Camera for locating hidden objects

• US 10,354,407 B2
• Filed: 07/10/2017
• Issued: 07/16/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Peter Lablans
• Original Assignee: Spatial Cam LLC
• Inventors: Lablans, Peter
• Primary Examiner(s): Beck, Leron
• Application Number:
  US15/645,545
• Publication Number:
  US 20170323458A1
• Time in Patent Office: 736 Days
• Field of Search: 348 47
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 3/06 Use of electric means to obtain final indication
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/485 whereby the further system is an optical system or imaging system
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 3/00 Direction-finders for determining the direction from which infrasonic, sonic, ultrasonic, or electromagnetic waves, or particle emission, not having a directional significance, are being received position-fixing by co-ordinating a plurality of determinations of direction or position lines G01S5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 35/08 by simultaneous recording
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 37/04 with cameras or projectors providing touching or overlapping fields of view
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/29 Geographical information databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9537 Spatial or temporal dependent retrieval, e.g. spatiotemporal queries
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 18/00 Pattern recognition
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10016 Video; Image sequence
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30196 Human being; Person
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30221 Sports video; Sports image
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30244 Camera pose
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/246 using feature-based methods, e.g. the tracking of corners or segments
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/73 using feature-based methods
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/173 face re-identification, e.g. recognising unknown faces across different face tracks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/52 including functional features of a camera constructional features concerning the integration of cameras in portable phones H04M1/0264
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/50 Constructional details
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/64 Computer-aided capture of images, e.g. transfer from script file into camera, check of taken image quality, advice or proposal for image composition or decision on when to take image
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/662 by using master/slave camera arrangements for affecting the control of camera image capture, e.g. placing the camera in a desirable condition to capture a desired image
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/698 for achieving an enlarged field of view, e.g. panoramic image capture
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/90 : Arrangement of cameras or camera modules, e.g. multiple cameras in TV studios or sports stadiums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/2624 : for obtaining an image which is composed of whole input images, e.g. splitscreen
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/18 : Closed-circuit television [CCTV] systems, i.e. systems in which the video signal is not broadcast

Abstract

A distance substantially between a camera and an object is measured preferably with a rangefinder. Positional coordinates including an altitude of the camera are determined. A pose including pitch and azimuth of the camera directed at the object is determined from sensors. Positional coordinates of the object are determined using at least the positional coordinates of the camera, the pose of the camera and the distance substantially between the camera and the object which are used to determine a location volume. A database is searched for objects located at least partially inside the location volume. The camera is part of a computing device with a screen. Search results are listed on the screen and an outline of a hidden object in the location volume is drawn on the screen.

Claims

1. Apparatus to determine position coordinates including an altitude of an object, comprising:

a mobile, portable and wireless computing device including a camera and positional sensors to determine positional data of the camera with a lens directed at the object, the positional data including an altitude and a directional pose, and at least one range-finding device to determine a distance from the mobile, portable and wireless computing device to the object, the range-finding device being selected from the group consisting of laser based range finder, image based range finder, radar based range-finder and sound based range finder, the object obscuring an obscured object from view by the camera;

a processor in the mobile;

portable and wireless computing device enabled to determine coordinates including an altitude of the object, based on the positional data including the directional pose of the camera and on a distance from the mobile, portable and wireless computing device to the object;

a database that stores data of a plurality of objects and the database is searchable by positional coordinates including an altitude;

the processor enabled to do a search in the database based on a pre-set location volume of limited size that is based on the coordinates including the altitude of the object and the pre-set location volume including a space that is obscured from the camera by the object; and

the processor enabled to display on a screen data of the obscured object that is identified in the database based on the search as being located at least partially in the pre-set location volume.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the mobile, portable and wireless computing device is a smartphone.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the mobile, portable and wireless computing device is a tablet computer.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the camera is attached to an edge of a body of the mobile, portable and wireless computing device.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the mobile, portable and wireless computing device has a body and the camera is located in a separate body that is enabled to be rotatably moved relative to the body of the mobile, portable and wireless computing device.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

at least one of the one or more objects located at least partially in the location volume having a positioning device with an identification code.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

a size of the location volume is based on a size of the object.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

a size of the location volume is larger than a size of the object.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

the object obscures visibility of at least one other object.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

the object is a walled space.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

the object is a shipping container.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

the object is a vehicle.

13. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

the object is a living creature.

14. A method for determining positional coordinates including an altitude of an object, comprising:

determining by a processor in a computing device, with data from one or more positional sensors, positional data including an altitude of a computing device including a camera and including a directional pose of the camera with a lens directed at the object, the object obscuring an obscured object from view by the camera;

determining by the processor a distance substantially between the camera and the object;

determining by the processor positional coordinates including an altitude of the object, using at least the positional data including the altitude of the computing device, the directional pose of the camera directed at the object and the distance substantially between the camera and the object;

determining coordinates of a location volume of limited size that is based on the positional coordinates of the object, the coordinates of the location volume of limited size including a space that is obscured from the camera b the object;

searching a database that stores data of a plurality of objects and the database is searchable by positional coordinates including an altitude, for one or more objects that are at least partially located within the coordinates of the location volume; and

displaying on a screen data of an object that is identified in the database as being located at least partially in the location volume as a result of the searching.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the computing device is a smartphone or a tablet computer.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the distance is determined by applying one device of the group consisting of a laser based range finder, an image based range finder, a radar based range finder and a sound based range finder.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the camera is attached to an edge of a body of the computing device.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein the computing device has a body and the camera is located in a separate body that is enabled to be rotatably moved relative to the body of the computing device.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein:

the object obscures a visibility of at least one other object.

20. The method of claim 14, wherein:

the object is a walled space.