Automated Location Estimation Using Image Analysis

• US 20080226130A1
• Filed: 03/15/2007
• Published: 09/18/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Zhao, Feng, Kansal, Aman
• Granted Patent: US 8,144,920 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/106
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/20 Instruments for performing navigational calculations G01C21/24, G01C21/26 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/206 specially adapted for indoor navigation
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/16 using electromagnetic waves other than radio waves
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/29 Geographical information databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/58 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/583 using metadata automatically derived from the content
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/5866 using information manually generated, e.g. tags, keywords, comments, manually generated location and time information
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/587 using geographical or spatial information, e.g. location
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9537 Spatial or temporal dependent retrieval, e.g. spatiotemporal queries
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/10 Terrestrial scenes scenes under surveillance with static cameras G06V20/52; scenes perceived from the exterior of a vehicle G06V20/56; scenes perceived from the interior of a vehicle G06V20/59

Abstract

An implementation of automated location estimation using image analysis is described. In this implementation, an image of a place is obtained and matched with previously stored images. The matching may be achieved by employing methods based on key feature extraction algorithm, color histogram analysis, pattern matching or other image comparison techniques. Upon determining a match, the location information associated with the matched previously stored images provides the location. The location information may be in the form of location tags or location keywords and the location information may be used by the user or other applications for the purposes of location determination. The above technique also allows for the user to enter location information to improve accuracy. The location information may also be assigned to the previously stored images residing in local and remote databases for users and applications to automatically assign information or keywords to images.

Claims

1. One or more computer-readable media comprising computer-readable instructions that when executed, perform acts comprising:

matching an image with one or more previously stored images; and

assigning, to the image, location information of the one or more previously stored images that match the image.

2. One or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 1, wherein the act of matching comprises:

converting the image and the one or more previously stored images into one or more comparable formats; and

comparing the image in the one or more comparable formats with the one or more previously stored images in the one or more comparable formats.

3. One or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 2, wherein the comparable formats allows matching of two images of a location taken under differing conditions, and wherein the one or more comparable formats comprise a format based on key features, a format based on color histogram and a format based on pattern matching.

4. One or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 2, wherein the one or more previously stored images may be retrieved from a database via a network, and wherein the network comprises an internet, a cellular network and a satellite network.

5. One or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 1, wherein a user is prompted to enter one or more location keywords if the image does not match the one or more previously stored images.

6. One or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

tagging the image with one or more location keywords provided by a user, wherein the one or more location keywords may be included in location information of the image.

7. One or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 6, further comprising:

adding the one or more location keywords to the location information of the one or more previously stored images that matched the image.

8. One or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

computing location of a place in the image using other estimation methods, wherein the other estimation methods comprise location estimation methods utilizing global positioning systems and cellular network systems; and

verifying the location computed using the other estimation methods by comparing the location with the location information assigned to the image.

9. One or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

computing location of a place in the image using other estimation methods, wherein the other estimation methods comprise location estimation methods utilizing global positioning systems and cellular network systems; and

combining the location of the place computed by using the other estimation methods with the location information assigned to the image.

10. A device comprising:

the computer-readable medium as recited in claim 1; and

one or more processors to execute the computer-readable instructions stored on the computer-readable medium.

11. An portable computing device comprising:

a memory;

one or more processors;

an image acquisition component to acquire an image of a place; and

a location module, which is stored in the memory and executable on the one or more processors, to estimate a location of the place based on the image acquired by the image acquisition component.

12. A portable computing device as recited in claim 11, wherein the location module comprises:

a converter module to convert the image and one or more previously stored images into one or more comparable formats;

a matcher module to match the image in the one or more comparable formats with the one or more previously stored images in the one or more comparable formats; and

an assignor module to assign, to the image, location information of the one or more previously stored images that matched the image.

13. A portable computing device as recited in claim 11, wherein the location module further comprises:

a user input module to accept location keywords from a user, wherein location information of the image comprise the location keywords.

14. A portable computing device as recited in claim 11, wherein the portable computing device further comprises:

a network interface to interact with other devices and remote databases having images;

a local database to store images and location information; and

a user interface to display location information, and to allow entry of information including the location information.

15. A portable computing device as recited in claim 11, wherein the portable computing device comprises at least one of a camera, a communication device, a personal digital assistant (pda), a portable music player and a portable computing device.

16. A method comprising:

obtaining an image;

matching the image with one or more previously stored images; and

assigning location information, of the image, to the one or more previously stored images that match the image if the one or more previously stored images do not have the location information.

17. A method as recited in claim 16, wherein the act of matching comprises:

converting the image and the one or more previously stored images into one or more comparable formats; and

comparing the image in the one or more comparable formats with the one or more previously stored images in the one or more comparable formats.

18. A method as recited in claim 16, further comprising:

tagging an image with the location information provided by a user, wherein the location information comprises at least one of location tag and location keyword.

19. A method as recited in claim 16, further comprising:

assigning, to the image, location information of the one or more previously stored images that match the image if the image does not have the location information.

20. A methods as recited in claim 16, further comprising:

computing location of a place in the image using other estimation methods, wherein the other estimation methods comprise location estimation methods utilizing global positioning systems and cellular network systems; and

assigning the location of the place computed by using the other estimation methods to the one or more previously stored images that match the image.