SYSTEM AND METHOD OF DETERMINING MAP COORDINATES FROM IMAGES

• US 20150153188A1
• Filed: 09/24/2013
• Published: 06/04/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/07/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Ogale, Abhijit S., Lafon, Stephane, Frome, Andrea
• Granted Patent: US 9,057,618 B1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/26 specially adapted for navigation in a road network
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/34 Route searching; Route guidance
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3476 using point of interest [POI] information, e.g. a route passing visible POIs
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3602 Input other than that of destination using image analysis, e.g. detection of road signs, lanes, buildings, real preceding vehicles using a camera
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3811 Point data, e.g. Point of Interest [POI]
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3837 Data obtained from a single source
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/08 for measuring distance only indirect measurement G01S17/46; active triangulation systems G01S17/48
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/51 Relative positioning
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/16 using electromagnetic waves other than radio waves

Abstract

Systems and methods provide approximations of latitude and longitude coordinates of objects, for example a business, in street level images. The images may be collected by a camera. An image of a business is collected along with GPS coordinates and direction of the camera. Depth maps of the images may be generated, for example, based on laser depth detection or displacement of the business between two images caused by a change in the position of the camera. After identifying a business in one or more images, the distance from the camera to a point or area relative to the business in the one or more images may be determined based on the depth maps. Using this distance and the direction of the camera which collected the one or more images and GPS coordinates of the camera, the approximate GPS coordinates of the business may be determined.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

identifying a portal in an image, wherein the portal is associated with a point of interest identified by a location of a first map marker in map data;

receiving surface depth data identifying one or more distances from the geographic location of the camera that captured the image to objects of the image;

determining a distance from the camera that captured the image to the portal in the image based on the surface depth data;

determining, by one or more computing devices, an approximate geographic location of the portal based on the determined distance and the geographic location information and direction information associated with the image;

adjusting, by the one or more computing devices, the location of the first map marker in the map data based on the approximate geographic location; and

adjusting, by the one or more computing devices, the location of a second map marker in the map data based on the adjusted location of the first map marker.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and second map marker is associated with a particular portion of roadway, and adjusting the location of the second map marker includes moving the map marker relative to the location of roadway.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and second map markers are associated with respective geographic location codes, and adjusting the locations of the first and second map markers further includes changing the respective geographic location codes of the first and second map markers.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and second map markers are both associated with a particular portion of roadway, and adjusting the location of the second map marker includes changing relative spacing between the first and second map makers along the particular portion of roadway.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising in conjunction with adjusting the second map marker, adjusting a location of a third map marker in the map data based on the adjusted location of the first map marker.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the wherein the first, second, and map markers are both associated with a particular portion of roadway, and adjusting the location of the second and third map markers includes evenly spacing the first, second, and third map markers along the particular portion of roadway.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and second map markers are both associated with a particular portion of roadway, and adjusting the location of the second map marker includes changing a relative distance between the second map maker and the particular portion of roadway.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and second map marker is associated with a particular portion of roadway, and the one or more computing devices are further configured to adjust the location of the second map marker by moving the map marker relative to the location of roadway.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and second map markers are associated with respective geographic location codes, and the one or more computing devices are further configured to adjust the locations of the first and second map markers further by changing the respective geographic location codes of the first and second map markers.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and second map markers are both associated with a particular portion of roadway, and the one or more computing devices are further configured to adjust the location of the second map marker by changing relative spacing between the first and second map makers along the particular portion of roadway.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising in conjunction with adjusting the second map marker, the one or more computing devices are further configured to adjust a location of a third map marker in the map data based on the adjusted location of the first map marker.

13. The system of claim 5, wherein the wherein the first, second, and map markers are both associated with a particular portion of roadway, and the one or more computing devices are further configured to adjust the location of the second and third map markers by evenly spacing the first, second, and third map markers along the particular portion of roadway.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the first and second map markers are both associated with a particular portion of roadway, and the one or more computing devices are further configured to adjust the location of the second map marker by changing a relative distance between the second map maker and the particular portion of roadway.

16. The medium of claim 1, wherein the first and second map marker is associated with a particular portion of roadway, and adjusting the location of the second map marker includes moving the map marker relative to the location of roadway.

17. The medium of claim 1, wherein the first and second map markers are associated with respective geographic location codes, and adjusting the locations of the first and second map markers further includes changing the respective geographic location codes of the first and second map markers.

18. The medium of claim 1, wherein the first and second map markers are both associated with a particular portion of roadway, and adjusting the location of the second map marker includes changing relative spacing between the first and second map makers along the particular portion of roadway.

19. The medium of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises, in conjunction with adjusting the second map marker, adjusting a location of a third map marker in the map data based on the adjusted location of the first map marker.

20. The medium of claim 19, wherein the wherein the first, second, and map markers are both associated with a particular portion of roadway, and adjusting the location of the second and third map markers includes evenly spacing the first, second, and third map markers along the particular portion of roadway.

8. A system comprising one or more computing devices configured to:

identify a portal in an image, wherein the portal is associated with a point of interest identified by a location of a first map marker in map data;

receive surface depth data identifying one or more distances from the geographic location of the camera that captured the image to objects of the image;

determine a distance from the camera that captured the image to the portal in the image based on the surface depth data;

determine an approximate geographic location of the portal based on the determined distance and the geographic location information and direction information associated with the image;

adjust the location of the first map marker in the map data based on the approximate geographic location; and

adjust the location of a second map marker in the map data based on the adjusted location of the first map marker.

15. A tangible, non-transitory computer-readable recording medium on which computer-readable instructions of a program are stored, the instructions when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform a method, the method comprising:

identifying a portal in an image, wherein the portal is associated with a point of interest identified by a location of a first map marker in map data;

receiving surface depth data identifying one or more distances from the geographic location of the camera that captured the image to objects of the image;

determining a distance from the camera that captured the image to the portal in the image based on the surface depth data;

determining, by a processor, an approximate geographic location of the portal based on the determined distance and the geographic location information and direction information associated with the image;

adjusting, by the processor, the location of the first map marker in the map data based on the approximate geographic location; and

adjusting the location of a second map marker in the map data based on the adjusted location of the first map marker.