Visual localization method

• US 9,946,733 B2
• Filed: 03/29/2017
• Issued: 04/17/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 08/10/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NavVis GmbH
• Original Assignee: NavVis GmbH
• Inventors: Abu-Alqumsan, Mohammad, Al-Nuaimi, Anas, Huitl, Robert, Schroth, Georg, Schweiger, Florian, Steinbach, Eckehard
• Primary Examiner(s): BILGRAMI, ASGHAR H
• Application Number:
  US15/473,284
• Publication Number:
  US 20170212911A1
• Time in Patent Office: 384 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/29 Geographical information databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/51 Indexing; Data structures therefor; Storage structures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/583 using metadata automatically derived from the content
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/5854 using shape and object relationship
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9537 Spatial or temporal dependent retrieval, e.g. spatiotemporal queries
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 18/22 Matching criteria, e.g. proximity measures
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0623 Item investigation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/025 using location based information parameters

Abstract

There is provided a visual localization method comprising: (a) transmitting data representative of one or more detected visual features from a mobile device to a server; (b) estimating the location of the mobile device at the server based on the visual features received from the mobile device; (c) transmitting reference data associated with the estimated location from the server to the mobile device; and (d) the mobile device determining its location based on the reference data received from the server.

Claims

1. A visual object search method comprising:

(a) maintaining, by a server, reference data in a database providing a distinctive description of recorded objects;

(b) receiving, by the server, information about the context of a user device;

(c) determining, by the server based on the received data, a subset of the reference data;

(d) transmitting the subset of the reference data from the server to the user device;

(e) storing, by the user device, the subset of the reference data;

(f) generating, by the user device, visual feature data representative of one or more visual features detected by the user device;

(g) retrieving, by the user device, an object based on at least the visual feature data and the subset of the reference data;

(h) repeating at least steps (f) and (g) at least twice every time the subset of the reference data is obtained in step (d).

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said visual feature data include information on its content.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said content includes at least one trademark.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said object is a product.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein said object is a product and said content is the trademark of said product.

6. A mobile visual object search method comprising:

(a) maintaining, by a server, reference data in a georeferenced database providing a distinctive description of recorded objects;

(b) receiving, by the server, information about the environment of a mobile device;

(c) determining, by the server based on the received data, a subset of the reference data;

(d) transmitting the subset of the reference data from the server to the mobile device;

(e) storing, by the mobile device, the subset of the reference data;

(f) generating, by the mobile device, visual feature data representative of one or more visual features detected by the mobile device;

(g) retrieving, by the mobile device, an object based on at least the visual feature data and the subset of the reference data;

(h) repeating at least steps (f) and (g) at least twice every time the subset of the reference data is obtained in step (d).

7. The method of claim 6, wherein said visual feature data in step (f) include information on its content.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein said content includes at least one exhibit.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein said content includes at least one store name.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein said content includes at least one trademark.

11. The method of claim 6, wherein said object includes at least one product.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein said object is a product and said trademark is the trademark of said product.

13. The method of claim 6, wherein the information about the environment of the mobile device is derived from the approximate position of the mobile device.