System and method of using images to determine correspondence between locations

• US 9,286,545 B1
• Filed: 07/28/2014
• Issued: 03/15/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/28/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Anguelov, Dragomir, Rivlin, Ehud
• Primary Examiner(s): Tabatabai, Abolfazl
• Application Number:
  US14/444,015
• Time in Patent Office: 596 Days
• Field of Search: 382/100, 382/103, 382/104, 382/107, 382/190, 382/219, 340/661, 340/995.1, 340/995.15, 340/995.19, 701/408, 701/484, 701/487.51
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/29 Geographical information databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/003 Reconstruction from projections, e.g. tomography

Abstract

In one aspect, a system and method is provided that matches images that are associated with street addresses with images that are associated with locations that are stored with respect to another reference system, such as latitude/longitude. If the images match, the street address is associated with the location. In a further aspect, text contained in the images is extracted and associated with the street address as well.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving, using one or more processors, a first image from a first set of images depicting objects at a location, the first set of images including data related to the depicted objects;

selecting, using the one or more processors, a second image from a second set of images, the second set of images depicting objects at the location;

determining, using the one or more processors, whether a first object depicted in the first image and a second object depicted in the second image correspond; and

when it is determined that the first object and the second object correspond, identifying, using the one or more processors, update data from the second image to be used to modify the data related to the first object in the first image.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein position data related to the second image overlaps with position data related to the first image.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether the first object and the second object correspond includes comparing one or more features of the first object in the first image with one or more features of the second object in the second image.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the comparing further includes determining whether the one or more features of the first object geometrically correspond to the one or more features of the second object.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the comparing further includes determining whether the one or more features of the first object visual correspond to the one or more features of the second object.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein the comparing further includes determining whether a number of features that correspond between the first object and second object meet a threshold level.

7. The method of claim 3, wherein the one or more features include at least one of a size, position, camera angle, rotation, and skew of the first and second objects.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying, using the one or more processors, text related to the second object in the second image; and

updating, using the one or more processors, the data describing the first object in the first image with the identified text.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

receiving, using the one or more processors, a request for the first image from the first set of images; and

providing, using the one or more processors, at least some of the extracted text from the second image from the second set of images.

10. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium on which computer readable instructions of a program are stored, the instructions, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform a method comprising:

receiving, using the one or more processors, a first image from a first set of images from memory depicting objects at a location, the first set of images including data related to the depicted objects;

selecting, using the one or more processors, a second image from a second set of images, the second set of images depicting objects at the location;

determining, using the one or more processors, whether a first object depicted in the first image and a second object depicted in the second image correspond; and

when it is determined that the first object and the second object correspond, identifying, using the one or more processors, update data from the second image to be used to modify the data related to the first object in the first image.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein position data related to the second image overlaps with position data related to the first image.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein determining whether the first object and the second object correspond includes comparing one or more features of the first object in the first image with one or more features of the second object in the second image.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the comparing further includes determining whether the one or more features of the first object geometrically correspond to the one or more features of the second object.

14. A processing system, comprising:

a memory for storing images; and

one or more processors coupled to the memory, the one or more processors being configured to;

receive a first image from a first set of images from memory depicting objects at a location, the first set of images including data related to the depicted objects;

select a second image from a second set of images, the second set of images depicting objects at the location;

determine whether a first object depicted in the first image and a second object depicted in the second image correspond; and

when it is determined that the first object and the second object correspond, identify update data from the second image to be used to modify the data related to the first object in the first image.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein position data related to the second image overlaps with position data related to the first image.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein to determine whether the first object and the second object correspond, the one or more processors are further configured to compare one or more features of the first object with one or more features of the second object.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein to compare the one or more processors are further configured to determine whether the one or more features of the first object geometrically correspond to the one or more features of the second object.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein to compare the one or more processors are further configured to determine whether the one or more features of the first object visual correspond to the one or more features of the second object.

19. The system of claim 16, wherein to compare the one or more processors are further configured to determine whether a number of features that correspond between the first object and second object meet a threshold level.

20. The system of claim 16, wherein the one or more features include at least one of a size, position, camera angle, rotation, and skew of the first and second objects.