Method for estimating a distance from a first communication device to a second communication device, and corresponding communication devices, server and system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9715628-B2
Application number	US-201514749582-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 24, 2015
Priority date	Jun 27, 2014
Publication date	Jul 25, 2017
Grant date	Jul 25, 2017

Abstract

The invention concerns a method for estimating a distance from a first communication device to a second communication device. According to an aspect of the invention, the method comprises:
Taking a picture of the second communication device by the first communication device; Obtaining a description of the second communication device; Identifying the second communication device in the picture, by using said description; Estimating a distance from the first communication device to the second communication device by using the description of the second communication device and dimensions of the second communication device identified in the picture.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for estimating a distance from a first communication device to a second communication device,
wherein the method comprises:
Taking a picture of the second communication device by the first communication device;
Receiving from the second communication device a description comprising at least one piece of information related to dimensions of at least part of the second communication device and at least one reference picture of at least part of the second communication device;
Identifying at least part of the second communication device in said picture, by using said description;
Estimating a distance from the first communication device to the second communication device by using:
said at least one piece of information related to dimensions of at least part of the second communication device, and
dimensions of said at least part of the second communication device identified in and determined from said picture.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein said description of the second communication device is received by the first communication device through a wireless link established between said first and said second communication devices.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein said identifying at least part of the second communication device implements an object recognition algorithm on the basis of said at least one reference picture.

4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein it also comprises:
matching a portion of said at least part of the second communication device identified in said picture with a portion of said reference picture comprised in said description; and
computing a number of pixels associated to the matched portion in said picture.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein estimating the distance d from the first communication device to the second communication device uses the pinhole projection formula:

d
=

f
×

X
x

where:
f is a focal length of a camera used for taking the picture of the second communication device, X is a real height of said matched portion of the second communication device, is a height of said matched portion in said picture.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein it also comprises:
receiving from said second communication device an estimated distance from the second communication device to the first communication device;
comparing said estimated distance received from said second communication device with the distance estimated by said first communication device.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein said taking a picture, said receiving a description, said identifying and said estimating a distance are carried out for several second communication devices, and wherein said method comprises computing a distance between at least two of said second communication devices.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein said taking a picture, said receiving a description, said identifying and said estimating a distance are carried out for several second communication devices,
and wherein said method comprises estimating a position of said first communication device on the basis of the distances estimated between said first communication device and each of said second communication devices.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein said identifying at least part of a second communication device and said estimating a distance are carried out by said first communication device or by a remote server.

10. A non-transitory computer-readable medium with instructions stored therein which upon execution instruct at least one processor to perform the method for estimating a distance according to claim 1 .

11. A communication device comprising:
a camera;
a memory for at least temporarily memorizing a picture of a second communication device taken by the camera;
at least one processor configured to:
identify at least part of the second communication device in said picture, by using a description of the second communication device,
said description comprising at least one piece of information related to dimensions of at least part of the second communication device and at least one reference picture of at least part of the second communication device;
estimate a distance from the first communication device to the second communication device by using:
said at least one piece of information related to dimensions of at least part of the second communication device, and
dimensions of said at least part of the second communication device identified in and determined from said picture,

a receiver for receiving said description from the second communication device.

12. A server for estimating a distance from a first communication device to a second communication device,
wherein the server comprises:
a receiver for receiving from a first communication device a picture taken by the first communication device, a distance measurement request and at least one description of at least one second communication device, said description comprising at least one piece of information related to dimensions of at least part of the second communication device, and at least one reference picture of at least part of the second communication device;
at least one processor configured to:
identify in said picture at least part of at least one second communication device by using said description of the second communication device,
estimate a distance from the first communication device to every second communication device at least partly identified in said picture, said estimation module using:
said at least one piece of information related to dimensions of at least part of the second communication device, and dimensions of said at least part of the second communication device identified and determined from in said picture;

a transmitter for transmitting to the first communication device a list of every second communication device at least partly identified in said picture associated with a corresponding estimated distance.

13. A system for estimating a distance from a first communication device to a second communication device,
wherein the system comprises:
said first communication device comprising:
a camera for taking a picture of the second communication device;
a receiver for receiving a description of the second communication device, said description comprising at least one piece of information related to dimensions of at least part of the second communication device, and at least one reference picture of at least part of the second communication device;
at least one processor configured to:
identify at least part of the second communication device in said picture, by using said description;
estimate a distance from the first communication device to the second communication device by using:
 said at least one piece of information related to dimensions of at least part of the second communication device,
 dimensions of said at least part of the second communication device identified in and determined from said picture, and

a second communication device comprising a receiver for receiving a description request from said first communication device, and a transmitter for transmitting to said first communication device said description or an identifier of said second communication device.

Assignees

• Thomson Licensing

Inventors

• Fontaine Patrick
• Gouache Stephane
• Demoulin Vincent

Classifications

• G01C3/22

  using a parallactic triangle with variable angles and a base of fixed length at, near, or formed by the object · CPC title

• G01C3/06 Primary

  Use of electric means to obtain final indication · CPC title

• G01S11/12

  using electromagnetic waves other than radio waves · CPC title

• H04W4/025

  using location based information parameters · CPC title

• G06K9/00671 Primary

  Physics · mapped topic