Performing data collection based on external raw observables using a mobile data collection platform

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9544737-B2
Application number	US-201414515343-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 15, 2014
Priority date	Dec 28, 2012
Publication date	Jan 10, 2017
Grant date	Jan 10, 2017

Abstract

An image that includes a point of interest is captured using an image capturing device that is an integral part of the mobile data collection platform. Raw observables are obtained from a GNSS raw observables provider that is external to and coupled with the mobile data collection platform. A position fix of the mobile data collection platform is determined based on the raw observables where the position fix is a location of an antenna. A location of an entrance pupil is calculated as an offset from the location of the antenna. Orientation information comprising a tilt angle and an azimuth angle is determined. The position fix and the orientation information are associated with a three dimensional location of the mobile data collection platform when the image was captured. Scale information is captured. The image, the position fix, the scale information, and the orientation information are stored in hardware memory of the mobile data collection platform.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of performing data collection using a mobile data collection platform, the method comprising:
capturing an image that includes a point of interest, wherein the capturing is performed by an image capturing device that is an integral part of the mobile data collection platform;
obtaining external raw observables from a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) raw observables provider, wherein the GNSS raw observables provider is external to and coupled with the mobile data collection platform;
determining a position fix based on the external raw observables, wherein the position fix defines a location of an antenna associated with the GNSS raw observables provider;
calculating a location of an entrance pupil of the image capturing device as an offset from the location of the antenna;
determining orientation information comprising a tilt angle and an azimuth angle of the mobile data collection platform, wherein the position fix and the orientation information are associated with a three dimensional location of the mobile data collection platform when the image was captured;
capturing scale information;
capturing angular displacement from a first point on a scalar reference to a second point on the scalar reference visible in the image as given by a pixel count from the first point to the second point; and
storing the image, the position fix, the scale information, and the orientation information in hardware memory of the mobile data collection platform, wherein the capturing, the obtaining, the determining of the position fix, the calculating, the determining of the orientation information, and the storing are performed by one or more hardware processors that are part of the mobile data collection platform, and wherein the one or more hardware processors are outside of an internal GNSS chipset of the mobile data collection platform.

2. The method as recited by claim 1 , wherein the capturing of the scale information further comprises:
capturing a depiction of an object with at least one known dimension, wherein the image depicts the object with the at least one known dimension.

3. The method as recited by claim 1 , wherein the capturing of the scale information further comprises:
capturing a first image and a second image that both depict the point of interest, wherein the first image is captured from a first position and the second image is captured from a second position.

4. The method as recited by claim 3 , wherein the capturing of the scale information further comprises:
calculating a distance between the first position and the second position.

5. The method as recited by claim 1 , wherein the position fix is a first position and wherein the method further comprises:
determining a second position of a georeference point of interest; and
determining a distance between the first position and the second position.

6. The method as recited by claim 1 , wherein the determining of the orientation information comprising the tilt angle and the azimuth angle further comprises:
determining the orientation information comprising the tilt angle and the azimuth angle, wherein the tilt angle is between a y platform axis of the mobile data collection platform and a local gravity vector, and the azimuth angle is between a reference direction and a pointing vector of the mobile data collection platform, wherein the pointing vector is in a known orientation relative to a compass heading.

7. The method as recited by claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises:
calibrating the mobile data collection platform by determining a pixel calibration datum providing angular displacement of each pixel, in two dimensions, depicted in a calibration image taken with the image capturing device.

8. The method as recited by claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises:
calibrating the mobile data collection platform by determining an acceptable region in a calibration image taken with the image capturing device, wherein the acceptable region includes a subset of pixels of the calibration image where the pixels do not exceed a specified level of distortion.

9. The method as recited by claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises:
receiving outline information describing an outline of the point of interest; and
designating the point of interest as a user specified point of interest based on the outline information.

10. The method as recited by claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises:
designating the point of interest as a user specified point of interest based on orientation information from an orientation system associated with the mobile data collection platform when crosshairs are aligned with the point of interest and an image capture button is pressed to capture the image.

11. The method as recited by claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises:
designating the point of interest as a user specified point of interest based on an annotation from an image editor associated with the mobile data collection platform.

12. The method as recited by claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises:
performing feature identification on at least a subset of the image.

13. The method as recited by claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises:
performing pattern recognition on at least a subset of the image.

14. The method as recited by claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises:
displaying crosshair display overlay on a display of the mobile data collection platform;
displaying a photographic image of the point of interest in relation to the crosshair display overlay; and
positioning the photographic image with respect to the crosshair display overlay based on an alignment of an entrance pupil of the mobile data collection platform with the point of interest.

15. The method as recited by claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises:
displaying a bubble level overlay on a display of the mobile data collection platform;
displaying a graphical bubble in relation to the bubble level overlay; and
positioning the graphical bubble with respect to the bubble level overlay based on a degree of tilt of the mobile data collection platform.

16. The method as recited by claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises:
determining one or more geometric offsets between the entrance pupil and the antenna.

17. A mobile data collection platform system, the mobile data collection platform system comprising:
an external Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) raw observables provider that includes an antenna, wherein the antenna receives GNSS positioning signals that define a location of the antenna and wherein the external GNSS raw observables provider is external to and coupled with a mobile data collection platform;
wherein the mobile data collection platform includes:
a cellular device that includes a display for displaying images and an internal GNSS chipset;
an image capturing device that captures an image through an entrance pupil, wherein the display emulates crosshairs indicative of an axial direction of the entrance pupil of the image capturing device when displaying the image;
an orientation system that includes a tilt sensor and a compass and determines orientation information that includes tilt angle obtained from the tilt sensor and heading information obtained from the compass, wherein the tilt angle is between the mobile data collection platform and a local gravity vector, and the heading information is an azimuth angle between a pointing vector of the image capturing device and a reference direction;
hardware memo

Assignees

• Trimble Navigation Ltd
• Trimble Inc

Inventors

• Rudow Richard
• Kasirajan Venkateswaran
• Wold Robert
• Talbot Nicholas C
• Loomis Peter Van Wyck
• Weisenburger Shawn D
• Janky James M
• Mccusker Michael V

Classifications

• H04W4/04 Primary

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H04W4/021 Primary

  Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences · CPC title