Collaborative navigation and mapping

US11313684B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• SRI International · US

Inventors

• Han-Pang Chiu · Princeton Colonial Park, US
• Supun Samarasekera · Princeton, US
• Rakesh Kumar · Bengaluru, IN
• Mikhail Sizintsev · Princeton, US
• Xun Zhou · Beijing, CN
• Philip Miller · Yardley, US
• Glenn Allen Murray · Boulder, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Mar 28, 2017
• Grant date: Apr 26, 2022
• Expiry date: Dec 5, 2037

Classification

• Technology area (CPC H): Electricity
• CPC primary: H04W4/021
• WIPO field: Control
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

During GPS-denied/restricted navigation, images proximate a platform device are captured using a camera, and corresponding motion measurements of the platform device are captured using an IMU device. Features of a current frame of the images captured are extracted. Extracted features are matched and feature information between consecutive frames is tracked. The extracted features are compared to previously stored, geo-referenced visual features from a plurality of platform devices. If one of the extracted features does not match a geo-referenced visual feature, a pose is determined for the platform device using IMU measurements propagated from a previous pose and relative motion information between consecutive frames, which is determined using the tracked feature information. If at least one of the extracted features matches a geo-referenced visual feature, a pose is determined for the platform device using location information associated with the matched, geo-referenced visual feature and relative motion information between consecutive frames.