Method and system for producing a vector map

• US 10,288,430 B2
• Filed: 11/10/2014
• Issued: 05/14/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 01/23/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Siemens AG
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Hillier, Gernot, Maier, Rupert
• Primary Examiner(s): Elchanti, Hussein
• Assistant Examiner(s): Berns, Michael A
• Application Number:
  US15/110,834
• Publication Number:
  US 20160341554A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,646 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 10/13 Flying platforms
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/30 for imaging, photography or videography
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2201/10 autonomous, i.e. by navigating independently from ground or air stations, e.g. by using inertial navigation systems [INS]
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2201/20 Remote controls
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 50/19 using electrically powered motors
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 11/02 Picture taking arrangements specially adapted for photogrammetry or photographic surveying, e.g. controlling overlapping of pictures
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 11/04 Interpretation of pictures
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/005 with correlation of navigation data from several sources, e.g. map or contour matching G01C21/30 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3852 Data derived from aerial or satellite images
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0022 characterised by the communication link data switching networks in general H04L12/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0038 by providing the operator with simple or augmented images from one or more cameras located onboard the vehicle, e.g. tele-operation images analyzed by a computer and used for automatic navigation G05D1/0246
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0808 specially adapted for aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/60 Editing figures and text; Combining figures or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/20212 Image combination
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0013 with a ground station
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0034 Assembly of a flight plan

Abstract

A method for producing a vector map of a prescribed area may include producing orthophotographs by a first camera oriented at right angles to the Earth'"'"'s surface and fitted to an unmanned, automated air vehicle that overflies the prescribed area at a high altitude; evaluating the orthophotographs to ascertain at least one infrastructure network located in the area; computing a flight route for the unmanned autonomous air vehicle along the ascertained infrastructure network located in the area; producing detail aerial photographs of the infrastructure network along the computed flight route by a second camera oriented obliquely with respect to the Earth'"'"'s surface and fitted to the unmanned automated air vehicle that overflies the infrastructure network located in the area at least one low altitude, and computing the vector map of the area based on the orthophotographs produced and the detail aerial photographs.

Claims

1. A method for producing a vector map of a prescribed area, the method comprising:

flying an unmanned, automated air vehicle over the prescribed area at a first altitude at least 300 m above ground level;

producing digital orthophotographs by a first camera oriented at a right angle to the Earth'"'"'s surface and fitted to the air vehicle;

converting the digital orthophotographs on the basis of digital terrain models to georeference the digital orthophotographs on the basis of points with known coordinates;

evaluating the converted orthophotographs to identify at least one infrastructure network located in the area;

computing a flight route for the unmanned autonomous aircraft along the ascertained infrastructure network located in the area at a second altitude no more than 250 m above ground level, wherein the flight route is computed based on the converted orthophotographs;

flying the air vehicle along the computed flight route and producing detail aerial photographs of the infrastructure network with a second camera oriented obliquely with respect to the Earth'"'"'s surface and fitted to the unmanned automated aircraft, and

computing the vector map of the area based on the converted orthophotographs and the detail aerial photographs.

2. The method of claim 1, comprising extracting attribute data from the detail aerial photographs produced for the infrastructure network and georeferencing the attribute data.

3. The method of claim 1, comprising associating the georeferenced attribute data with at least one of nodes or edges of the at least one identified infrastructure network.

4. The method of claim 3, comprising compiling the nodes or edges having the associated attribute data to form the vector map of the area.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the orthophotographs produced at the first altitude have distortion eliminated and are georeferenced.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the orthophotographs and the detail aerial photographs are produced in different spectral frequency ranges.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the infrastructure network is a traffic network, a power supply network, or a water supply network.

8. An unmanned autonomous aircraft for providing aerial photographs useful for producing a vector map of a prescribed area, the unmanned autonomous aircraft comprising:

a first camera oriented essentially at right angles to the Earth'"'"'s surface and configured to capture digital orthophotographs of the prescribed area at a first altitude at least 300 m above ground level; and

a second camera oriented obliquely with respect to the Earth'"'"'s surface and configured to capture detail aerial photographs of an infrastructure network located in the prescribed area along a computed flight route at a second altitude no more than 250 m above ground level;

wherein the flight route of the unmanned automated aircraft along the infrastructure network is computed automatically by;

based on the orthophotographs delivered by the first camera, evaluating the converted orthophotographs to identify at least one infrastructure network located in the area; and

automatically computing the flight route using the converted orthophotographs.

9. The aircraft of claim 8, comprising a computation unit that computes the flight route along the infrastructure network located in the area based on the converted orthophotographs.

10. The aircraft of claim 9, comprising:

a GPS unit configured to record a current position of the aircraft over the area and georeference the orthophotographs and detail aerial photographs delivered by the two cameras, and

an altitude measuring unit configured to record the altitude of the aircraft.

11. The aircraft of claim 9, wherein the computation unit of the unmanned automated aircraft or the computation unit of the base station connected via the communication interface of the unmanned automated aircraft extracts attribute data from the detail aerial photographs delivered at the second altitude by the second camera and georeferences said attribute data.

12. The aircraft of claim 11, wherein the computation unit of the unmanned automated aircraft or the computation unit of the base station connected via the communication interface of the unmanned automated aircraft associates attribute data extracted from the detail aerial photographs with at least one of nodes or edges of the infrastructure network, and georeferences and compiles the at least one the nodes or edges having the associated attributed data to form the vector map of the area.

13. The aircraft of claim 8, comprising a communication interface that enables wireless communications between the unmanned automated aircraft and a base station bidirectionally.

14. The aircraft of claim 13, wherein the base station comprises a computation unit that converts and evaluates the orthophotographs received via the communication interface of the unmanned automated aircraft in order to compute a flight route along the infrastructure network and transmits the computed flight route to the unmanned automated aircraft.

15. The aircraft of claim 8, comprising:

a flight control unit that steers the unmanned automated aircraft along the computed flight route over the area, and

a rotor drive unit that is actuated by the flight control unit.

16. A system for producing a vector map of a prescribed area, the system comprising:

a production unit configured to produce orthophotographs using a first camera oriented at right angles to the Earth'"'"'s surface and fitted to an unmanned, automated aircraft that overflies the prescribed area at a first altitude at least 300 m above ground level;

an evaluation unit configured to evaluate the orthophotographs to identify at least one infrastructure network located in the area;

a first computation unit configured to compute a flight route for the unmanned autonomous aircraft along the ascertained infrastructure network located in the area at a second altitude of no more than 250 m above ground level, wherein the flight route is computed based on the orthophotographs;

the production unit configured to produce detail aerial photographs of the infrastructure network along the computed flight route using a second camera oriented obliquely with respect to the Earth'"'"'s surface and fitted to the unmanned automated aircraft; and

a second computation unit configured to compute the vector map of the area based on the produced orthophotographs produced and the produced detail aerial photographs.