IP Library Granted Patent US 10,424,047
Granted Patent B2
US 10,424,047 · App. 15/897,997 · Granted Sep 24, 2019

Cut line steering methods for forming a mosaic image of a geographical area

Inventors: Frank Giuffrida (Honeoye Falls, NY); Stephen Schultz (West Henrietta, NY); Robert Gray (Canandiagua, NY); Robert Bradacs (Rochester, NY)
Assignee: Pictometry International Corp.
G06T3/4038G01C11/02G06T7/12G06T11/60G06T2207/10016G06T2207/10032G06T2207/30184
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 10,424,047
App. No.
15/897,997
Granted
Sep 24, 2019
Kind
B2
Abstract

Systems and methods for creating a ground confidence map of a geographic area, comprising the steps of creating a ground confidence map of a geographic area, the ground confidence map having a plurality of pixels with each pixel corresponding to a particular geographic location; assigning the pixels in the ground confidence map with pixel values indicative of composite ground confidence scores; and storing pixel values indicative of a statistical probability that the geographical location represented by the particular pixels represent the ground.

Claims (23)

1. An apparatus for analyzing pixels in one or more geo-referenced source images, comprising:

one or more non-transitory computer readable medium storing image processing software that when executed perform functions of:

creating a ground confidence map by analyzing pixels of one or more geo-referenced source images, the ground confidence map having values and data indicative of particular geographic locations represented by the values, at least one of the values indicative of a statistical probability that the particular geographic locations represented by the values represents the ground; and

determining preferred routes for steering mosaic cut lines for one or more mosaic image of two or more of the geo-referenced source images based at least in part on the values indicative of the statistical probability that the particular geographic locations represented by the values represents the ground of the ground confidence map, such that the preferred routes have an increased statistical probability of cutting through pixels representative of the ground versus routes not based on the ground confidence map.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the ground confidence map is an image file.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the ground confidence map has a plurality of pixels with each pixel corresponding to a particular geographic location.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the one or more geo-referenced source images include one or more oblique images.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the one or more geo-referenced source images include one or more nadir images.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the one or more geo-referenced source images include a first image captured from a first vantage point and a second image captured from a second vantage point different than the first vantage point.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the one or more geo-referenced source images include one or more captured image.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the one or more geo-referenced source images include one or more projected image.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the one or more geo-referenced source images include one or more input mosaic image.

10. A method for analyzing pixels in one or more geo-referenced source images, comprising:

creating a ground confidence map by analyzing pixels of one or more geo-referenced source images, the ground confidence map having values and data indicative of particular geographic locations represented by the values, at least one of the values indicative of a statistical probability that the particular geographic locations represented by the values represents the ground; and

determining preferred routes for steering mosaic cut lines for one or more mosaic image of two or more of the geo-referenced source images based at least in part on the values indicative of the statistical probability that the particular geographic locations represented by the values represents the ground of the ground confidence map, such that the preferred routes have an increased statistical probability of cutting through pixels representative of the ground versus routes not based on the ground confidence map.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the ground confidence map is an image file.

12. The method of claim 10 , wherein the ground confidence map has a plurality of pixels with each pixel corresponding to a particular geographic location.

13. The method of claim 10 , wherein the one or more geo-referenced source images include one or more oblique images.

14. The method of claim 10 , wherein the one or more geo-referenced source images include one or more nadir images.

15. The method of claim 10 , wherein the one or more geo-referenced source images include a first image captured from a first vantage point and a second image captured from a second vantage point different than the first vantage point.

16. The method of claim 10 , wherein the one or more geo-referenced source images include one or more captured image.

17. The method of claim 10 , wherein the one or more geo-referenced source images include one or more projected image.

18. The method of claim 10 , wherein the one or more geo-referenced source images include one or more input mosaic image.

Assignments (6)
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Apr 14, 2025
From: HPS INVESTMENT PARTNERS, LLC
To: PICTOMETRY INTERNATIONAL CORP.
Reel/Frame 070828/0266 →
RELEASE OF FIRST LIEN SECURITY INTEREST IN PATENTS Recorded Apr 9, 2025
From: MORGAN STANLEY SENIOR FUNDING, INC.
To: PICTOMETRY INTERNATIONAL CORP.; EAGLE VIEW TECHNOLOGIES, INC.; OMNIEARTH, INC.
Reel/Frame 070786/0022 →
FIRST LIEN SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Mar 28, 2025
From: EAGLE VIEW TECHNOLOGIES, INC.; PICTOMETRY INTERNATIONAL CORP.
To: MORGAN STANLEY SENIOR FUNDING, INC.
Reel/Frame 070671/0078 →
FIRST LIEN PATENT SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Aug 23, 2018
From: PICTOMETRY INTERNATIONAL CORP.
To: MORGAN STANLEY SENIOR FUNDING, INC., AS COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 046919/0065 →
SECOND LIEN PATENT SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Aug 14, 2018
From: PICTOMETRY INTERNATIONAL CORP.
To: HPS INVESTMENT PARTNERS, LLC,
Reel/Frame 046823/0755 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Feb 15, 2018
From: SCHULTZ, STEPHEN; GIUFFRIDA, FRANK D.; GRAY, ROBERT L.; BRADACS, ROBERT
To: PICTOMETRY INTERNATIONAL CORP.
Reel/Frame 044946/0940 →
Continuity (4)
Continuation 14829105 · Aug 18, 2015
Continuation 14045460 · Oct 3, 2013
Continuation 12221571 · Aug 5, 2008
Related Publication 20180174272A1 · Jun 21, 2018