2D vehicle localizing using geoarcs

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10402675-B2
Application number	US-201615252120-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 30, 2016
Priority date	Aug 30, 2016
Publication date	Sep 3, 2019
Grant date	Sep 3, 2019

Abstract

Examples include methods, systems, and articles for localizing a vehicle relative to an imaged surface configuration. Localizing the vehicle may include selecting pairs of features in an image acquired from a sensor supported by the vehicle having corresponding identified pairs of features in a reference representation of the surface configuration. A three-dimensional geoarc may be generated based on an angle of view of the sensor and the selected feature pair in the reference representation. In some examples, a selected portion of the geoarc disposed a known distance of the vehicle away from the portion of the physical surface configuration may be determined. Locations where the selected portions of geoarcs for selected feature pairs overlap may be identified. In some examples, the reference representation may be defined in a three-dimensional space of volume elements (voxels), and voxels that are included in the highest number of geoarcs may be determined.

First claim

I claim:

1. A method for spatial localization comprising:
acquiring from a sensor supported by a vehicle an image of a portion of a physical surface configuration extending along a ground plane from a position spaced away from the ground plane by a known distance;
identifying features in the acquired image;
associating identified features in the acquired image with identified features in a two-dimensional reference representation of the portion of the physical surface configuration;
selecting a plurality of pairs of features in the acquired image having corresponding identified pairs of features in the reference representation;
for each selected feature pair in the acquired image,
determining an angle of view between the pair of features from the sensor,
generating a three-dimensional geoarc associating the determined angle of view and the selected feature pair in the reference representation, and
determining a selected portion of the geoarc disposed the known distance away from the portion of the physical surface configuration by determining a sensor plane at the known distance above the ground plane and identifying an intersection of the sensor plane with the geoarc; and

identifying locations where the selected portions of the geoarcs for the selected feature pairs overlap.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising, for each selected feature pair, translating the intersection of the sensor plane with the geoarc onto the ground plane, and associating the identified locations where the selected portions of the geoarcs overlap, with corresponding locations on the reference representation.

3. The method of claim 2 , further comprising selecting a location on the reference representation corresponding to where the selected portions of the geoarcs overlap the most as the location on the reference representation corresponding to the location of the vehicle in the sensor plane.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising, for each selected feature pair, translating the selected portion of the geoarc onto the reference representation, and associating the identified locations where the selected portions of the geoarcs overlap with corresponding locations on the reference representation.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein identifying locations where the selected portions of the geoarcs for the selected feature pairs overlap includes dividing an area of the reference representation of the portion of the physical surface configuration into a plurality of divisions, and identifying separately for each division locations in the respective division where the selected portions of the geoarcs for the selected feature pairs overlap.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein identifying separately for each division locations in the respective division where the selected portions of the geoarcs for the selected feature pairs overlap includes identifying, for a plurality of the plurality of divisions concurrently, locations in the respective division where the selected portions of the geoarcs for the selected feature pairs overlap.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the sensor has a known field of view, and wherein dividing an area of the reference representation of the portion of the physical surface configuration into a plurality of divisions includes dividing the area of the reference representation of the portion of the physical surface configuration into the plurality of divisions each having an area less than the known field of view.

8. A vehicle comprising:
a sensor configured to produce an image of a portion of a physical surface configuration extending along a ground plane from a position spaced away from the ground plane by a known distance; and
a data processing system communicatively coupled to the sensor, the data processing system configured to:
store a two-dimensional reference representation of the portion of the physical surface configuration extending along the ground plane and features identified in the reference representation,
identify features in the produced image;
associate identified features in the produced image with identified features in the reference representation,
select a plurality of pairs of features in the produced image having corresponding identified pairs of features in the reference representation, and
for each selected feature pair in the produced image,
determine an angle of view between the pair of features from the sensor,
generate a three-dimensional geoarc associating the determined angle of view and the selected feature pair in the reference representation, and
determine a selected portion of the geoarc disposed the known distance away from the portion of the physical surface configuration by determining a sensor plane at the known distance above the ground plane and identifying an intersection of the sensor plane with the geoarc; and

identify locations where the selected portions of the geoarcs for the selected feature pairs overlap.

9. The vehicle of claim 8 , wherein the data processing system is further configured to, for each selected feature pair, translate the intersection of the sensor plane with the geoarc onto the ground plane, and associate the identified locations where the selected portions of the geoarcs overlap, with corresponding locations on the reference representation.

10. The vehicle of claim 9 , wherein the data processing system is further configured to select a location on the reference representation corresponding to where the selected portions of the geoarcs overlap the most as the location on the reference representation corresponding to the location of the vehicle in the sensor plane.

11. The vehicle of claim 8 , wherein the data processing system is further configured to, for each selected feature pair, translate the selected portion of the geoarc onto the reference representation, and associate the identified locations where the selected portions of the geoarcs overlap with corresponding locations on the reference representation.

12. The vehicle of claim 8 , wherein the data processing system is further configured to divide an area of the reference representation of the portion of the physical surface configuration into a plurality of divisions, and identify separately for each division locations in the respective division where the selected portions of the geoarcs for the selected feature pairs overlap.

13. The vehicle of claim 12 , wherein the data processing system is further configured to identify, for a plurality of the plurality of divisions concurrently, locations in the respective division where the selected portions of the geoarcs for the selected feature pairs overlap.

14. The vehicle of claim 13 , wherein the sensor has a known field of view, and wherein the data processing system is further configured to divide the area of the reference representation of the portion of the physical surface configuration into the plurality of divisions each having an area less than the known field of view.

15. A computer program product, comprising:
at least one non-transitory computer readable storage medium having computer readable program instructions embodied therewith, the computer readable program instructions, when executed by a processor, configuring the processor to:
store a two-dimensional reference representation of a portion of a physical surface configuration extending along a ground plane and features identified in the reference representation;
receive and store an image produced by a sensor supported by a vehicle of a portion of the physical surface configuration from a position spaced away from the ground plane by a known distance;
ide

Assignees

• Boeing Co

Inventors

• Owechko Yuri

Classifications

• G06T7/344 Primary

  involving models · CPC title

• G06T2207/30244

  Camera pose · CPC title

• G06T17/05 Primary

  Geographic models · CPC title

• G06T7/75

  involving models · CPC title

• G06T2207/10032

  Satellite or aerial image; Remote sensing · CPC title