Decentralized location determination systems and methods

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11417015-B2
Application number	US-202017075022-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 20, 2020
Priority date	Oct 20, 2020
Publication date	Aug 16, 2022
Grant date	Aug 16, 2022

Abstract

A mapping system for an environment includes an image sensor configured to generate image data of the environment. The mapping system includes a fixed tag including position indicia, where the position indicia identifies a predefined position coordinate of the fixed tag. The mapping system includes an entity tag including entity indicia, where the entity indicia identifies an entity associated with the entity tag. The mapping system includes a controller configured to determine a position coordinate of the entity tag based on the image data, where the image data includes the position indicia and the entity indicia.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A mapping system for an environment including an image sensor configured to generate image data of the environment, the mapping system comprising:
a fixed tag including position indicia, wherein the position indicia identifies a predefined position coordinate of the fixed tag;
an entity tag including entity indicia, wherein the entity indicia identifies an entity associated with the entity tag; and
a controller configured to:
identify the position indicia of the fixed tag and the entity indicia of the entity tag based on the image data,
determine one or more image-based distances between the image sensor and at least one of the entity tag and the fixed tag, and
determine a position coordinate of the entity tag based on the one or more image-based distances and the predefined position coordinate of the fixed tag.

2. The mapping system of claim 1 , wherein the fixed tag is disposed on a fixed object within the environment.

3. The mapping system of claim 1 , wherein the entity tag is disposed on an object associated with the entity and the object is moveable within the environment.

4. The mapping system of claim 1 , wherein the controller is further configured to:
determine a first image-based distance between the image sensor and the fixed tag based on the image data; and
determine a second image-based distance between the image sensor and the entity tag based on the image data, wherein:
the one or more image-based distances includes the first image-based distance and the second image-based distance, and
the position coordinate of the entity tag is further based on the first image-based distance, the second image-based distance, and the predefined position coordinate of the fixed tag.

5. The mapping system of claim 4 , wherein:
the first image-based distance is determined based on a comparison of the fixed tag to one or more reference geometries of the fixed tag; and
the one or more reference geometries is a reference size of the fixed tag, a reference angle of the fixed tag, or a combination thereof.

6. The mapping system of claim 4 , wherein:
the second image-based distance is determined based on a comparison of the entity tag to one or more reference geometries of the entity tag; and
the one or more reference geometries is a reference size of the entity tag, a reference angle of the entity tag, or a combination thereof.

7. The mapping system of claim 4 , wherein the controller is further configured to determine the first image-based distance and the second image-based distance based on a pixel density of the image sensor, a focal length of the image sensor, a height of the image sensor, a width of the image sensor, a geometry of the image sensor, or a combination thereof.

8. The mapping system of claim 1 , wherein the controller is further configured to broadcast the position coordinate of the entity tag to a database that stores the position coordinate corresponding to the entity tag to identify a location of the entity within the environment.

9. The mapping system of claim 1 further comprising a plurality of the fixed tags, wherein each fixed tag of the plurality of fixed tags identifies a unique predefined position coordinate, and wherein the plurality of fixed tags is distributed throughout the environment.

10. The mapping system of claim 1 , wherein the fixed tag and the entity tag are fiducial markers.

11. The mapping system of claim 10 , wherein the fixed tag is an AprilTag, and wherein the position indicia is a two-dimensional barcode.

12. The mapping system of claim 11 , wherein the controller is further configured to decode the two-dimensional barcode to identify the predefined position coordinate of the AprilTag.

13. The mapping system of claim 10 , wherein the entity tag is an AprilTag, and wherein the entity indicia is a two-dimensional barcode.

14. The mapping system of claim 1 , wherein the image sensor is disposed on one of a fixed object and a moveable object within the environment.

15. A mapping method for mapping an environment, wherein the environment includes an image sensor configured to generate image data, and wherein the image data includes a fixed tag and an entity tag of the environment, the method comprising:
identifying position indicia of the fixed tag, wherein the position indicia identifies a predefined position coordinate of the fixed tag;
identifying entity indicia of the entity tag, wherein the entity indicia identifies an entity associated with the entity tag;
determining a first image-based distance between the image sensor and the fixed tag based on the image data;
determining a second image-based distance between the image sensor and the entity tag based on the image data; and
determining a position coordinate of the entity tag based on the predefined position coordinate of the fixed tag, the first image-based distance, and the second image-based distance.

16. The mapping method of claim 15 , wherein:
the first image-based distance is determined based on a comparison of the fixed tag to one or more reference geometries of the fixed tag; and
the one or more reference geometries is a reference size of the fixed tag, a reference angle of the fixed tag, or a combination thereof.

17. The mapping method of claim 15 , wherein:
the second image-based distance is determined based on a comparison of the entity tag to one or more reference geometries of the entity tag; and
the one or more reference geometries is a reference size of the entity tag, a reference angle of the entity tag, or a combination thereof.

18. A mapping method for mapping an environment, wherein the environment includes an image sensor configured to generate image data, and wherein the image data includes a fixed tag and an entity tag of the environment, the method comprising:
identifying position indicia of the fixed tag, wherein the position indicia identifies a predefined position coordinate of the fixed tag;
identifying entity indicia of the entity tag, wherein the entity indicia identifies an entity in the environment;
determining one or more image-based distances between the image sensor and at least one of the entity tag and the fixed tag; and
determining a position coordinate of the entity tag based on the one or more image-based distances and the predefined position coordinate of the fixed tag.

19. The mapping method of claim 18 , wherein:
the one or more image-based distances includes a first image-based distance between the image sensor and the fixed tag;
the one or more image-based distances includes a second image-based distance between the image sensor and the entity tag; and
the position coordinate of the entity tag is further based on the first image-based distance and the second image-based distance.

Assignees

• Ford Global Tech Llc

Inventors

• Mayberry Scott
• Sohmshetty Raj
• Hoff Sam

Classifications

• G06K19/07758

  arrangements for adhering the record carrier to further objects or living beings, functioning as an identification tag · CPC title

• G06T7/70 Primary

  Determining position or orientation of objects or cameras (camera calibration G06T7/80) · CPC title

• G06T7/73 Primary

  using feature-based methods · CPC title

• G06T2207/30204

  Marker · CPC title

• G06K7/1417

  2D bar codes · CPC title