Video with map overlay

• US 8,334,879 B2
• Filed: 10/13/2008
• Issued: 12/18/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/12/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Russell Steven Krajec
• Original Assignee: Russell Steven Krajec
• Inventors: Krajec, Russell Steven
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Phu K
• Application Number:
  US12/250,166
• Publication Number:
  US 20090040305A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,527 Days
• Field of Search: 345/629, 345/419, 345/581, 345/157, 345/158, 340/901, 340/908, 340/989, 340/990, 701/207, 701/208, 701/216, 701/217, 701/408, 701/409, 701/411, 701/414
• US Class Current: 345/629
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 17/05 Geographic models
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10016 Video; Image sequence
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30236 Traffic on road, railway or crossing
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30244 Camera pose
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30252 Vehicle exterior; Vicinity of vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/73 using feature-based methods
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/13 Satellite images
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/54 of traffic, e.g. cars on the road, trains or boats
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/265 Mixing

Abstract

A system and method for placing reference locators on a streaming video image taken from a camera mounted on a vehicle. Sensors monitoring the camera field of view and direction of the optical axis along with sensors monitoring the vehicle'"'"'s position are used to generate a video overlay having various indicia. The calculated positions of the indicia may be compared to the position of landmarks taken from the video image to compensate for any inaccuracies in the calculated position taken from the various sensors.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a vehicle having vehicle position sensors;

a first video camera mounted to said vehicle and having camera position sensors and producing a first video feed in a first camera field of view;

a field of view calculator that;

uses said vehicle position sensors and said camera position sensors to produce a first calculated field of view;

determines that a first landmark is approximately located within said first camera field of view;

determines a calculated position of said first landmark within said first camera field of view;

finds the actual position of said landmark within said first video feed;

compares said calculated position and said actual position of said landmark to determine a set of correction factors; and

uses said correction factors to change said first calculated field of view and generate a corrected field of view;

an indicia generator that uses said corrected field of view to produce at least one indicator within said first camera field of view;

a video display that displays said first video feed and said indicator.

2. The system of claim 1, said landmark comprises a stationary object.

3. The system of claim 1, said landmark comprises a movable object.

4. The system of claim 3, said landmark comprises a second vehicle having a set of second vehicle sensors in communication with said field of view calculator.

5. The system of claim 1, said vehicle is one of a group comprising an aircraft, a land vehicle, and a watercraft.

6. The system of claim 1, said vehicle position sensors comprises at least one from a group comprising a global positioning system receiver, an altimeter, a compass, and a gyroscope.

7. The system of claim 1, said camera position sensors comprises at least one from a group comprising a roll sensor, a pitch sensor, a yaw sensor, and a zoom sensor.

8. The system of claim 1, said indicia comprises at least one from a group comprising latitude and longitude coordinates, a street name, a building address, a building name, and a vehicle.

9. A method comprising:

generating a first video stream from a vehicle;

determining the position of said vehicle;

determining the optical axis of said first video stream and a first field of view;

determining a first calculated field of view from said position of said vehicle and said first field of view;

calculating the position of an indicator using said first calculated field of view;

generating an image of said indicator;

displaying said image of said indicator with said first video stream;

determining that a first landmark is approximately located within the first field of view;

determining a calculated position of said first landmark within said first field of view;

finding the actual position of said landmark within said first video feed;

comparing said calculated position and said actual position of said landmark to determine a set of correction factors; and

using said correction factors to generate a corrected field of view.

10. The method of claim 9 said landmark comprises a stationary object.

11. The method of claim 9 said landmark comprises a movable object.

12. The method of claim 11 said landmark comprises a second vehicle having a set of second vehicle sensors in communication with said field of view calculator.

13. The method of claim 9 said vehicle is one from a group comprising an aircraft, a land vehicle, and a watercraft.

14. The method of claim 9 said determining the position of said vehicle comprises at least one output from a group comprising a global positioning system receiver, an altimeter, a compass, and a gyroscope.

15. The method of claim 9 said determining the optical axis of said first video stream and the first field of view comprises at least one output from a group comprising a roll sensor, a pitch sensor, a yaw sensor, and a zoom sensor.

16. The method of claim 9 said indicator comprises at least one from a group comprising latitude and longitude coordinates, a street name, a building address, a building name, and a vehicle.