Back to results
US 9,389,298 B2Granted
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 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
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 data array of pixels, wherein the first data array of pixels is at least two dimensional;
- 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 data array of pixels, wherein the second data array of pixels is at least two dimensional;
- 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, wherein the first data array of pixels is at least two dimensional;
- 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, wherein the first and second data array of pixels is at least two dimensional;
- 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, wherein the first and second data array of pixels is at least two dimensional.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.