Methods and apparatus for generating a continuum of image data

• US 20080187181A1
• Filed: 02/06/2007
• Published: 08/07/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 02/06/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Visual Real Estate Incorporated (California Gold Corporation)
• Original Assignee: MV Patents LLC
• Inventors: Meadow, William D., Gordie, Randall A.
• Granted Patent: US 7,929,800 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/113
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0623 Item investigation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/16 Real estate
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 17/05 Geographic models
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 19/00 Manipulating 3D models or images for computer graphics
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2200/32 involving image mosaicing
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10016 Video; Image sequence
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10032 Satellite or aerial image; Remote sensing
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30184 Infrastructure
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/4038 Image mosaicing, e.g. composing plane images from plane sub-images
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/33 using feature-based methods
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/16 using multiple overlapping images; Image stitching
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/24 Aligning, centring, orientation detection or correction of the image

Abstract

The present invention provides methods and apparatus for generating a continuum of image data. The continuum can include image data representing a street level view of a geographic area. The image data can be captured at multiple disparate points along another continuum. Each continuum of image data can include a ribbon of data representing the geographic area. In some examples, image data can be simultaneously captured which represents multiple continuums of image data.

Claims

1. Apparatus for processing a continuum of image data, the apparatus comprising:

a computer server comprising a processor and a storage device; and

executable software stored on the storage device and executable on demand, the software operative with the processor to cause the server to;

capture two or more images of a subject, wherein the two or more images are captured from disparate points on a continuum;

align portions of the two or more images in a dimension consistent with the continuum; and

generate a composite image of the subject comprising the aligned portions of the two or more images.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the software is additionally operative to:

record positional data descriptive of a respective location of each of the two or more images; and

associate the composite image with a particular portion of the subject based upon the positional data.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the subject comprises a geographic area and the positional data comprises a geospatial designation.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein the software is additionally operative to generate the positional data based upon latitude and longitude coordinates of a camera capturing the two or more images and data descriptive of the camera orientation while the camera captured the two or more images.

5. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein the different points in a continuum comprise positions of a vehicle traveling on a roadway.

6. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the software is additionally operative to overlay metadata on the composite image descriptive of the composite image.

7. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the software is additionally operative to overlay links to additional data related to the composite image.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the additional data is related to the composite image based upon the positional data.

9. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein each of the two or more images are captured with a camera at a position about orthogonal to the subject matter.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the camera is at an angle of between about 85°

and about 95°

relative to the subject matter.

11. The apparatus of claim 9 additionally comprising an altimeter and wherein the software is additionally operative to record data indicative of an altitude of the camera at the instance of image data set generation.

12. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the two or more images are captured with a camera oriented in a direction about orthogonal to a line between two points on the continuum.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein the camera is at an angle of between about 75°

and about 105°

relative to the line.

14. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the composite image comprises a single vertical slice of each of the two or more images.

15. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein the images are captured by a camera mounted to a vehicle traveling in proximity to a subject matter comprising a geographic parcel and a width of each vertical slice is based upon a speed of image capture of the camera and the velocity of the vehicle travel.

16. The apparatus of claim 2 additionally comprising a data file comprising the composite image and geospatial data descriptive of the composite image.

17. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein the structure of the data file comprises multiple digital images and geospatial data stored between at least some of the multiple digital images.

18. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein the software is additionally operative to combine the composite image with an aerial view image of the geographic area.

19. The apparatus of claim 18 wherein the aerial view comprises a perpendicular view of the geographic area.

20. The apparatus of claim 19 wherein the aerial view image comprises an oblique view of the geographic area.