Collection of video images correlated with spacial and attitude information

• US 6,466,259 B1
• Filed: 01/04/1999
• Issued: 10/15/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 01/04/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Unisys Corporation
• Original Assignee: Unisys Corporation
• Inventors: Stanton, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Britton, Howard
• Assistant Examiner(s): WONG, ALLEN C
• Application Number:
  US09/224,965
• Time in Patent Office: 1,380 Days
• Field of Search: 348/148, 348/157, 348/55, 382/103, 473/156, 370/452, 714/717, 353/94, 701/35
• US Class Current: 348/148
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 15/00 Surveying instruments or accessories not provided for in groups G01C1/00 - G01C13/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0891 Video recorder in combination with video camera
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/433 with asynchronous transmission, e.g. token ring, register insertion
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/181 for receiving images from a plurality of remote sources

Abstract

Visual and spatial information as a function of time is collected and saved for further processing to determine spacial and target identification for an information database. The later processed information is used to determine the spatial position of an object seen in the visual information. The method includes the high speed collection and time correlation of video images, spatial position information and vehicle attitude with minimal time offset between individual frames of view in digital sets of video data.

Claims

1. An apparatus for collecting visual, spatial and attitude information relating to a moving vehicle comprising:

a) a plurality of stations, each station having;

i) at least one video camera having analog output data;

ii) digitizer means for digitizing the camera analog output data to provide digitally captured images;

iii) timing means for determining the time that scanning began for the current video frame;

iv) digital storage means for storing said digitally captured images;

v) a station computer having program means for compressing digital camera data from said digitizer, for storing said compressed data in said digital storage means, for determining the delta difference in time from the beginning of the current frame scan to a request signal, and for providing a station identifier;

b) a master processor;

c) digital storage means for storing digital data received by said master processor;

d) dual token ring local area network means for interconnecting said master processor with all said stations for transmitting signals over a control ring and data over a data ring between said master processor and said stations;

said control rings being arranged such that a message placed on the control ring by said master processor will request the current video frame data from all processors, and such that a message placed upon the control ring by a station will lock out all other stations until the same station releases said token and make the control ring available to the other stations;

e) said station computer program means being further arranged such that, upon the receipt of a broadcast time signal issued by said master processor over said control ring, will determine the delta difference in time between the beginning scan time for the current video frame and the time of receipt of the token issued by the master processor, will complete processing and storing the current video frame in the station storage means, and when the control ring is available, will release the token to the control ring, and after it transmits the delta time, the station identifier, and the current stored frame data over the data ring to the master processor for storage.

2. An apparatus as in claim 1 further comprising:

a) an inertial navigation system having digital data outputs of geographical position, altitude, attitude, and their rates, said data being provided to said master processor for storage; and

b) a global positioning system having digital data outputs of time, geographical position and altitude, geographic position and altitude rates said data being provided to said master processor for storage.

3. An apparatus as in claim 1 having more than one stations arranged in adjacent pairs such that the single camera'"'"'s fields of view of adjacent pairs may be aligned with one another, the cameras of a pair being focused at different distances, and the field of view for both cameras of an adjacent pair being perpendicular to the field of view for both cameras of all other adjacent pairs.

4. An apparatus as in claim 3 wherein, relative to said vehicle, one adjacent camera pair has a forward field of view, one adjacent camera pair has an aft field of view, one adjacent camera pair has a rightward field of view perpendicular to the vehicle fore and aft line, and one adjacent camera pair has a leftward field of view perpendicular to the vehicle fore and aft line.