Methods and apparatus for curbside surveying
AssigneeFlow Incorporated
InventorsJacob BASKIN, Adam FELDMAN, Neha RATHI
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Visual-inertial odometry uses visual input from a camera and inertial motion measurements to track the motion of an object. This technique can be applied to surveying urban environments, such as a curb or streetscape, that are impractical to survey with a surveyor's wheel, GPS, or imagery from cars. Making visual-inertial odometry measurements of a curb with a handheld surveying device yields relative measurements from a starting point to an ending point on the curb. These relative measurements can be pinned to an absolute coordinate frame using measurements of gravity made while acquiring the visual-inertial odometry measurements and absolute measurements of the starting and ending points.
Claims21
A method of surveying a curb with a surveying device comprising a camera and an inertial measurement unit, the method comprising:
- starting a visual inertial odometry measurement by the surveying device at a predefined starting point on the curb;
- traversing a path along the curb from the predefined starting point to a predefined ending point on the curb;
- acquiring an image of an object on the curb with the surveying device while traversing the path;
- recording object coordinates associated with the image of the object, the coordinates being in a survey coordinate frame having the predefined starting point as the origin;
- and
- ending the visual inertial odometry measurement by the surveying device at the predefined ending point on the curb.
An apparatus for surveying a curb, the apparatus comprising:
- a camera to automatically acquire images of objects on the curb while the apparatus is traversing a nonlinear path along the curb;
- an inertial measurement unit (IMU) to measure a motion of the apparatus while the apparatus is traversing the nonlinear path along the curb;
- and
- a processor, operably coupled to the camera and the IMU, to perform a visual inertial odometry measurement based on the images and the motion of the apparatus from a predefined starting point on the curb to a predefined ending point on the curb while the apparatus is traversing the nonlinear path along the curb.
A method of surveying a curb with a handheld surveying device comprising a camera and an inertial measurement unit (IMU), the method comprising:
- starting a visual inertial odometry measurement by the handheld surveying device at a predefined starting point on the curb;
- measuring a direction of gravity with the IMU while performing the visual inertial odometry measurement;
- estimating coordinates of objects along the curb in a coordinate frame of the handheld surveying device based on the visual inertial odometry measurement;
- aligning a vertical axis of the coordinate frame of the handheld surveying device with the direction of gravity;
- and
- aligning the coordinate frame of the handheld surveying device to a Geographic Information System (GIS) coordinate frame based on the predefined starting point to yield a survey of the curb.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.