Systems and methods for location based image telegraphy

• US 8,665,325 B2
• Filed: 10/08/2003
• Issued: 03/04/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/08/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qwest Communications International Incorporated (Lumen Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Qwest Communications International Incorporated (Lumen Technologies, Inc.)
• Inventors: Casey, Steven M., Phillips, Bruce A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Anyikire, Chikaodili E
• Application Number:
  US10/681,530
• Publication Number:
  US 20050078174A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,800 Days
• Field of Search: 348/61, 348/94, 348/95
• US Class Current: 348/61
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/14 specially adapted for specific applications
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/51 Relative positioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32101 Display, printing, storage or transmission of additional information, e.g. ID code, date and time or title
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/76 Television signal recording

Abstract

Systems and methods for associating images with location and/or other information. In some cases, the systems include an image sensor, a location sensor, and a microprocessor. The microprocessor is communicably coupled to a computer readable medium that includes instructions executable by the microprocessor to: receive a location from the location sensor; receive an image from the image sensor; and associate the location with the image. Some of the methods provide for capturing an object image of an object using an image sensor; capturing a location of the image sensor; and associating the location with the object image. Other methods and systems are also disclosed.

Claims

1. A system for providing location information in relation to telecommunications plant equipment, the system comprising:

a plurality of cabinets of telecommunications plant equipment, each cabinet of telecommunications plant equipment being part of an access network and having;

a first Global Positioning System (GPS) location sensor located within the cabinet and configured to provide a first location associated with the telecommunications plant equipment;

a set of equipment characteristics comprising information about the cabinet of telecommunications plant equipment relevant to servicing of the telecommunications plant equipment; and

a first network interface in operative communication with a network engineering center via a service network,

the first location sensor being installed at and associated with the cabinet of telecommunications plant equipment and configured to report the first location to the network engineering center via the service network; and

a portable technician device, comprising;

a display;

an imaging device configured to capture a plurality of images;

a second location sensor configured to provide a plurality of locations associated with the portable technician device;

a second network interface in operative communication with the network engineering center via the service network; and

a computer readable medium, the computer readable medium encoded with instructions executable by the microprocessor to;

receive, from the network engineering center over the service network, an indication of a servicing need for telecommunications plant in a particular cabinet;

receive, from the network engineering center over the service network, the first location of the telecommunications plant equipment in the particular cabinet;

map a route to the one of the telecommunications plant equipment as a function of the second location and the first location associated with the one of the telecommunications plant equipment;

receive, from the imaging device, a captured image of the particular cabinet;

receive, from the network engineering center over the service network, the set of equipment characteristics associated with the telecommunications plant equipment in the particular cabinet; and

display, on the display, the captured image of the particular cabinet simultaneous with at least a portion of the set of equipment characteristics associated with the telecommunications plant equipment in the particular cabinet, the displayed portion of the set of equipment characteristics comprising detailed cabinet configuration information including configuration of the telecommunications cabinet equipment.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the portable technician device further comprises:

a distance sensor;

a direction sensor; and

the computer readable medium is further encoded with instructions executable by the microprocessor to;

receive a distance from the distance sensor;

receive a direction from the direction sensor; and

calculate a third location based at least in part on the second location, the direction, and the distance, wherein the third location is the location of an object in the image.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the portable technician device further comprises a transmitter, and wherein the transmitter is operable to provide the location of the object in the image to a query database.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the portable technician device further comprises a receiver, and wherein the receiver is operable to receive description information from the query database.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the object is a landmark, and wherein the information about the landmark is selected from a group consisting of:

historic information, access rates, driving directions, parking information, and walking directions.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein the display is operable to display information selected from the following:

the direction, the distance, and the location of the object.

7. The system of claim 2, wherein the instructions are further executable by the microprocessor to:

access a map, wherein the map includes a route from the second location to the third location; and

provide the map to the display.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the map is a topological map.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the telecommunications plant equipment comprises inside plant equipment or outside plant equipment.

9. A method for obtaining location information in relation to an object image, the method comprising:

initiating a mapping function integrated into a portable device substantially upon leaving a first location, the mapping function being configured to log locations according to a location sensor;

terminating the mapping function substantially upon arrival at a second location remote from the first location;

generating a route map from the first location to the second location as a function of the locations logged according to the location sensor;

capturing an object image of a cabinet of telecommunications plant equipment;

determining an installation location within the cabinet of telecommunications plant equipment having a relatively high global positioning system (GPS) signal strength with respect to other locations at the telecommunications plant equipment;

installing a GPS location system at the installation location;

receiving a third location defining a location of the telecommunications plant equipment from the GPS location system;

receiving a set of equipment characteristics comprising information about the telecommunications plant equipment relevant to servicing of the telecommunications plant equipment; and

associating the telecommunications plant equipment with the route map, the object image, and the third location;

displaying, with a portable technician device, the route map;

capturing, with the portable technician device, a second image of the cabinet of telecommunications plant equipment;

receiving, with the portable technician device, the set of equipment characteristics; and

displaying, with the portable technician device, the second captured image simultaneous with at least a portion of the set of equipment characteristics, the displayed portion of the set of equipment characteristics comprising detailed cabinet configuration information including configuration of the telecommunications cabinet equipment.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the method further comprises:

providing a request for information about the telecommunications plant equipment, wherein the request includes the set of equipment characteristics.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the method further comprises:

receiving the information about the telecommunications plant equipment.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the method further comprises:

storing the object image; and

associating the stored object image with at least one of the route map, the set of equipment characteristics, or the third location.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the method further comprises:

communicating the object image with a network engineering center over a network.

13. A system for providing telecommunications plant equipment monitoring, the system comprising:

a central monitor remote from, and in operative communication with, a plurality of portable technician devices, wherein the central monitor is configured to receive an indication of a servicing need for one of a plurality of cabinets of telecommunications plant equipment, each cabinet of telecommunications plant equipment being associated with a location and a set of equipment characteristics comprising information about the cabinet of telecommunications plant equipment relevant to servicing of the telecommunications plant equipment, the location associated with each telecommunications plant equipment being determined by a location sensor being installed within and associated with the cabinet of telecommunications plant equipment and configured to remotely report the location to the central monitor; and

a dispatch module in operative communication with the central monitor and with a dispatcher, and configured to;

receive an indication of an event occurrence, the event occurrence relating to a servicing need for one of the plurality of cabinets of telecommunications plant equipment; and

upon receiving the indication, automatically communicate the location and the set of equipment characteristics associated with the one of the cabinets of telecommunications plant equipment to at least one of the portable technician devices for use in dispatching a response to the event occurrence; and

the at least one of the portable technician devices configured to;

capture an image of the one of the telecommunications plant equipment;

receive the set of equipment characteristics associated with the one of the cabinets of telecommunications plant equipment; and

display the captured image simultaneous with at least a portion of the set of equipment characteristics associated with the one of the cabinets of telecommunications plant equipment, the displayed portion of the set of equipment characteristics comprising detailed cabinet configuration information including configuration of the telecommunications cabinet equipment.