Real-time moving platform management system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10455197-B2
Application number	US-201213730140-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 28, 2012
Priority date	Jul 7, 2010
Publication date	Oct 22, 2019
Grant date	Oct 22, 2019

Abstract

The present disclosure describes a method for transmitting sensor data and positional data for geo-referencing oblique images from a moving platform to a ground station system in real-time. The method involves the aid of a moving platform system to capture sensor data and positional data for the sensor data, save the sensor data and positional data to one or more directories of one or more computer readable medium, monitor the one or more directories of the one or more computer readable medium for sensor data and positional data, and transmit the sensor data and positional data from the moving platform system to the ground station system over a wireless communication link responsive to the sensor data and positional data being detected as within the one or more directories.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method, comprising the steps of:
with the aid of a moving platform system on a moving platform:
capturing sensor data from a sensor in the moving platform system and positional data for the sensor data;
saving the sensor data and positional data for the sensor data to one or more directories of one or more computer readable medium, wherein the positional data saved in the one or more directories is at least one of raw and geo-referenced using elevation data;
transmitting the sensor data and positional data for the sensor data from the moving platform system to a ground station system through a non-line of sight communication link in real-time; and
establishing a wireless communication link between the moving platform system and the ground station system based on the ground station system generating a sequence of past time-based position data for the moving platform system from the positional data for the sensor data, the past time-based position data indicative of positions of the moving platform system at times the sensor data were captured, to predict a new location of the moving platform system based on the past time-based position data.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the positional data for geo-referencing the sensor data is calculated by a computer system of the moving platform system using a predetermined elevation value for each frame of oblique image data.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of capturing sensor data is defined further as capturing elevation data, and wherein the captured elevation data is used to geo-reference oblique image data covering the same area as the elevation data.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the moving platform is selected from a group consisting of an unmanned airplane, a manned airplane, an airship, a helicopter, a ground vehicle, a robotic device, and a boat.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising the step of loading a flight plan while the moving platform is in motion.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the sensor data in the step of transmitting the sensor data and positional data from the moving platform system to the ground station system is developed and compressed.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the sensor data saved in the one or more directories is selected from the group consisting of raw sensor data and developed sensor data.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein all of the steps occur in real-time.

9. A method, comprising the steps of:
with the aid of a moving platform system and occurring on a moving platform:
capturing sensor data from a sensor in the moving platform system and positional data for the sensor data;
saving the sensor data and positional data for the sensor data to one or more directories of one or more computer readable medium, wherein the positional data saved in the one or more directories is at least one of raw and geo-referenced using elevation data;
transmitting the sensor data and positional data for the sensor data from the moving platform system to a ground station system through a non-line of sight communication link in real-time; and
establishing a wireless communication link between the moving platform system and the ground station system based on the ground station system generating a sequence of past time-based position data for the moving platform system from at least a portion of the positional data for the sensor data, the past time-based position data indicative of positions of the moving platform system at times the sensor data were captured, to predict a new location of the moving platform system based on the past time-based position data.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein all of the steps occur in real-time.

11. The method of claim 9 , wherein the moving platform is selected from a group consisting of an unmanned airplane, a manned airplane, an airship, a helicopter, a ground vehicle, a robotic device, and a boat.

12. A system, comprising:
an unmanned airplane having a moving platform system, the moving platform system comprising:
one or more sensors including one or more camera;
a position system structured to monitor a location of the unmanned airplane;
a non-line-of-sight communication system;
a computer system having one or more non-transitory computer readable medium storing computer executable instructions which when executed by the computer system cause the computer system to:
receive data from the one or more sensors and the position system;
transmit, through the non-line-of-sight communication system, the data from the one or more sensors and the position system to a ground station system located on the ground; and
set up a wireless communication link between the moving platform system on the unmanned airplane while airborne and the ground station system based on the ground station system generating a sequence of past time-based position data from at least a portion of positional data from the position system received through the non-line-of-sight communication system indicative of past positions of the moving platform system to predict a new location of the moving platform system based on the past time-based position data, wherein the positional data is at least one of raw and geo-referenced using elevation data.

13. The system of claim 12 , wherein the data from the one or more sensors are images from the one or more camera.

14. The system of claim 13 , wherein the images are geo-referenced.

15. The method of claim 9 , wherein the sensor data comprises images from one or more camera.

16. The method of claim 9 , further comprising the step of loading a flight plan while the moving platform is in motion.

17. The system of claim 12 , further wherein the elevation data is a part of a digital elevation model.

18. The system of claim 12 , wherein the one or more sensors include a lidar system configured to obtain the elevation data.

19. The system of claim 12 , wherein the one or more sensors include a flash LADAR system configured to obtain the elevation data.

20. The system of claim 12 , wherein the one or more sensors obtain elevation data and image data.

21. The system of claim 12 , wherein the one or more sensors obtain the elevation data and image data in real-time.

22. The system of claim 12 , wherein receiving data from the one or more sensors and the position system includes receiving elevation data, image data, and position data from the one or more sensors and the position system.

23. The system of claim 12 , wherein the elevation data is indicative of a distance from the moving platform system to a surface.

Assignees

• Pictometry Int Corp

Inventors

• Giuffrida Frank D
• Winkelbauer Mark A
• Mondello Charles
• Bradacs Robert S
• Woodward Craig D
• Schultz Stephen L
• Lawrence Scott D
• Kusak Matt
• Willard Kevin G

Classifications

• H04N7/18 Primary

  Closed-circuit television [CCTV] systems, i.e. systems in which the video signal is not broadcast · CPC title

• G06T17/05

  Geographic models · CPC title

• G09G5/377

  for mixing or overlaying two or more graphic patterns (G09G5/02, G09G5/397 take precedence) · CPC title

• G01S17/89

  for mapping or imaging · CPC title

• H04W4/40

  for vehicles, e.g. vehicle-to-pedestrians [V2P] · CPC title