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US 12,008,780 B2Granted
System and method for data acquisition
AssigneeUlc Technologies, LLC
InventorsAli Asmari, Xinghua Jia, Robert E. Kodadek
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A system and method for pipeline data acquisition may include a software program that can autonomously review new and legacy videos collected by camera-equipped robotic systems from inside the pipelines, and automatically detect and categorize different features. Three-dimensional (3-D) point cloud may also be generated using software algorithms that stitch together like features in different video frames.
Claims20
A system for data acquisition, comprising:
- a first transport module operable to move along a desired path, the first transport module including a first positioning system configured to provide information related to a relative position of the first transport module;
- a first pair of video cameras carried by the first transport module such that each of the video cameras of the first pair of video cameras is located at a different position on the first transport module and configured to capture video images as the first transport module is moving along a first path;
- and
- a first control system having at least one first processor and configured to:
- receive information related to the captured images from the first pair of video cameras,
- identify a plurality of selected features from the information received from the first pair of video cameras,
- determine a distance from the first pair of video cameras of the first transport module to each of the selected features for each of a plurality of frames in the captured video images,
- process the captured video images to generate a first three-dimensional (3-D) point cloud of the selected features, and
- use the first 3-D point cloud to create a map of the first path.
6 more elements
A system for data acquisition, comprising:
- a first transport module operable to move along a desired path, the first transport module including a positioning system configured to provide information related to a relative position of the first transport module;
- a first video camera carried by the first transport module and configured to capture video images as the first transport module is moving along a first path;
- a first control system having at least one first processor and configured to:
- receive information related to the captured images from the first video camera,
- identify a plurality of selected features from the information received from the first video camera,
- process the captured video images to generate a first three-dimensional (3-D) point cloud of the selected features, and
- use the first 3-D point cloud to create a map of the first path;
- a second transport module operable to move along a desired path;
- a second video camera carried by the second transport module and configured to capture video images as the second transport module is moving along a second path;
- and
- a second control system having at least one second processor and configured to:
- receive information related to the captured images from the second video camera,
- identify a plurality of selected features from the information received from the second video camera,
- process the captured video images of the second video camera to generate a three-dimensional (3-D) point cloud of the selected features related to the second path, and use the 3-D point cloud related to the second path to create a map of the second path, and
- wherein at least one of the first control system or the second control system is further configured to identify data from the first path having a known relationship to data from the second path.
12 more elements
A method for data acquisition, comprising:
- capturing video images with a first video camera as the first video camera is moved along a first path;
- gathering data related to a position of the first video camera as it moves along a first path;
- analyzing information related to the captured images from the first video camera using at least one first processor;
- identifying a plurality of selected features from the information received from the first video camera using the at least one first processor;
- generating a first three-dimensional (3-D) point cloud of the selected features using the at least one first processor;
- using the first 3-D point cloud to create a map of the first path;
- capturing video images with a second video camera as the second video camera is moving along a second path;
- analyzing information related to the captured images from the second video camera using at least one second processor;
- identifying a plurality of selected features from the information received from the second video camera using the at least one second processor;
- generating a second three-dimensional (3-D) point cloud of the selected features related to the second path using the at least one second processor;
- using the 3-D point cloud related to the second path to create a map of the second path;
- and
- identifying data from the first path having a known relationship to data from the second path.
10 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.