System and method for generating a terrain model for autonomous navigation in vegetation
First Claim
1. A system for determining ground height, comprising:
- a sensor array for producing data about a volume, said volume represented by a terrain map divided into a plurality of voxels;
a plurality of terrain modeling rules, said rules including domain information for interpreting data from said sensor array, an assumption imposed by a two-dimensional, horizontal model that ground height is smoothly varying, and an assumption imposed by a two-dimensional, horizontal model that voxels having a particular classification will cluster; and
an inference engine responsive to said sensor array, said terrain modeling rules, and vertical structural assumptions for inferring a classification for each voxel, said inference engine further producing a most likely ground height based on said inferred classifications.
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Abstract
The disclosed terrain model is a generative, probabilistic approach to modeling terrain that exploits the 3D spatial structure inherent in outdoor domains and an array of noisy but abundant sensor data to simultaneously estimate ground height, vegetation height and classify obstacles and other areas of interest, even in dense non-penetrable vegetation. Joint inference of ground height, class height and class identity over the whole model results in more accurate estimation of each quantity. Vertical spatial constraints are imposed on voxels within a column via a hidden semi-Markov model. Horizontal spatial constraints are enforced on neighboring columns of voxels via two interacting Markov random fields and a latent variable. Because of the rules governing abstracts, this abstract should not be used to construe the claims.
26 Citations
20 Claims
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1. A system for determining ground height, comprising:
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a sensor array for producing data about a volume, said volume represented by a terrain map divided into a plurality of voxels; a plurality of terrain modeling rules, said rules including domain information for interpreting data from said sensor array, an assumption imposed by a two-dimensional, horizontal model that ground height is smoothly varying, and an assumption imposed by a two-dimensional, horizontal model that voxels having a particular classification will cluster; and an inference engine responsive to said sensor array, said terrain modeling rules, and vertical structural assumptions for inferring a classification for each voxel, said inference engine further producing a most likely ground height based on said inferred classifications. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A method for determining ground height, comprising:
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producing sensor data about a volume, said volume represented by a terrain map divided into a plurality of voxels; and
performing on a computer the steps comprising;providing a plurality of terrain modeling rules, said rules including domain information for interpreting said sensor data, an assumption imposed by a two-dimensional, horizontal model that ground height is smoothly varying, and an assumption imposed by a two-dimensional, horizontal model that voxels having a particular classification will cluster; inferring a classification for each voxel based on said sensor data, said terrain modeling rules, and vertical structural assumptions; and producing a most likely ground height based on said inferred classifications. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification