Sarnoff Corporation

David Sarnoff Research Center, Inc.

Canesta, Inc.

L-3 Communications Corporation

Stephen Charles Hsu

Rakesh Kumar

Keith James Hanna

Harpreet Singh Sawhney

Michael Wade Hansen

Supun Samarasekera

Peter Jeffrey Burt

Michal Irani

Padmanabhan Anandan

Richard Patrick Wildes

David Nister

Wenyi Zhao

James Regis Matey

Lambert Ernest Wixson

Raymond Joseph Kolczynski

Jane Circle Asmuth

Abbas Rafii

James Russell Bergen

Sterling Eduard McBride

Robert G Bassman

Manoj Aggarwal

Sterling Edward McBride

Aydin Arpa

Gooitzen Siemen Van Der Wal

David James Hirvonen

Bing-Bing Chai

Bhavesh B Bhatt

Yanlin Guo

Gary A Gendel

Barbara Hanna

Jane Asmuth

Doug Dixon

Vivek Verma

Vince Paragano

Wen-Yi Zhao

Bill J Call

Bodgan Matei

William Brian Lehman

Thomas Edward Klinedinst

Barbara Levienaise-Obadia

Colin Tracey

An obstacle detection and tracking system identifies objects in the path of a vehicle equipped with the system and issues a visual, audible, and/or control system warning. The system includes a depth imaging system that acquires depth data from objects in the field of view of a detection zone encompassing at least a portion of the road to be driven upon. It is assumed most of the acquired data represents road plane information. Statistical analysis of the depth image data identifies in (X,Y,Z) space at least one plane of the road being driven, after which identification threshold normal heights above and below the road plane are defined. Imaged objects within the detection zone that are higher or lower than a threshold normal are deemed of potential concern and will generate a warning to the vehicle operator or vehicle.

Enhanced obstacle detection and tracking for three-dimensional imaging systems used in motor vehicles

A method and apparatus for automatically generating a three-dimensional computer model from a 'point cloud' of a scene produced by a laser radar (LIDAR) system. Given a point cloud of an indoor or outdoor scene, the method extracts certain structures from the imaged scene, i.e., ceiling, floor, furniture, rooftops, ground, and the like, and models these structures with planes and/or prismatic structures to achieve a three-dimensional computer model of the scene. The method may then add photographic and/or synthetic texturing to the model to achieve a realistic model.

Method for generating a three-dimensional model of a roof structure

A method and apparatus for providing immersive surveillance wherein a remote security guard may monitor a scene using a variety of imagery sources that are rendered upon a model to provide a three-dimensional conceptual view of the scene. Using a view selector, the security guard may dynamically select a camera view to be displayed on his conceptual model, perform a walk through of the scene, identify moving objects and select the best view of those moving objects and so on.

Method and apparatus for providing immersive surveillance

A method and apparatus for automatically combining aerial images and oblique images to form a three-dimensional (3D) site model. The apparatus or method is supplied with aerial and oblique imagery. The imagery is processed to identify building boundaries and outlines as well as to produce a depth map. The building boundaries and the depth map may be combined to form a 3D plan view model or used separately as a 2D plan view model. The imagery and plan view model is further processed to determine roof models for the buildings in the scene. The result is a 3D site model having buildings represented rectangular boxes with accurately defined roof shapes.

Method and apparatus for automatically generating a site model

A preferably parametrically defined calibration target pattern definable in real-world coordinates (X,Y) is used to spatially calibrate a camera system acquiring images in pixel coordinates (x,y). The calibration target pattern is used to produce a unique 1:1 mapping enabling the camera system to accurately identify each point in the calibration target pattern point mapped to each pixel in the acquired image. Preferably the calibration target pattern is pre-distorted and includes at least two sinusoids that create a pattern of distorted wavefronts that when imaged by the camera system will appear substantially linearized. Since wavefront locations on the calibration target pattern were known, a mapping between those wavefronts and the substantially linearized wavefront pattern on the camera system captured image can be carried out. Demodulation of the captured image enables recovery of the continuous wave functions therein, using spectral analysis and iteration.

Method and system to calibrate a camera system using phase demodulation sensing

A method and apparatus for performing wide area terrain mapping. The system comprises a digital elevation map (DEM) and mosaic generation engine that processes images that are simultaneously captured by an electro-optical camera (RGB camera) and a LIDAR sensor. The image data collected by both the camera and the LIDAR sensor are processed to create a geometrically accurate three-dimensional view of objects viewed from an aerial platform.

Method and apparatus for performing wide area terrain mapping

A method and apparatus for high-resolution 3D imaging ladar system which can penetrate foliage and camouflage to sample fragments of concealed surfaces of interest is disclosed. Samples collected while the ladar moves can be integrated into a coherent object shape. In one embodiment, a system and method for automatic data-driven registration of ladar frames, comprises a coarse search stage, a pairwise fine registration stage using an iterated closest points algorithm, and a multi-view registration strategy. After alignment and aggregation, it is often difficult for human observers to find, assess and recognize objects from a point cloud display. Basic display manipulations, surface fitting techniques, and clutter suppression to enhance visual exploitation of 3D imaging ladar data may be utilized.

Method and apparatus for automatic registration and visualization of occluded targets using ladar data

A method and apparatus for performing two-dimensional video alignment onto three-dimensional point clouds. The system recovers camera pose from camera video, determines a depth map, converts the depth map to a Euclidean video point cloud, and registers two-dimensional video to the three-dimensional point clouds.

Method and apparatus for aligning video to three-dimensional point clouds

A system and method for accurately mapping between image coordinates and geo-coordinates, called geo-spatial registration. The system utilizes the imagery and terrain information contained in the geo-spatial database to precisely align geodetically calibrated reference imagery with an input image, e.g., dynamically generated video images, and thus achieve a high accuracy identification of locations within the scene. When a sensor, such as a video camera, images a scene contained in the geo-spatial database, the system recalls a reference image pertaining to the imaged scene. This reference image is aligned very accurately with the sensor's images using a parametric transformation. Thereafter, other information that is associated with the reference image can easily be overlaid upon or otherwise associated with the sensor imagery.

Method and apparatus for performing geo-spatial registration of imagery

A system and method for accurately mapping between camera coordinates and geo-coordinates, called geo-spatial registration, using a Euclidean model. The system utilizes the imagery and terrain information contained in the geo-spatial database to precisely align geographically calibrated reference imagery with an input image, e.g., dynamically generated video images, and thus achieve a high accuracy identification of locations within the scene. When a sensor, such as a video camera, images a scene contained in the geo-spatial database, the system recalls a reference image pertaining to the imaged scene. This reference image is aligned very accurately with the sensor's images using a parametric transformation produced by a Euclidean model. Thereafter, other information that is associated with the reference image can easily be overlaid upon or otherwise associated with the sensor imagery.

Method and apparatus for performing geo-spatial registration using a Euclidean representation

A system and method for accurately mapping between camera coordinates and geo-coordinates, called geo-spatial registration. The system utilizes the imagery and terrain information contained in the geo-spatial database to precisely align geographically calibrated reference imagery with an input image, e.g., dynamically generated video images, and thus achieve a high accuracy identification of locations within the scene. When a sensor, such as a video camera, images a scene contained in the geo-spatial database, the system recalls a reference image pertaining to the imaged scene. This reference image is aligned very accurately with the sensor's images using a parametric transformation. Thereafter, other information that is associated with the reference image can easily be overlaid upon or otherwise associated with the sensor imagery.

Method and apparatus for performing geo-spatial registration

A system for automatically generating a mosaic from a plurality of input images. The system sequentially executes an image alignment process, an editing process, and a combining process such that, from a sequence of images, the system automatically produces a seamless mosaic for various applications. Illustrative applications for the mosaic include: (1) a mosaic based display system including an image printing system, (2) a surveillance system and (3) a mosaic based compression system. The mosaic based display system permits a system user to display, manipulate and alter a mosaic. The mosaic based compression system exploits the temporal and spatial redundancy in image sequences and efficiently compresses the image information. The compression system can be used for compressing image information for storage in a storage device or can be used for compressing image information for transmission through a band-limited transmission channel. The surveillance system combines the mosaic construction system, the compression system and the display system into a comprehensive system for remote motion detection.

Mosaic based image processing system

A method and apparatus that determines the topology of a sequence of images and then globally aligns the images with respect to each image's neighboring images. The apparatus includes a topology determination module, a local coarse registration module, a local fine registration module, a global consistency module, and a color matching/blending module. To accurately render a mosaic image from a sequence of images the topology determination and global alignment processes are iterated to progressively produce accurately aligned images. The apparatus efficiently and accurately combines a plurality of source images into a seamless panoramic mosaic representation of a scene, of arbitrarily wide spatial and angular extent, regardless of the order of image acquisition.

Method and apparatus for performing local to global multiframe alignment

Apparatus for image processing a sequence of images containing a parallel-pipelined image processor comprised of image memories, a pyramid processing circuit, an arithmetic logic unit, a crossbar switch for video routing through the various components of the processor, signal processors to provide hardware programming through a global bus and also perform image processing operations. Images can be passed directly from the crossbar switch to internal static RAM of the signal processors through a first-in, first-out interface at full video rates.

Parallel-pipelined image processing system

System for automatically aligning images to form a mosaic image

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Sunnyvale, CA, United States of America

Stephen Charles Hsu