Local positioning system and method

A local positioning system, comprising:

• a support;
• a pan-tilt mechanism carried by said support;
• a video camera carried by said pan-tilt mechanism and having a camera coordinate system;
• said pan-tilt mechanism is adapted to move said video camera at selected angles with respect to an azimuth axis and at a selected angle of rotation along an elevation axis;
• a computer communicating with said video camera and said pan-tilt mechanism;
• a target object sighted by said video camera and having a point of interest and a target object coordinate system;
• said video camera is adapted to image a plurality of calibration points of known location on said target object;
• said computer is adapted to define a relative position and orientation of said video camera with respect to said target object based on said plurality of calibration points, generate a camera pose transformation matrix based on said relative position and orientation, convert position vectors defined in said camera coordinate system into said target object coordinate system, determine a precise position and orientation of said video camera in said target object coordinate system, and determine a position of said point of interest in said target object coordinate system by performing coordinate system transformations using said camera pose transformation matrix;
• said computer is adapted to retrieve a three-dimensional model of said target object and display said target object coordinate system and said point of interest on said three-dimensional model of said target object;
• and
• said computer is adapted to indicate locations of previous repairs of said target object on said three-dimensional model of said target object.

A local positioning method, comprising:

• providing a video camera having a camera coordinate system;
• said video camera is adapted to pan at selected angles with respect to an azimuth axis and tilt at a selected angle of rotation along an elevation axis;
• providing a target object having a target object coordinate system and a plurality of calibration points of known location and a point of interest on said target object;
• sighting said video camera on said plurality of calibration points on said target object;
• defining a relative position and orientation of said video camera with respect to said target object based on said plurality of calibration points;
• generating a camera pose transformation matrix based on said relative position and orientation;
• converting position vectors defined in said camera coordinate system into said target object coordinate system;
• determining a precise position and orientation of said video camera in said target object coordinate system;
• sighting said video camera on said point of interest on said target object;
• determining a position of said point of interest in said target object coordinate system by performing coordinate system transformations using said camera pose transformation matrix;
• providing a three-dimensional model of said target object and displaying said target object coordinate system and said point of interest on said three-dimensional model of said target object;
• and
• indicating locations of previous repairs of said target object on said three-dimensional model of said target object.