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US 2013/0169811 A1Published application
Self-calibrated, remote imaging and data processing system
AssigneeVisual Intelligence, LP
InventorChester L. Smitherman
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An imaging sensor system, adaptably mountable to a vehicle having a view of a target area comprising: a rigid mount unit having at least two imaging sensors disposed within the mount unit, wherein a first imaging and a second imaging sensor each has a focal axis passing through an aperture in the mount unit, wherein the first imaging sensor generates a first image area comprising a first data array of pixels and the second imaging sensor generates a second image area comprising a second data array of pixels, wherein the first and second imaging sensors are offset to have a first image overlap area in the target area, wherein the first sensors image data bisects the second sensors image data in the first image overlap area.
Claims44
A system for generating a map of a target area, comprising:
- a global positioning receiver;
- an elevation measurement unit, adaptably mountable to a vehicle;
- a global positioning antenna, adaptably mountable to the vehicle;
- an attitude measurement unit, adaptably mountable to the vehicle;
- an imaging sensor system, adaptably mountable to the vehicle having a view of the target area, comprising:
- a rigid mount unit having at least two imaging sensors disposed within the mount unit, wherein a first imaging sensor and a second imaging sensor each has a focal axis passing through an aperture in the mount unit, wherein the first imaging sensor generates a first image area comprising a first data array of pixels and the second imaging sensor generates a second image area comprising a second data array of pixels, wherein the first and second imaging sensors are offset to have a first image overlap area in the target area, wherein the first and second imaging sensors are offset to have a first image overlap area in the target area, wherein the first sensors image data bisects the second sensors image data in the first image overlap area;
- and
- a computer in communication with the elevation measurement unit, the global positioning antenna, the attitude measurement unit, the first imaging sensor, and the second imaging sensor;
- correlating at least a portion of the image areas from the first imaging sensor and the second imaging sensor to a portion of the target area based on input from one or more of:
- the elevation measurement unit, the global positioning antenna and the attitude measurement unit.
7 more elements
An imaging sensor system comprising:
- a mount unit adaptably mountable to a vehicle in alignment with a target area, having at least two imaging sensors disposed within the mount unit, wherein a first imaging sensor and a second imaging sensor each has a focal axis passing through an aperture in the mount unit, wherein the first imaging sensor generates a first image area comprising a first data array of pixels and the second imaging array generates a second image area comprising a second data array of pixels, wherein the first and second imaging sensors are offset to have a first image overlap area in the target area, wherein the first sensors image data bisects the second sensors image data in the first image overlap area.
A method of calibrating imaging sensors comprising the steps of:
- performing an initial calibration of the imaging sensors comprising:
- determining the position of an AMU;
- determining the position of a first imaging sensor within a rigid mount unit relative to the AMU;
- determining the position of a second imaging sensor within the rigid mount unit relative to the AMU;
- calibrating the first imaging sensor against a target area and determining a boresight angle of the first imaging sensor;
- and
- calculating the position of one or more subsequent imaging sensors within the rigid mount unit relative to the first imaging sensor;
- and
- calibrating the one or more subsequent imaging sensors using the boresight angle of the first imaging sensor;
- and
- using oversampling techniques to update at least one initial calibration parameter of the first imaging sensor against a target area and the boresight angle of the first imaging sensor;
- using oversampling techniques to update the position of one or more subsequent imaging sensors within the rigid mount unit relative to the first imaging sensor;
- and
- updating at least one calibration parameter of one or more subsequent imaging sensors within the rigid mount using the updated boresight angle of the first imaging sensor.
11 more elements
The method of 34, further comprising the steps of:
- using flight line oversampling techniques to update the position of the second imaging sensor within the rigid mount unit relative to the first imaging sensor;
- using flight line oversampling techniques to update the position of one or more subsequent imaging sensors within the rigid mount unit relative to the first imaging sensor;
- and
- updating at least one calibration parameter of one or more subsequent imaging sensors within the rigid mount using the updated boresight angle of the first imaging sensor.
1 more element
A system for generating a map of a surface, comprising:
- a global position receiver;
- an elevation measurement unit, adaptably mountable to a vehicle;
- a global positioning antenna, adaptably mountable to the vehicle;
- an attitude measurement unit, adaptably mountable to the vehicle;
- an imaging array, having a view of the surface, comprising:
- a mount unit, adaptably mountable to the vehicle;
- an aperture, formed in the mount unit;
- a first imaging sensor, coupled to the mount unit, having a first focal axis passing through the aperture, wherein the first image sensor generates a first image area of the surface comprising a first array of pixels;
- and
- a second imaging sensor, coupled to the mount unit and offset from the first imaging sensor, having a second focal axis passing through the aperture and intersecting the first focal axis, wherein the second imaging sensor generates a second image area of the surface comprising a second array of pixels;
- and
- a computer, connected to the elevation measurement unit, the global positioning antenna, the attitude measurement unit and first and second imaging sensors;
- correlating at least a portion of the image area from the first and second imaging sensors to a portion of the surface based on input from one or more of:
- the elevation measurement unit, the global positioning antenna and the attitude measurement unit.
11 more elements
A system for generating a map of a surface, comprising:
- a global position receiver;
- an elevation measurement unit, adaptably mountable to a vehicle;
- a global positioning antenna, adaptably mountable to the vehicle;
- an attitude measurement unit, adaptably mountable to the vehicle;
- a first imaging sensor, adaptably mountable to the vehicle, having a view of the surface, having a focal axis disposed in the direction of the surface, wherein the first imaging sensor generates an image area comprising a first data array of pixels;
- and
- a computer, connected to the elevation measurement unit, the global positioning antenna, the attitude measurement unit and the first imaging sensor;
- generating a calculated longitude and calculated latitude value for a coordinate corresponding to at least one pixel in the array based on input from one or more of:
- the elevation measurement unit, the global positioning antenna and the attitude measurement unit.
6 more elements
A system for generating a map of a target area, comprising:
- a global position receiver;
- an elevation measurement unit, adaptably mountable to the vehicle;
- a global positioning antenna, adaptably mountable to the vehicle;
- an attitude measurement unit, adaptably mountable to the vehicle;
- an imaging sensor system, having a view of the target area, comprising:
- a mount unit, adaptably mountable to the vehicle, having a first and second imaging sensor disposed within the mount unit, wherein the first and second imaging sensors each have a focal axis passing through an aperture in the mount unit, wherein the first imaging sensor generates a first image area comprising a first data array of pixels and second imaging sensor generates a second image area comprising a second data array of pixels;
- and
- a computer in communication with the elevation measurement unit, the global positioning antenna, the attitude measurement unit, the first imaging sensor, and the second imaging sensor;
- correlating at least a portion of the image area from the first imaging sensor and the second imaging sensor to a portion of the target area based on input from one or more of:
- the elevation measurement unit, the global positioning antenna and the attitude measurement unit.
7 more elements
An imaging sensor system comprising:
- a mount unit, adaptably mountable to a vehicle, having a first and second imaging sensors disposed within the mount unit, wherein the first imaging and second imaging sensors each have a focal axis passing through an aperture in the mount unit, wherein the first imaging sensor generates a first image area comprising a first data array of pixels and the second imaging sensor generates a second image area comprising a second data array of pixels.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.