Selection strategy for exchanging map information in collaborative multi-user SLAM systems

• US 9,478,029 B2
• Filed: 10/23/2014
• Issued: 10/25/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/23/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Yll, Winston, Rauber, Peter H., Szalavari, Zsolt, Reitmayr, Gerhard, Pan, Qi, Gervautz, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Allison, Andrae S
• Application Number:
  US14/522,233
• Publication Number:
  US 20160117822A1
• Time in Patent Office: 733 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10016 Video; Image sequence
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/20076 Probabilistic image processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30241 Trajectory
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30244 Camera pose
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/35 using statistical methods
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/38 Registration of image sequences
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/55 from multiple images
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/77 using statistical methods

Abstract

Disclosed is a method and apparatus for selecting a part of SLAM map information of a first device for transmission to a second device in a collaborative SLAM environment. In one embodiment, the functions implemented include: determining whether a 3D registration transformation between a map of the first device and a map of the second device is available; and transmitting a part of map information of the first device to the second device according to one of a first strategy or a second strategy based on whether or not a 3D registration transformation between the map of the first device and the map of the second device is available.

Claims

1. A method for selecting a part of simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) map information of a first device for transmission to a second device in a collaborative SLAM environment, comprising:

determining whether a 3D registration transformation between a map of the first device and a map of the second device is available;

in response to determining that a 3D registration transformation between the map of the first device and the map of the second device is not available, applying a first strategy for selecting a part of map information to be transmitted to the second device, wherein the first strategy prioritizes a newest incoming keyframe for transmission to the second device; and

in response to determining that a 3D registration transformation between the map of the first device and the map of the second device is available, applying a second strategy for selecting a part of map information to be transmitted to the second device, the second strategy being different from the first strategy, wherein the second strategy prioritizes parts of the map information of the first device that correspond to scenes closest to current, previous, or predicted future poses of the second device for transmission to the second device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the transmission of map information is based on a transmission probability distribution, and applying either the first strategy or the second strategy comprises updating the transmission probability distribution with a Bayesian update step by multiplying the transmission probability distribution point-wise with a likelihood function.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the first strategy is associate with a likelihood function L={l_i}, where

4. The method of claim 2, wherein a rate control mechanism is implemented with the transmission probability distribution.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the SLAM map information of the first device is further transmitted to a third device based on a combined transmission probability distribution, and wherein the combined transmission probability distribution controls the transmissions of map information to both the second and the third devices.

6. A first device apparatus for selecting a part of simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) map information of the first device for transmission to a second device in a collaborative SLAM environment, comprising:

a memory; and

a processor to;

determine whether a 3D registration transformation between a map of the first device and a map of the second device is available,

in response to determining that a 3D registration transformation between a map of the first device and a map of the second device is not available, apply a first strategy for selecting a part of map information to be transmitted to the second device, wherein the first strategy prioritizes a newest incoming keyframe for transmission to the second device, and

in response to determining that a 3D registration transformation between a map of the first device and a map of the second device is available, apply a second strategy for selecting a part of map information to be transmitted to the second device, the second strategy being different from the first strategy, wherein the second strategy prioritizes parts of the map information of the first device that correspond to scenes closest to current, previous, or predicted future poses of the second device for transmission to the second device.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the transmission of map information is based on a transmission probability distribution, and the processor configured to apply either the first strategy or the second strategy is further configured to update the transmission probability distribution with a Bayesian update step by multiplying the transmission probability distribution point-wise with a likelihood function.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the first strategy is associate with a likelihood function L={l_i}, where

9. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein a rate control mechanism is implemented with the transmission probability distribution.

10. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the SLAM map information of the first device is further transmitted to a third device based on a combined transmission probability distribution, and wherein the combined transmission probability distribution controls the transmissions of map information to both the second and the third devices.

11. A first device apparatus for selecting a part of simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) map information of the first device for transmission to a second device in a collaborative SLAM environment, comprising:

means for determining whether a 3D registration transformation between a map of the first device and a map of the second device is available;

means for applying a first strategy for selecting a part of map information to be transmitted to the second device when a 3D registration transformation between the map of the first device and the map of the second device is not available, wherein the first strategy prioritizes a newest incoming keyframe for transmission to the second device; and

means for applying a second strategy for selecting a part of map information to be transmitted to the second device when a 3D registration transformation between the map of the first device and the map of the second device is available, the second strategy being different from the first strategy, wherein the second strategy prioritizes parts of the map information of the first device that correspond to scenes closest to current, previous, or predicted future poses of the second device for transmission to the second device.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the transmission of map information is based on a transmission probability distribution, and means for applying either the first strategy or the second strategy comprises means for updating the transmission probability distribution with a Bayesian update step by multiplying the transmission probability distribution point-wise with a likelihood function.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the first strategy is associate with a likelihood function L={l_i}, where

14. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein a rate control mechanism is implemented with the transmission probability distribution.

15. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the SLAM map information of the first device is further transmitted to a third device based on a combined transmission probability distribution, wherein the combined transmission probability distribution controls the transmissions of map information to both the second and the third devices.

16. A non-transitory computer-readable medium including code which, when executed by a processor in a first device, causes the processor to perform a method comprising:

determining whether a 3D registration transformation between a map of the first device and a map of a second device is available; and

transmit a part of map information of the first device to the second device according to one of a first strategy or a second strategy based on whether or not a 3D registration transformation between the map of the first device and the map of the second device is available, the second strategy being different from the first strategy, wherein the first strategy prioritizes a newest incoming keyframe for transmission to the second device, and the second strategy prioritizes parts of the map information of the first device that correspond to scenes closest to current, previous, or predicted future poses of the second device for transmission to the second device.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the transmission of map information is based on a transmission probability distribution, and the method further comprising updating the transmission probability distribution with a Bayesian update step by multiplying the transmission probability distribution point-wise with a likelihood function.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the first strategy is associate with a likelihood function L={l_i}, where

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein a rate control mechanism is implemented with the transmission probability distribution.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) map information of the first device is further transmitted to a third device based on a combined transmission probability distribution, and wherein the combined transmission probability distribution controls the transmissions of map information to both the second and the third devices.