Position obtaining device, position obtaining method and storage medium

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2024111298-A1
Application number	US-202318244022-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Sep 8, 2023
Priority date	Sep 22, 2022
Publication date	Apr 4, 2024
Grant date	—

Abstract

A position obtaining device includes a processor. The processor, in response to a condition being met, derives a first attitude angle as an attitude angle of the device based on first light sources and positions thereof on an image obtained by a first camera; in response to the attitude angle of the device being known, derives a three-dimensional position of the device based on two or more second light sources and positions thereof on an image obtained by a second camera, and in response to a predetermined number of second light sources or more being captured in the image, derives the three-dimensional position and a second attitude angle as the attitude angle of the device; and integrates a result of the first attitude angle and a result of the three-dimensional position and the second attitude angle to estimate the attitude angle and the three-dimensional position of the device.

First claim

1 . A position obtaining device comprising a processor that
in response to a predetermined condition being met, derives a first attitude angle as an attitude angle of the position obtaining device based on a plurality of first light sources and positions thereof on an image obtained by a first camera, in response to the attitude angle of the position obtaining device being known, derives a three-dimensional position of the position obtaining device based on two or more second light sources and positions thereof on an image obtained by a second camera, and in response to a predetermined number of second light sources or more being captured in the image obtained by the second camera, derives the three-dimensional position of the position obtaining device and a second attitude angle as the attitude angle of the position obtaining device, and integrates a first derived result of the first attitude angle and a second derived result of the three-dimensional position and the second attitude angle to estimate the attitude angle and the three-dimensional position of the position obtaining device.

2 . The position obtaining device according to claim 1 , wherein the processor determines a likelihood of the estimated attitude angle and the estimated three-dimensional position of the position obtaining device.

3 . The position obtaining device according to claim 1 , wherein a likelihood of the first attitude angle is higher than a likelihood of the second attitude angle.

4 . The position obtaining device according to claim 2 , wherein a likelihood of the first attitude angle is higher than a likelihood of the second attitude angle.

5 . The position obtaining device according to claim 3 , wherein the processor gives a greater weight to the first derived result than to the second derived result, and integrates the weighted first derived result and the weighted second derived result.

6 . The position obtaining device according to claim 1 , wherein the processor derives the first attitude angle by pattern matching of a positional relationship between the first light sources captured in the image obtained by the first camera with light source arrangement data prepared in advance.

7 . The position obtaining device according to claim 2 , wherein the processor derives the first attitude angle by pattern matching of a positional relationship between the first light sources captured in the image obtained by the first camera with light source arrangement data prepared in advance.

8 . The position obtaining device according to claim 6 , wherein the first light sources are fixed stars.

9 . The position obtaining device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the second light sources modulate light and transmit their respective pieces of identification information, and wherein the processor
detects, from the image obtained by the second camera, the pieces of identification information and coordinate positions of the respective second light sources on the image,
obtains known three-dimensional positions in a world coordinate system associated with the respective pieces of identification information, and
derives the three-dimensional position and the second attitude angle of the position obtaining device based on the coordinate positions on the image obtained by the second camera and the three-dimensional positions in the world coordinate system.

10 . The position obtaining device according to claim 2 ,
wherein the second light sources modulate light and transmit their respective pieces of identification information, and wherein the processor
detects, from the image obtained by the second camera, the pieces of identification information and coordinate positions of the respective second light sources on the image,
obtains known three-dimensional positions in a world coordinate system associated with the respective pieces of identification information, and
derives the three-dimensional position and the second attitude angle of the position obtaining device based on the coordinate positions on the image obtained by the second camera and the three-dimensional positions in the world coordinate system.

11 . The position obtaining device according to claim 1 , wherein the more the second light sources captured in the image obtained by the second camera, the higher a likelihood of the second attitude angle.

12 . The position obtaining device according to claim 2 , wherein the more the second light sources captured in the image obtained by the second camera, the higher a likelihood of the second attitude angle.

13 . The position obtaining device according to claim 1 , wherein in response to the predetermined condition not being met but the predetermined number of second light sources or more being captured in the image obtained by the second camera, the processor estimates the attitude angle and the three-dimensional position of the position obtaining device based on the derived second attitude angle and the derived three-dimensional position.

14 . The position obtaining device according to claim 2 , wherein in response to the predetermined condition not being met but the predetermined number of second light sources or more being captured in the image obtained by the second camera, the processor estimates the attitude angle and the three-dimensional position of the position obtaining device based on the derived second attitude angle and the derived three-dimensional position.

15 . The position obtaining device according to claim 1 , wherein the first light sources and the second light sources are different from one another.

16 . The position obtaining device according to claim 2 , wherein the first light sources and the second light sources are different from one another.

17 . The position obtaining device according to claim 1 , wherein the processor
derives a third attitude angle as the attitude angle of the position obtaining device based on an output value of a three-axis accelerometer and an output value of a three-axis angular velocity sensor, and uses a third derived result of the third attitude angle instead of or together with the first derived result to determine the attitude angle of the position obtaining device to estimate the attitude angle and the three-dimensional position of the position obtaining device.

18 . The position obtaining device according to claim 2 , wherein the processor
derives a third attitude angle as the attitude angle of the position obtaining device based on an output value of a three-axis accelerometer and an output value of a three-axis angular velocity sensor, and uses a third derived result of the third attitude angle instead of or together with the first derived result to determine the attitude angle of the position obtaining device to estimate the attitude angle and the three-dimensional position of the position obtaining device.

19 . A position obtaining method comprising:
in response to a predetermined condition being met, deriving a first attitude angle as an attitude angle of the position obtaining device based on a plurality of first light sources and positions thereof on an image obtained by a first camera; in response to the attitude angle of the position obtaining device being known, deriving a three-dimensional position of the position obtaining device based on two or more second light sources and positions thereof on an image obtained by a second camera, and in response to a predetermined number of second light sources or more being captured in the image obtained by the second camera, deriving th

Assignees

• Casio Computer Co Ltd

Inventors

• Iizuka Nobuo
• Miyamoto Naotomo
• Kikuchi Masaaki
• Murakami Taichi

Classifications

• G06V20/56 Primary

  exterior to a vehicle by using sensors mounted on the vehicle · CPC title

• G01C21/1656

  with passive imaging devices, e.g. cameras · CPC title

• G01C21/12

  executed aboard the object being navigated; Dead reckoning · CPC title

• G01C21/025

  with the use of startrackers · CPC title

• G05D1/0246 Primary

  using a video camera in combination with image processing means · CPC title