Systems and methods to improve visual feature detection using motion-related data

A processor-implement method for visual feature detection using motion-related data of a mobile system, the method comprising:

• receiving motion-related data of the mobile system from a time period at or after capture of a previous image frame to before or at the capture of a current frame;
• using at least some of the motion-related data to determine a rotation for motion of the mobile system during at least a portion of the time period;
• for each previous feature from a set of previous features in the previous image frame:
• given a previous feature in the previous image frame from a set of previous features in the previous image frame and the rotation, determining the previous feature's predicted location and angle in the current image frame;
• detecting one or more similar features in the current image frame using at least the previous feature's predicted location;
• performing subpixel refinement for at least some of the detected similar features in the current image;
• discarding each detected similar feature, following subpixel refinement, whose corner score is below a corner score threshold to obtain a set of remaining features in the current image frame;
• and
• using at least some of the previous features and at least some of the remaining features to update a location and orientation of the mobile system.

A mobile system for visual feature detection using motion-related data of the mobile system comprising:

• a vision system for capturing one or more image frames;
• one or more sensors for capturing motion-related data;
• one or more processors;
• and
• a non-transitory computer-readable medium or media comprising one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by at least one processor of the one or more processors, causes steps to be performed comprising:
• receiving motion-related data of the mobile system from a time period at or after capture of a previous image frame to before or at the capture of a current frame;
• using at least some of the motion-related data to determine a rotation for motion of the mobile system during at least a portion of the time period;
• for each previous feature from a set of previous features in the previous image frame:
• given a previous feature in the previous image frame from a set of previous features in the previous image frame and the rotation, determining the previous feature's predicted location and angle in the current image frame;
• detecting one or more similar features in the current image frame using at least the previous feature's predicted location;
• performing subpixel refinement for at least some of the detected similar features in the current image;
• discarding each detected similar feature, following subpixel refinement, whose corner score is below a corner score threshold to obtain a set of remaining features in the current image frame;
• and
• using at least some of the previous features and at least some of the remaining features to update a location and orientation of the mobile system.