Auxilliary navigation system for use in urban areas
First Claim
1. A method for the extraction, identification and comparison of skylines from imagery data for the purpose of accurately locating the position of a mobile platform for navigation purposes, said method comprised of:
- a. providing an image sensor capable of acquiring an image of a circumferential field of view;
b. providing a processing means capable of processing the image acquired by the image sensor;
c. obtaining one or more images of said skyline with said image sensor and transferring said images to said processing means;
d. providing an algorithm implemented by the processing means, said algorithm including the following steps;
i. identification and extraction of a first set of one or more skylines from a first set of one or more circumferential images obtained by said image sensor;
ii. modeling and representation of said skylines;
iii. assigning coordinates to the skylines in said first set, wherein the coordinates represent the location from which each image was taken;
iv. storing said first set of skylines together with the coordinates assigned to it in a database;
v. identification and extraction of a second skyline from a second circumferential image obtained by said image sensor;
vi. modeling and representation of said second skyline;
vii. comparing said second modeled skyline to the skylines of said first set of modeled skylines stored in said database to find a match between said second skyline and at least one of said skylines from said first set of skylines stored in said database; and
viii. assigning said coordinates assigned to said first skyline to said second skyline, after a match is found.
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Accused Products
Abstract
The invention is a method for the extraction, identification and comparison of skylines from imagery data specifically, for the purpose of accurately locating the position of a mobile platform for navigation purposes. The invention is carried out by processing images obtained using a compact mobile electro-optic device that is designed to be mounted on any mobile platform, such that a clear circumferential view of the surroundings is available. The method allows the position of the mobile platform to be determined in three dimensional space, relative to any arbitrary coordinate system; the exact map coordinates of the platform to be determined; or allows the platform to follow a previously traversed track.
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Citations
17 Claims
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1. A method for the extraction, identification and comparison of skylines from imagery data for the purpose of accurately locating the position of a mobile platform for navigation purposes, said method comprised of:
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a. providing an image sensor capable of acquiring an image of a circumferential field of view; b. providing a processing means capable of processing the image acquired by the image sensor; c. obtaining one or more images of said skyline with said image sensor and transferring said images to said processing means; d. providing an algorithm implemented by the processing means, said algorithm including the following steps; i. identification and extraction of a first set of one or more skylines from a first set of one or more circumferential images obtained by said image sensor; ii. modeling and representation of said skylines; iii. assigning coordinates to the skylines in said first set, wherein the coordinates represent the location from which each image was taken; iv. storing said first set of skylines together with the coordinates assigned to it in a database; v. identification and extraction of a second skyline from a second circumferential image obtained by said image sensor; vi. modeling and representation of said second skyline; vii. comparing said second modeled skyline to the skylines of said first set of modeled skylines stored in said database to find a match between said second skyline and at least one of said skylines from said first set of skylines stored in said database; and viii. assigning said coordinates assigned to said first skyline to said second skyline, after a match is found. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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Specification