METHODS AND APPARATUS TO PERFORM VISUAL ODOMETRY USING A VEHICLE CAMERA SYSTEM

• US 20190250631A1
• Filed: 02/14/2018
• Published: 08/15/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 02/14/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Nariyambut Murali, Vidya, Jales Costa, Bruno Sielly, Sairamesh, Binduhasini, Nagraj Rao, Nikhil
• Granted Patent: US 10,545,506 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/0052 Filtering, filters
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2420/403 Image sensing, e.g. optical camera
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/105 Speed
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0253 extracting relative motion information from a plurality of images taken successively, e.g. visual odometry, optical flow determining position or orientation from images G06T7/70
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30248 Vehicle exterior or interior
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/246 using feature-based methods, e.g. the tracking of corners or segments

Abstract

Methods, apparatus, systems, and articles of manufacture are disclosed to perform visual odometry using a monocular camera. An example apparatus includes a method fusioner to determine a visual odometry method using a surface characterization to calculate first odometry data, a displacement determiner to calculate second odometry data based on sensor information, an odometry calculator to calculate an odometry parameter of a target object with respect to a vehicle based on the first and the second odometry data, and a vehicle command generator to generate a vehicle command based on the odometry parameter.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a method fusioner to determine a visual odometry method using a surface characterization to calculate first odometry data;

a displacement determiner to calculate second odometry data based on sensor information;

an odometry calculator to calculate an odometry parameter of a target object with respect to a vehicle based on the first and the second odometry data; and

a vehicle command generator to generate a vehicle command based on the odometry parameter.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, further including a surface evaluator to determine the surface characterization by determining a light reflectivity of a surface or whether a surface on which the vehicle is traveling is uneven.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the visual odometry method is at least one of a ground feature tracking method or a global motion vector method.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the odometry parameter is at least one of a lateral displacement, a longitudinal displacement, or a pose of the target object.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the sensor information includes at least one of a vehicle speed or a steering wheel angle.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the vehicle command includes moving the vehicle from a first position to a second position without user input.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the odometry parameter is a third odometry parameter, further including:

the method fusioner to;

calculate a first weight factor for the visual odometry method based on the surface characterization; and

calculate a second weight factor corresponding to an odometry method using the sensor information; and

the odometry calculator to;

multiply the first weight factor and the first odometry data to produce a first odometry parameter;

multiply the second weight factor and the second odometry data to produce a second odometry parameter; and

calculate the third odometry parameter based on a fusion of the first and the second odometry parameter.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the odometry calculator is to:

obtain a first noise model corresponding to the visual odometry method;

obtain a second noise model corresponding to an odometry method using the sensor information; and

calculate the odometry parameter by executing a tracking filter using the first and the second noise models.

9. A method comprising:

determining a visual odometry method based on characterizing a surface to calculate first odometry data;

calculating second odometry data based on sensor information;

calculating an odometry parameter of a target object with respect to a vehicle based on the first and the second odometry data; and

generating a vehicle command based on the odometry parameter.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein characterizing the surface includes determining a light reflectivity of the surface or whether the surface is uneven.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the visual odometry method is at least one of a ground feature tracking method or a global motion vector method.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the odometry parameter is at least one of a lateral displacement, a longitudinal displacement, or a pose of the target object.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the sensor information includes at least one of a vehicle speed or a steering wheel angle.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein the vehicle command includes moving the vehicle from a first position to a second position without user input.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein the odometry parameter is a third odometry parameter, further including:

calculating a first weight factor for the visual odometry method based on the characterized surface;

calculating a second weight factor corresponding to an odometry method using the sensor information;

multiplying the first weight factor and the first odometry data to produce a first odometry parameter;

multiplying the second weight factor and the second odometry data to produce a second odometry parameter; and

calculating the third odometry parameter based on a fusion of the first and the second odometry parameter.

16. The method of claim 9, further including:

obtaining a first noise model corresponding to the visual odometry method;

obtaining a second noise model corresponding to an odometry method using the sensor information; and

calculating the odometry parameter by executing a tracking filter using the first and the second noise models.

17. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium comprising instructions which, when executed, cause a machine to at least:

determine a visual odometry method based on characterizing a surface to calculate first odometry data;

calculate second odometry data based on sensor information;

calculate an odometry parameter of a target object with respect to a vehicle based on the first and the second odometry data; and

generate a vehicle command based on the odometry parameter.

18. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the sensor information includes at least one of a vehicle speed or a steering wheel angle.

19. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the odometry parameter is a third odometry parameter, further including instructions which, when executed, cause the machine to at least:

calculate a first weight factor for the visual odometry method based on the characterized surface;

calculate a second weight factor corresponding to an odometry method using the sensor information;

multiply the first weight factor and the first odometry data to produce a first odometry parameter;

multiply the second weight factor and the second odometry data to produce a second odometry parameter; and

calculate the third odometry parameter based on a fusion of the first and the second odometry parameter.

20. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 17, further including instructions which, when executed, cause the machine to at least:

obtain a first noise model corresponding to the visual odometry method;

obtain a second noise model corresponding to an odometry method using the sensor information; and

calculate the odometry parameter by executing a tracking filter using the first and the second noise models.