Enhancement of range measurement resolution using imagery

• US 9,229,106 B2
• Filed: 08/13/2010
• Issued: 01/05/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/13/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ryan Dotson
• Original Assignee: Ryan Dotson
• Inventors: Dotson, Ryan
• Primary Examiner(s): Ratcliffe, Luke
• Assistant Examiner(s): RODRIGUEZ, VICENTE M
• Application Number:
  US12/856,461
• Publication Number:
  US 20120038902A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,971 Days
• Field of Search: 356/4.01
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/86 Combinations of lidar systems with systems other than lidar, radar or sonar, e.g. with direction finders
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/89 for mapping or imaging

Abstract

This invention provides a method for computing hybrid range measurements wherein range measurements of a target are obtained along with at least two images of the target and the location and the orientation of the images. Hybrid range measurements are computed based on the range measurements and the images.

Claims

1. A method for increasing the spatial resolution of a LIDAR range measurement, the method comprising:

gathering at least one LIDAR range measurement that corresponds to a measurement region of a target, wherein the LIDAR range measurement includes a full waveform;

gathering a plurality of images of the measurement region;

gathering at least two locations and at least two orientations of the images relative to the LIDAR range measurement;

defining a grid upon the measurement region, wherein the grid includes at least two sub-cells, which have a higher spatial resolution than the LIDAR range measurement;

correlating the sub-cells with a plurality of pixels from the images;

computing a plurality of new range measurements with a histogram similar to the full waveform; and

assigning the new range measurements to the sub-cells to increase the spatial resolution of the LIDAR range measurement.

2. The method of claim 1 that includes utilizing an equation F(L)=F_d+k_hF_h, where F_d represents the imagery data and F_h represents the agreement with said range data, while k_h is a weighting coefficient which controls the relative contribution of information to the resulting.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein

4. The method of claim 2 wherein

5. The method of claim 2 further comprising constructing a Markov Random Field.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising utilizing the equation F(L)=F_d+k_sF_s+k_hF_h, where F_d represents the imagery data, F_s represents the local surface consistency, and F_h represents the agreement with said range data, while k_s and k_h are weighting coefficients which control the relative contribution of information to the resulting output.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein

8. The method of claim 6 wherein

9. The method of claim 6 wherein

10. The method of claim 6 further comprising constructing a Markov Random Field.

11. A system for increasing the spatial resolution of a LIDAR range measurement, the system comprising:

a first range measurement system that gathers at least one LIDAR range measurement that corresponds to a measurement region of a target, wherein the LIDAR range measurement includes a full waveform;

a camera that gathers a plurality of images of the measurement region;

a hybrid range measurement system that gathers at least two locations and at least two orientations of the images relative to the LIDAR range measurement;

the hybrid range measurement system defines a grid upon the measurement region, wherein the grid includes at least two sub-cells, which have a higher spatial resolution than the LIDAR range measurement;

the hybrid range measurement system correlates the sub-cells with a plurality of pixels from the images;

the hybrid range measurement system computes a plurality of new range measurements with at least one histogram similar to the full waveform; and

the hybrid range measurement system assigns the new range measurements to the sub-cells to increase the spatial resolution of the LIDAR range measurement.

12. The system of claim 11 further comprising an equation F(L)=F_d+k_hF_h, where F_d represents the imagery data and F_h represents an agreement with the range data, while k_h is a weighting coefficient which controls the relative contribution of information to the resulting.

13. The system of claim 12 wherein

14. The system of claim 12 wherein

15. The system of claim 12 further comprising a Markov Random Field.

16. The system of claim 11 further comprising an equation F(L)=F_d+k_sF_s+k_hF_h, where F_d represents the imagery data, F_s represents the local surface consistency, and F_h represents the agreement with said range data, while k_s and k_h are weighting coefficients which control the relative contribution of information to the resulting output.

17. The system of claim 16 wherein

18. The system of claim 16 wherein

19. The system of claim 16 wherein

20. The system of claim 16 further comprising a Markov Random Field.