MARKING METHODS, APPARATUS AND SYSTEMS INCLUDING OPTICAL FLOW-BASED DEAD RECKONING FEATURES

• US 20130002854A1
• Filed: 05/02/2012
• Published: 01/03/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/17/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Certusview Technologies LLC (Dycom Industries Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Certusview Technologies LLC (Dycom Industries Incorporated)
• Inventors: Nielsen, Steven, Chambers, Curtis, Farr, Jeffrey, Vice, Jack M.
• Application Number:
  US13/462,794
• Publication Number:
  US 20130002854A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/94
• CPC Class Codes: A63C 2019/067 Machines for marking
• CPC Class Codes: B05B 12/082 responsive to a condition of the discharged jet or spray, e.g. to jet shape, spray pattern or droplet size
• CPC Class Codes: B05B 12/084 responsive to condition of liquid or other fluent material already sprayed on the target, e.g. coating thickness, weight or pattern
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 83/203 comprising an extension rod located between the aerosol container and the hand grip setting-out line markings on playing courts A63C19/065; marking-out on finished paving by spraying from aerosol containers E01C23/227
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/183 for receiving images from a single remote source

Abstract

A position of a marking device is monitored by receiving start position information indicative of an initial position of the marking device, capturing one or more images using one or more camera systems attached to the marking device, and analyzing the image(s) to determine tracking information indicative of a motion of the marking device. The tracking information and the start position information are then analyzed to determine current position information. In one example, images of a target surface over which the marking device is carried are analyzed pursuant to an optical flow algorithm to provide estimates of relative position for a dead-reckoning process, and the current position information is determined based on the estimates of relative position and the start position information.

Claims

1. A method of monitoring the position of a marking device;

comprising;

A) receiving start position information indicative of an initial position of the marking device;

B) capturing at least one image using at least one camera attached to the marking device;

C) analyzing the at least one image to determine tracking information indicative of a motion of the marking device; and

D) analyzing the tracking information and the start position information to determine current position information indicative of a current position of the marking device.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

E) dispensing marking material onto a target surface using the marking device; and

F) analyzing the current position information to determine marking information relating to the dispensed marking material.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein C) comprises:

C1) obtaining an optical flow plot indicative of a path on the target surface traversed by the marking device; and

wherein D) comprises;

D1) determining the current position information based on the optical flow plot and the start position information.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein E) comprises:

E1) actuating a trigger associated with the marking device to dispense marking material; and

wherein F) comprises;

F1) obtaining timestamp information indicative of at least one period of time during which the trigger is actuated to dispense marking materials; and

F2) using the timestamp information and optical flow plot obtained in C1) to identify marked portions of the path.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the start position information comprises geo-location information.

6. The method of claim 5, comprising:

receiving a global positioning system (GPS) signal;

determining the start position information based at least in part on the GPS signal.

7. The method of claim 5, comprising determining the geo-location information based on at least one landmark.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

obtaining, using at least one device, supplemental tracking information indicative of at least one of a location, a motion, and an orientation of the marking device.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the at least one device comprises at least one of:

a global positioning system device, a triangulation device;

an inertial measurement unit, an accelerometer, a gyroscope, a sonar range finder, a laser range finder, and an electronic compass.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating at least one electronic record based on current position information.

11. A method of monitoring the position of a marking device traversing a path along a target surface comprising:

A) using a geo-location device, generating geo-location data indicative of positions of the marking device as it traverses at least a first portion of the path;

B) using at least one camera on the marking device to obtain an optical flow plot indicative of at least a portion of the path on the target surface traversed by the marking device; and

C) generating dead reckoning data indicative of positions of the marking device as it traverses at least a second portion of the path based at least in part on the optical flow plot and at least one position of the marking device determined based on the geo-location data.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising;

E) monitoring the position of the marking device based on the geo-location data;

F) detecting an error condition in the geo-location device;

G) while the error condition is detected, monitoring the position of the marking device based on the dead reckoning data.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the geo-location device is a GPS device.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein F) comprises:

F1) monitoring the quality of a GPS signal;

F2) detecting the error condition by comparing the quality of a GPS signal to a threshold level.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein G) comprises monitoring the position of the marking device based on at least one position of the marking device determined using the geo-location device while no error condition is detected.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein F) comprises:

F1) comparing the geo-location data and the dead reckoning data;

F2) detecting the error condition based at least in part on the comparison of F1).

17. The method of claim 16, wherein F) further comprises:

F3) using at least one input device to determine heading information indicative a heading of the marking device; and

F4) comparing the heading information to the geo-location data;

wherein F2) further comprises;

detecting the error condition based at least in part on the comparison in F4).

18. There method of claim 12, further comprising:

H) while no error condition is detected, generating at least a first electronic record based on the geo-location data; and

I) while an error condition is detected;

generating at least a second electronic record based on the dead reckoning data.

19. The method of claim 18, comprising:

dispensing marking material.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein dispensing marking material comprises:

actuating a trigger associated with the marking device to dispense marking material; and

obtaining timestamp information indicative of at least one period of time during which the trigger is actuated to dispense marking materials; and

wherein, in at least one of the first and second electronic records are generated based at least in part on the timestamp data.

21. An apparatus comprising:

a marking device for dispensing marking material onto a target surface, the marking device including;

at least one camera attached to the marking device; and

control electronics communicatively coupled to the at least one camera and comprising a processing unit configured to;

A) receive start position information indicative of an initial position of the marking device;

B) capture at least one image using the at least one camera attached to the marking device;

C) analyze the at least one image to determine tracking information indicative of the a motion of the marking device; and

D) analyze the tracking information and the start position information to determine current position information indicative of a current position of the marking device.

22. The apparatus of claim 21, comprising a triggering system comprising:

a trigger associated with the marking device;

an actuation mechanism configured to dispense the marking material from a marker container when the trigger is actuated; and

a signal generator to send a trigger signal to the control electronics indicative of an actuation of the trigger.

23. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the signal generator comprises an electronic switch.

24. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the trigger comprises at least one of:

a mechanical trigger, an electronic trigger, a touch screen display, and a wireless trigger.

25. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the control electronics are configured to:

use the camera to obtaining an optical flow plot indicative of a path on the target surface traversed by the marking device; and

determine the current position information based on the optical flow plot and the start position information.

26. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the control electronics are configured to:

obtain timestamp information indicative of at least one period of time during which the trigger is actuated to dispense marking materials based on the trigger signal; and

use the timestamp information and optical flow plot to identify marked portions of the path.

27. The apparatus of claim 25, further comprising at least one geo-location device configured to generate the start position information

28. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the geo-location device comprises a GPS device.

30. The apparatus of claim 21, further comprising at least one input device configured to obtain supplemental tracking information indicative of at least one of a location, a motion, and an orientation of the marking device.

31. The apparatus of claim 30, wherein the input device comprises at least one of:

a global positioning system device, a triangulation device;

an inertial measurement unit, an accelerometer, a gyroscope, a sonar range finder, a laser range finder, and an electronic compass.

32. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the control electronics are configured to generate at least one electronic record based on current position information.

29. (canceled)

33. An apparatus comprising:

a marking device for dispensing marking material onto a target surface, the marking device including;

at least one camera attached to the marking device; and

control electronics communicatively coupled to the at least one camera and comprising a processing unit configured to;

control a geo-location device to generate geo-location data indicative of positions of the marking device as it traverses at least a first portion of a path on the target surface;

using the at least one camera, obtain an optical flow plot indicative of at least a portion of the path on the target surface traversed by the marking device; and

generate dead reckoning data indicative of positions of the marking device as it traverses at least a second portion of the path based at least in part on the optical flow plot and at least one position of the marking device determined based on the geo-location data.

34. The apparatus of claim 33, wherein the control electronics are configured to

monitor the position of the marking device based on the geo-location data;

detect an error condition in the geo-location device; and

while the error condition is detected, monitor the position of the marking device based on the dead reckoning data.

35. The apparatus of claim 34, wherein the geo-location device is a GPS device in communicatively coupled to the control electronics.

36. The apparatus of claim 35, wherein the control electronics are configured to

monitor the quality of a GPS signal;

detect the error condition by comparing the quality of a GPS signal to a threshold level.

37. The apparatus of claim 36, wherein the control electronics are configured to:

monitor the position of the marking device based on at least one position of the marking device determined using the geo-location device while no error is detected.

38. The apparatus of claim 36, wherein the control electronics are configured to:

compare the geo-location data and the dead reckoning data; and

detect the error condition based at least in part on the comparison of the geo-location data and the dead reckoning data.

39. The apparatus of claim 38, further comprising

at least one input device communicatively coupled to the control electronics, and wherein the control electronics are configured to:

receive heading information indicative a heading of the marking device from the at least one input device;

compare the heading information and the geo-location data; and

detect the error condition based at least in part on the comparison of the heading information and the geo-location data.

40. The apparatus of claim 33, wherein the control electronics are configured to:

while no error condition is detected, generate at least a first electronic record based on the geo-location data; and

while an error condition is detected;

generate at least a second electronic record based on the dead reckoning data.

41. The apparatus of claim 40, comprising:

a trigger associated with the marking device;

an actuation mechanism configured to dispense the marking material from a marker container when the trigger is actuated; and

a signal generator to send a trigger signal to the control electronics indicative of an actuation of the trigger.

42. The apparatus of claim 41, wherein the signal generator comprises an electronic switch.

43. The apparatus of claim 41, wherein the trigger comprises at least one of:

a mechanical trigger, an electronic trigger, a touch screen display, and a wireless trigger.

44. The apparatus of claim 41, wherein the control electronics are configured to, in response to the trigger signal:

obtain timestamp information indicative of at least one period of time during which the trigger is actuated to dispense marking materials; and

wherein, in at least one of the first and second electronic records are generated based at least in part on the timestamp data.

45. The apparatus of claim 44, further comprising a memory configured to store at least one of the first and second electronic records.

46. A computer program product comprising a computer readable medium having a computer readable program code embodied therein, the computer readable program code adapted to be executed to implement a method comprising:

A) receiving start position information indicative of an initial position of the marking device;

B) capturing at least one image using at least one camera attached to the marking device;

C) analyzing the at least one image to determine tracking information indicative of the a motion of the marking device; and

D) analyzing the tracking information and the start position information to determine current position information indicative of a current position of the marking device.

47. The product of claim 46, wherein the method further comprises:

E) dispensing marking material onto a target surface using the marking device;

F) analyzing the current position information to determine marking information relating to the dispensed marking material.

48. The product of claim 47, wherein C) comprises:

C1) obtaining an optical flow plot indicative of a path on the target surface traversed by the marking device; and

wherein D) comprises

D1) determining the current position information based on the optical flow plot and the start position information.

49. The product of claim 48, wherein E) comprises:

E1) actuating a trigger associated with the marking device to dispense marking material; and

wherein F) comprises;

F1) obtaining timestamp information indicative of at least one period of time during which the trigger is actuated to dispense marking materials; and

F2) using the timestamp information and optical flow plot obtained in C1) to identify marked portions of the path.

50. A computer program product comprising a computer readable medium having a computer readable program code embodied therein, the computer readable program code adapted to be executed to implement a method of monitoring the position of a marking device traversing a path along a target surface, the method comprising:

A) using a geo-location device, generating geo-location data indicative of positions of the marking device as it traverses at least a first portion of the path;

B) using at least one camera on the marking device to obtain an optical flow plot indicative of at least a portion of the path on the target surface traversed by the marking device; and

C) generating dead reckoning data indicative of positions of the marking device as it traverses at least a second portion of the path based at least in part on the optical flow plot and at least one position of the marking device determined based on the geo-location data.

51. The product of claim 50, wherein the method further comprises;

E) monitoring the position of the marking device based on the geo-location data;

F) detecting an error condition in the geo-location device;

G) while the error condition is detected, monitoring the position of the marking device based on the dead reckoning data.

52. The product of claim 51, wherein F) comprises:

F1) monitoring the quality of a GPS signal;

F2) detecting the error condition by comparing the quality of a GPS signal to a threshold level.

53. The product of claim 52, wherein G) comprises monitoring the position of the marking device based on at least one position of the marking device determined using the geo-location device while no error condition is detected.