Multi-sensor image stabilization techniques

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10212346-B2
Application number	US-201615177194-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 8, 2016
Priority date	Jun 8, 2016
Publication date	Feb 19, 2019
Grant date	Feb 19, 2019

Abstract

An aerial vehicle may include a first sensor, such as a digital camera, having a lens or other component that includes a second sensor mounted thereto. Information or data, such as digital images, captured using the second sensor may be used to determine or predict motion of the lens, which may include components of translational and/or rotational motion. Once the motion of the lens has been determined or predicted, such motion may be used to stabilize information or data, such as digital images, captured using the first sensor, according to optical or digital stabilization techniques. Where operations of the first sensor and the second sensor are synchronized, motion of the second sensor may be modeled based on information or data captured thereby, and imputed to the first sensor.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An unmanned aerial vehicle comprising:
a frame;
a primary imaging device joined to the frame, wherein the primary imaging device comprises a primary lens module;
a secondary imaging device joined to an external surface of the primary lens module, wherein the secondary imaging device comprises a secondary lens module; and
a control unit having at least one computer processor configured to at least:
cause a plurality of primary images to be captured by the primary imaging device;
cause a plurality of secondary images to be captured by the secondary imaging device;
define at least one vector representative of motion of the secondary imaging device based at least in part on the plurality of secondary images; and
stabilize at least one of the plurality of primary images based at least in part on the at least one vector representative of the motion of the secondary imaging device.

2. The unmanned aerial vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the at least one computer processor is further configured to at least:
identify at least one salient feature in a first one of the secondary images; and
identify the at least one salient feature in a second one of the secondary images,
wherein the at least one vector representative of the motion of the secondary imaging device is defined based at least in part on the at least one salient feature in the first one of the secondary images and the at least one salient feature in the second one of the secondary images.

3. The unmanned aerial vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the at least one vector is representative of at least one of a yaw, a pitch or a roll of the secondary imaging device.

4. The unmanned aerial vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the primary imaging device is aligned in a substantially forward orientation when the unmanned aerial vehicle is engaged in forward flight operations, and
wherein the secondary imaging device is aligned in a substantially downward orientation when the unmanned aerial vehicle engaged in forward flight operations.

5. The unmanned aerial vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the at least one computer processor is further configured to at least:
derive a model of the motion of the secondary imaging device based at least in part on at least some of the plurality of secondary images,
wherein the at least one vector is defined based at least in part on the model.

6. A method comprising:
capturing, by a first imaging device having a first lens, first imaging data during an operation of an aerial vehicle, wherein the first imaging device is mounted to the aerial vehicle;
capturing, by a second imaging device having a second lens, second imaging data during the operation of the aerial vehicle, wherein the second imaging device is mounted to at least a portion of the first imaging device;
determining, by at least one computer processor, at least one vector representative of motion of the first imaging device based at least in part on the second imaging data; and
modifying, by the at least one computer processor, the first data based at least in part on the at least one vector, wherein modifying the first imaging data comprises stabilizing the first imaging data by the at least one computer processor; and
storing the modified first imaging data in at least one data store.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the first imaging data comprises a first image and a second image, and
wherein stabilizing the first imaging data comprises:
identifying at least one of a plurality of anchor points within the first image;
identifying at least one of the plurality of anchor points within the second image;
computing a transformation from the first image to the second image; and
modifying at least one of the first image or the second image based at least in part on the transformation.

8. The method of claim 6 ,
wherein the first imaging device is aligned in a substantially forward orientation with respect to a direction of travel of the aerial vehicle during the operation,
wherein the second imaging device is embedded in an underside of the first lens, and
wherein the second imaging device is aligned in a substantially downward orientation with respect to the direction of travel of the aerial vehicle during the operation.

9. The method of claim 6 , wherein the first imaging data comprises a first plurality of images,
wherein the second imaging data comprises a second plurality of images, and
wherein determining the at least one vector representative of the motion of the first imaging device based at least in part on the second imaging data comprises:
determining a first vector based at least in part on a first subset of the second plurality of images, wherein the first subset comprises a predetermined number of the second plurality of images captured prior to a first time and the predetermined number of the second plurality of images captured following the first time;
identifying a first one of the first plurality of images captured at the first time,
wherein stabilizing the first imaging data comprises:
stabilizing the first one of the first plurality of images based at least in part on the first vector.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein determining the at least one vector representative of the motion of the first imaging device based at least in part on the second imaging data further comprises:
determining a second vector based at least in part on a second subset of the second plurality of images, wherein the second subset comprises a predetermined number of the second plurality of images captured prior to a second time and the predetermined number of the second plurality of images captured following the second time;
identifying a second one of the first plurality of images captured at the second time,
wherein stabilizing the first imaging data comprises:
stabilizing the second one of the first plurality of images based at least in part on the second vector.

11. The method of claim 6 , wherein the second imaging data comprises a second plurality of images, and
wherein determining the at least one vector representative of the motion of the first imaging device based at least in part on the second data comprises:
identifying, by the at least one computer processor, at least a first position of at least one salient feature in a first one of the second plurality of images captured at a first time;
identifying, by the at least one computer processor, at least a second position of the at least one salient feature in a second one of the second plurality of images captured at a second time; and
determining the at least one vector based at least in part on the first position, the second position, the first time and the second time.

12. The method of claim 6 , further comprising:
repositioning the first lens based at least in part on the at least one vector; and
after repositioning the first lens,
capturing, by the first imaging device, third data during the operation of the aerial vehicle.

13. The method of claim 6 , wherein determining the at least one vector representative of the motion of the first imaging device comprises:
determining at least one of a forward velocity, a vertical velocity or a lateral velocity of the first imaging device based at least in part on the second imaging data.

14. The method of claim 6 , wherein determining the at least one vector representative of the motion of the first imaging device comprises:
determining at least one of a yaw function, a pitch function or a roll function of the first imaging device based at least in part on the second imaging data.

15. The method of claim

Assignees

• Amazon Tech Inc

Inventors

• Harris Scott Raymond
• Kamon Ishay
• Watson Joshua John

Classifications

• G06V20/17

  taken from planes or by drones · CPC title

• H04N23/68

  for stable pick-up of the scene, e.g. compensating for camera body vibrations · CPC title

• G06V20/13 Primary

  Satellite images · CPC title

• H04N23/90

  Arrangement of cameras or camera modules, e.g. multiple cameras in TV studios or sports stadiums · CPC title

• H04N23/687

  by shifting the lens or sensor position · CPC title