Method for measuring the topography of an environment
US12217444B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Dec 8, 2020 |
| Grant date | Feb 4, 2025 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jun 26, 2041 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG06T2207/30264
- WIPO fieldAudio-visual technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A method for forming a point cloud corresponding to the topography of an imaged environment involves acquiring an image of the environment with a camera having a WFOV lens mounted on a vehicle; changing the camera pose by an adjustment greater than a threshold; and acquiring another image of the environment with the camera at the changed pose. The images are mapped onto respective surfaces to form respective mapped images, defined by the same nonplanar geometry. One of the mapped images is divided into blocks of pixels. For each block, a depth map is formed by performing a search through the other mapped image to evaluate a disparity in the position of the location of the block of pixels in each of the mapped images. The depth map is converted into a partial point cloud corresponding to the local topography of the environment surrounding the vehicle as it moves through the environment.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.