Visual localization method
There is provided a visual localization method comprising: (a) transmitting data representative of one or more detected visual features from a mobile device to a server; (b) estimating the location of the mobile device at the server based on the visual features received from the mobile device; (c) transmitting reference data associated with the estimated location from the server to the mobile device; and (d) the mobile device determining its location based on the reference data received from the server.
1. A visual object search method comprising:
(a) maintaining, by a server, reference data in a database providing a distinctive description of recorded objects;
(b) receiving, by the server, information about the context of a user device;
(c) determining, by the server based on the received data, a subset of the reference data;
(d) transmitting the subset of the reference data from the server to the user device;
(e) storing, by the user device, the subset of the reference data;
(f) generating, by the user device, visual feature data representative of one or more visual features detected by the user device;
(g) retrieving, by the user device, an object based on at least the visual feature data and the subset of the reference data;
(h) repeating at least steps (f) and (g) at least twice every time the subset of the reference data is obtained in step (d).
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein said visual feature data include information on its content.
3. The method of claim 2 , wherein said content includes at least one trademark.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein said object is a product.
5. The method of claim 2 , wherein said object is a product and said content is the trademark of said product.
6. A mobile visual object search method comprising:
(a) maintaining, by a server, reference data in a georeferenced database providing a distinctive description of recorded objects;
(b) receiving, by the server, information about the environment of a mobile device;
(c) determining, by the server based on the received data, a subset of the reference data;
(d) transmitting the subset of the reference data from the server to the mobile device;
(e) storing, by the mobile device, the subset of the reference data;
(f) generating, by the mobile device, visual feature data representative of one or more visual features detected by the mobile device;
(g) retrieving, by the mobile device, an object based on at least the visual feature data and the subset of the reference data;
(h) repeating at least steps (f) and (g) at least twice every time the subset of the reference data is obtained in step (d).
7. The method of claim 6 , wherein said visual feature data in step (f) include information on its content.
8. The method of claim 7 , wherein said content includes at least one exhibit.
9. The method of claim 7 , wherein said content includes at least one store name.
10. The method of claim 7 , wherein said content includes at least one trademark.
11. The method of claim 6 , wherein said object includes at least one product.
12. The method of claim 10 , wherein said object is a product and said trademark is the trademark of said product.
13. The method of claim 6 , wherein the information about the environment of the mobile device is derived from the approximate position of the mobile device.