Positioning and navigation according to scattered light in sky
US9689682B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Mar 31, 2016 |
| Grant date | Jun 27, 2017 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Mar 31, 2036 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG06V20/176
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
Scattered light in the sky (sky glow) from light sources at one or more known geographic locations is used as reference point(s), from which geographic location of a system observing the sky glow is automatically ascertained. The light is scattered by particulates in the atmosphere. An upward looking camera captures an image of the sky, including the sky glow. A search engine automatically searches a catalog of modeled or pre-stored sky glows for a model that matches the image. Each model is associated with a geographic location. The models characterize each sky glow, such as in terms of color, intensity, etc., as the sky glow would appear from the associated geographic location. If a matching model is found, within a predetermined match criterion, the system outputs the geographic location associated with the matching model. Optionally, the geographic location is used to select and display a map of the geographic location.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.