Navigation apparatus and navigation method with image recognition

• US 20050125142A1
• Filed: 10/05/2004
• Published: 06/09/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 10/07/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Subaru Corp.
• Original Assignee: Fuji Heavy Industries Limited (Subaru Corp.)
• Inventors: Yamane, Akihiro
• Granted Patent: US 7,373,242 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/200
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 11/00 Photogrammetry or videogrammetry, e.g. stereogrammetry; Photographic surveying
• 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 21/1656 with passive imaging devices, e.g. cameras
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0676 specially adapted for landing
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0858 specially adapted for vertical take-off of aircraft

Abstract

A navigation apparatus with image recognition, includes: an imaging section for obtaining a stereo image of a target spot; an inertial information detecting section for measuring an attitude angle of a body and an acceleration of the body; an image process calculating section for calculating a relative position of the body with respect to the target spot based on the stereo image and the attitude angle; and a navigation calculating section for calculating navigation information based on the attitude angle, the acceleration and the relative position.

Claims

1. A navigation apparatus with image recognition, comprising:

an imaging section for obtaining a stereo image of a target spot;

an inertial information detecting section for measuring an attitude angle of a body and an acceleration of the body;

an image process calculating section for calculating a relative position of the body with respect to the target spot based on the stereo image and the attitude angle; and

a navigation calculating section for calculating navigation information based on the attitude angle, the acceleration and the relative position.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the navigation calculating section comprises:

a velocity calculating unit for calculating velocity by integrating the acceleration; and

a position calculating unit for calculating a body position by integrating the velocity, and

the apparatus corrects the acceleration, the velocity and the body position based on a position error calculated by comparing between the relative position and the body position, and outputs the corrected velocity and the corrected body position as the navigation information.

3. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein

the navigation calculating section comprises:

a position error calculating unit for calculating the position error; and

an error estimating filter for estimating errors of the acceleration, the velocity and the body position based on the position error calculated by the position error calculating unit.

4. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the error estimating filter is one of a linear filter and a Kalman filter.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the navigation information includes at least one of the acceleration of the body with respect to the target spot, a velocity of the body with respect to the target spot, the relative position of the body with respect to the target spot, an acceleration error correction value of the body, a velocity error correction value of the body and a position error correction value of the body.

6. A navigation method with image recognition comprising:

obtaining a stereo image of a target spot;

measuring an attitude angle of a body and an acceleration of the body;

calculating a relative position of the body with respect to the target spot based on the stereo image and the attitude angle; and

calculating navigation information based on the attitude angle, the acceleration and the relative position.

10. The method according to claim 6, wherein the navigation information includes at least one of the acceleration of the body with respect to the target spot, a velocity of the body with respect to the target spot, the relative position of the body with respect to the target spot, an acceleration error correction value of the body, a velocity error correction value of the body and a position error correction value of the body.

11. The method according to claim 6, further comprises automatically operating the body based on the navigation information.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the automatically operating the body includes operating the body to land based on the navigation information.

13. The method according to claim 11, wherein the automatically operating the body includes operating the body to take off based on the navigation information.

14. The method according to claim 11, wherein the automatically operating the body includes operating the body to hover based on the navigation information.

7. The method according to claim 7, wherein

the calculating the navigation information comprises:

calculating a velocity by integrating the acceleration;

calculating a body position by integrating the velocity;

correcting the acceleration, the velocity and the body position based on a position error calculated by comparing the relative position to the body position; and

outputting the corrected velocity and the corrected body position as the navigation information.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein

the calculating the navigation information includes:

calculating the position error; and

estimating errors of the acceleration, the velocity and the body position based on the calculated position error.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the estimating the errors is performed by using one of a linear filter and a Kalman filter.