for the same resolution. This calculator lets you evaluate the actual coverage at any range, so you can verify your lens selection against your ODD’s detection requirements rather than working from abstract FOV angles.

6. How do I use FOV to calculate sensor overlap between adjacent cameras?

Sensor overlap ensures no blind spots between adjacent cameras in a multi-camera array. To calculate overlap: compute the ground coverage width of each camera at the distance where overlap is required, then calculate the horizontal displacement between camera mounting positions. Overlap at range = (individual camera ground width) − (camera separation). A minimum 10–15% overlap is typically required for reliable object handoff between cameras in a perception pipeline.