Vehicle based data collection and processing system and imaging sensor system and methods thereof
View Patent ↗A vehicle based data collection and processing system which may be used to collect various types of data from an aircraft in flight or from other moving vehicles, such as an automobile, a satellite, a train, etc. In various embodiments the system may include: computer console units for controlling vehicle and system operations, global positioning systems communicatively connected to the one or more computer consoles, camera array assemblies for producing an image of a target viewed through an aperture communicatively connected to the one or more computer consoles, attitude measurement units communicatively connected to the one or more computer consoles and the one or more camera array assemblies, and a mosaicing module housed within the one or more computer consoles for gathering raw data from the global positioning system, the attitude measurement unit, and the retinal camera array assembly, and processing the raw data into orthorectified images.
1. A system for generating a map, comprising:
a global positioning receiver;
a vehicle in alignment with a target area;
an elevation measurement unit, in communication with the vehicle;
a global positioning antenna, in communication with the vehicle;
an attitude measurement unit, in communication with the vehicle;
an imaging sensor system, disposed to the vehicle, comprising:
a rigid mount plate affixed to the vehicle;
a first rigid mount unit affixed to the mount plate and having a first and second imaging sensor disposed within the first mount unit, wherein the first imaging and second imaging sensors each have a focal axis passing through an aperture in the first mount unit and the mount plate, wherein the first and second imaging sensors each generate a first array of pixels, wherein each array of pixels is at least two dimensional;
a second rigid mount unit affixed to the mount plate and having a third imaging sensor disposed within the second mount unit; and
a computer in communication with the elevation measurement unit, the global positioning antenna, the attitude measurement unit, the first imaging sensor, and the second imaging sensor; correlating at least a portion of the image data from the first imaging sensor and the second imaging sensor to a portion of the target area based on input from one or more of: the elevation measurement unit, the global positioning antenna and the attitude measurement unit.
2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first mount unit, second mount unit, and mount plate flex less than 100 th of a degree during operation.
3. The system of claim 2 , wherein the first mount unit, second mount unit, and mount plate flex less than 1,000 th of a degree during operation.
4. The system of claim 3 , wherein the first mount unit, second mount unit, and mount plate flex less than 10,000 th of a degree during operation.
5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the third imaging sensor has a third focal axis passing through an aperture in the second mount unit and the mount plate, wherein the third imaging sensor generates an at least two dimensional array of pixels.
6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the third imaging sensor is selected from the group consisting of digital cameras, LIDAR sensors, infrared sensors, heat-sensing sensors, and gravitometers.
7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the third imaging sensor is selected from the group consisting of a digital camera having a hyperspectral filter and a LIDAR.
8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first imaging sensor is calibrated relative to one or more attitude measuring devices selected from the group consisting of a gyroscope, an IMU, and a GPS.
9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first and second imaging sensors are selected from the group consisting of digital cameras, LIDAR sensors, infrared sensors, heat-sensing sensors, and gravitometers.
10. The system of claim 9 , wherein the first and second imaging sensor is a digital camera and the third imaging sensor is a LIDAR.
11. The system of claim 1 or 5 , wherein the computer is embedded within one or more imaging sensors.
12. An imaging sensor system comprising:
a rigid mount plate affixed to a vehicle;
a first rigid mount unit affixed to the mount plate and having a first and second imaging sensor disposed within the first mount unit, wherein the first imaging and second imaging sensors each have a focal axis passing through an aperture in the first mount unit and the mount plate, wherein the first and second imaging sensors each generate a first array of pixels, wherein each array of pixels is at least two dimensional;
a second rigid mount unit affixed to the mount plate and having a third imaging sensor disposed within the second mount unit.
13. The system of claim 12 , wherein the first mount unit, second mount unit, and mount plate flex less than 100 th of a degree during operation.
14. The system of claim 13 , wherein the first mount unit, second mount unit, and mount plate flex less than 1,000 th of a degree during operation.
15. The system of claim 14 , wherein the first mount unit, second mount unit, and mount plate flex less than 10,000 th of a degree during operation.
16. The system of claim 12 , wherein the third imaging sensor has a third focal axis passing through an aperture in the second mount unit and the mount plate, wherein the third imaging sensor generates an at least two dimensional array of pixels.
17. The system of claim 12 , wherein the third imaging sensor is selected from the group consisting of digital cameras, LIDAR sensors, infrared sensors, heat-sensing sensors, and gravitometers.
18. The system of claim 12 , wherein the third imaging sensor is selected from the group consisting of a digital camera having a hyperspectral filter and a LIDAR.
19. The system of claim 12 , wherein the first imaging sensor is calibrated relative to one or more attitude measuring devices selected from the group consisting of a gyroscope, an IMU, and a GPS.
20. The system of claim 12 , wherein the first and second imaging sensors are selected from the group consisting of digital cameras, LIDAR sensors, infrared sensors, heat-sensing sensors, and gravitometers.
21. The system of claim 20 , wherein the first and second imaging sensor is a digital camera and the third imaging sensor is a LIDAR.
22. A method of calibrating imaging sensors, comprising:
determining the position of an AMU using a target area;
determining the position of a first imaging sensor within a first rigid mount unit relative to the AMU;
determining the position of one or more subsequent imaging sensors within the first rigid mount unit relative to the AMU;
calibrating the position of the first imaging sensor relative to the AMU using the target area and determining the boresight angle of the first imaging sensor;
calculating the position of one or more subsequent imaging sensors within the first rigid mount unit relative to the first imaging sensor; and
calibrating the one or more subsequent imaging sensors relative to the first imaging sensor using the boresight angle of the first imaging sensor.
23. The method of claim 22 , wherein the method further comprises
determining the position of a second imaging sensor within a second rigid mount unit relative to the AMU;
calculating the position of the second imaging sensor within the second rigid mount unit relative to the first imaging sensor; and
calibrating the second imaging sensor relative to the first imaging sensor using the boresight angle of the first imaging sensor.