System and method for guiding a mobile device

• US 8,861,790 B2
• Filed: 06/18/2012
• Issued: 10/14/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/18/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Reeves, Brad Jeremy
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Nirav G
• Application Number:
  US13/526,238
• Publication Number:
  US 20130336537A1
• Time in Patent Office: 848 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 382/104
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/206 specially adapted for indoor navigation
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0234 using optical markers or beacons optical beacons per se G01S1/70
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0246 using a video camera in combination with image processing means
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/588 Recognition of the road, e.g. of lane markings; Recognition of the vehicle driving pattern in relation to the road

Abstract

A method, apparatus and system for guiding a number of mobile devices. An image of a portion of an environment around a mobile device in the number of mobile devices is received from a sensor system associated with the mobile device. A set of pixels in the image that meets a standard is identified. A centroid for the set of pixels that meets the standard is identified. A number of commands for guiding the mobile device within the environment is generated based on the centroid.

Claims

1. A method for guiding a number of mobile devices, the method comprising:

receiving an image of a portion of an environment around a mobile device in the number of mobile devices from a sensor system associated with the mobile device;

identifying a group of pixels from an array of pixels in the image for processing;

determining whether a pixel in the group of pixels meets a standard, wherein the standard comprises a number of criteria for a pixel value of the pixel;

incrementing a pixel counter in response to the pixel meeting the standard;

incrementing a coordinate counter by a coordinate value for the pixel in response to the pixel meeting the standard; and

performing the steps of determining whether the pixel in the group of pixels meets the standard, incrementing the pixel counter, and incrementing the coordinate counter for each pixel in the group of pixels;

identifying a centroid for a set of pixels that meets the standard; and

generating a number of commands for guiding the mobile device within the environment based on the centroid.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

sending the number of commands to the mobile device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of determining whether the pixel in the group of pixels meets the standard comprises:

determining whether the pixel in the group of pixels meets the number of criteria for the pixel value of the pixel, wherein the pixel value of the pixel is an intensity value comprising a red value, a blue value, and a green value, and wherein the number of criteria includes a selected range for at least one of the red value, the blue value, and the green value.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of incrementing the pixel counter in response to the pixel meeting the standard comprises:

incrementing the pixel counter by a weighted value for the pixel in response to the pixel meeting the standard.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of identifying the centroid for the set of pixels that meets the standard comprises:

dividing the coordinate counter by the pixel counter to generate the centroid, wherein the centroid is an average coordinate value.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of generating the number of commands for guiding the mobile device within the environment based on the centroid comprises:

generating the number of commands for guiding the mobile device within the environment based on the centroid, wherein the number of commands comprises at least one of a stop command, a turn off command, a turn command, a reverse command, a change speed command, and a change type of movement command.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the standard is a first standard, the set of pixels is a first set of pixels, and the centroid is a first centroid;

further comprising;

identifying a second set of pixels in the image that meets a second standard; and

identifying a second centroid for the second set of pixels that meets the second standard.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the step of generating the number of commands for guiding the mobile device within the environment based on the centroid comprises:

generating the number of commands for guiding the mobile device within the environment based on at least one of the first centroid and the second centroid.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

generating the number of commands for guiding the mobile device based on the centroid and another centroid identified for use in guiding another mobile device in the number of mobile devices.

10. An apparatus comprising:

a sensor system associated with a mobile device and configured to generate an image of a portion of an environment around the mobile device, wherein the image comprises an array of pixels and wherein a controller is configured to identify a set of pixels in the image that meets a standard by determining whether a pixel in a group of pixels identified from the array of pixels meets the standard in which the standard comprises a number of criteria for a pixel value of the pixel, incrementing a pixel counter in response to the pixel meeting the standard, and incrementing a coordinate counter by a coordinate value for the pixel in response to the pixel meeting the standard for each pixel in the group of pixels; and

the controller configured to receive the image of the portion of the environment around the mobile device from the sensor system;

identify the set of pixels in the image that meets the standard;

identify a centroid for the set of pixels that meets the standard; and

generate a number of commands for guiding the mobile device within the environment based on the centroid.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the controller is configured to increment the pixel counter by a weighted value for the pixel in response to the pixel meeting the standard.

12. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the centroid is an average coordinate value in which the controller is configured to identify the average coordinate value by dividing the coordinate counter by the pixel counter.

13. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the pixel value of the pixel is an intensity value comprising a red value, a blue value, and a green value and wherein the number of criteria includes a selected range for at least one of the red value, the blue value, and the green value.

14. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the standard is a first standard, the set of pixels is a first set of pixels, the centroid is a first centroid;

and wherein the controller is configured to identify a second set of pixels in the image that meets a second standard, generate a second centroid for the second set of pixels that meets the second standard, and generate the number of commands for guiding the mobile device within the environment based on at least one of the first centroid and the second centroid.

15. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the controller is implemented in a control system in the mobile device.

16. The apparatus of claim 10 further comprising:

a system controller comprising a number of controllers configured to guide a number of mobile devices, wherein the controller is one of the number of controllers and the mobile device is one of the number of mobile devices.

17. A guidance system comprising:

a number of sensor systems in which a sensor system in the number of sensor systems is associated with a corresponding mobile device in a number of mobile devices; and

a number of controllers in which a controller in the number of controllers is configured to;

receive an image of a portion of an environment around a mobile device in the number of mobile devices from a corresponding sensor system in the number of sensor systems associated with the mobile device, identify a set of pixels in the image that meets a standard;

identify a centroid for the set of pixels that meets the standard; and

generate a number of commands for guiding the corresponding mobile device within the environment based on the centroid, wherein the controller is implemented in at least one of a control system in the mobile device and a computer system in a location remote to the mobile device, and wherein the controller is configured to identify the set of pixels in the image that meets the standard by determining whether a pixel in a group of pixels identified from an array of pixels in the image meets the standard in which the standard comprises a number of criteria for a pixel value of the pixel and incrementing a pixel counter and a coordinate counter in response to the pixel meeting the standard for each pixel in the group of pixels.