Method and apparatus for collecting and processing visual and spatial position information from a moving platform

An apparatus for collection of visual and spatial position information, the apparatus comprising:

• a moving platform;
• means located on the moving platform for obtaining spatial position data relating to spatial position and orientation of the moving platform;
• a plurality of video cameras located on the moving platform, the video cameras being positioned at known locations and orientations with respect to the moving platform and being oriented to capture images of fields of view in front, behind, on a left side and on a right side of the moving platform;
• means for recording non-coplanar video images obtained at different times from the video cameras;
• means for associating each recorded video image with an instantaneous spatial position and orientation of the video camera which produced the recorded video image at the time that the video image was obtained, based upon the spatial position data relating to the spatial position and orientation of the moving platform and the known position and orientation of the video cameras with respect to the moving platform;
• and
• means for deriving spatial position information relating to an object appearing in at least two of the recorded images obtained at different times from the video cameras from (a) a location of the object in each of the recorded images, and (b) the instantaneous spatial position and orientation of the video camera which produced each recorded video image at the time that video image was obtained.

A method for collection of visual and spatial position information from a moving platform, the method comprising

• obtaining spatial position data relating to spatial position and orientation of the moving platform;
• obtaining video images from a first video camera carried by the moving platform at a known position and orientation with respect to the moving platform to capture images of a first field of view in front of the moving platform;
• obtaining video images from a second video camera carried by the moving platform at a second known position and orientation with respect to the moving platform to capture images of a second field of view behind the moving platform;
• obtaining video images from a third video camera carried by the moving platform at a known position and orientation with respect to the moving platform to capture images of a third field of view on a left side of the moving platform;
• obtaining video images from a fourth video camera carried by the moving platform at a known position and orientation with respect to the moving platform to capture images of a fourth field of view on a right side of the moving platform;
• recording a sequence of non-coplanar video images obtained at different times from the first, second, third, and fourth video cameras;
• associating with each recorded video image an instantaneous spatial position and orientation of the video camera which produced that video image at the time that the video image was obtained, based upon the spatial position and orientation of the moving platform and the known position and orientation of that video camera with respect to the moving platform;
• and
• determining location of an object shown in at least two of the recorded non-coplanar video images obtained from different ones of the first, second, third, and fourth video cameras.