IP Library Granted Patent US 12,620,109
Granted Patent B2
US 12,620,109 · App. 18/565,791 · Granted May 5, 2026

Learning reliable keypoints in situ with introspective self-supervision

Inventors: Xuesong Shi (Beijing, CN); Sangeeta Manepalli (Chandler, AZ); Rita Chattopadhyay (Chandler, AZ); Peng Wang (Beijing, CN); Yimin Zhang (Beijing, CN)
Assignee: INTEL CORPORATION
G06T7/579G06T7/73G06T2207/20081G06T2207/20084
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,620,109
App. No.
18/565,791
Granted
May 5, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

An apparatus to facilitate learning reliable keypoints in situ with introspective self-supervision is disclosed. The apparatus includes one or more processors to provide a view-overlapped keyframe pair from a pose graph that is generated by a visual simultaneous localization and mapping (VSLAM) process executed by the one or more processors; determine a keypoint match from the view-overlapped keyframe pair based on a keypoint detection and matching process, the keypoint match corresponding to a keypoint; calculate an inverse reliability score based on matched pixels corresponding to the keypoint match in the view-overlapped keyframe pair; identify a supervision signal associated with the keypoint match, the supervision signal comprising a keypoint reliability score of the keypoint based on a final pose output of the VSLAM process; and train a keypoint detection neural network using the keypoint match, the inverse reliability score, and the keypoint reliability score.

Claims (39)

1 . An apparatus comprising:

one or more processors to:

provide a view-overlapped keyframe pair from a pose graph that is generated by a visual simultaneous localization and mapping (VSLAM) process executed by the one or more processors, wherein the view-overlapped keyframe pair comprises a matched pixel set (p, p′);

determine a keypoint match from the view-overlapped keyframe pair based on a keypoint detection and matching process, the keypoint match corresponding to a keypoint;

calculate an inverse reliability score based on matched pixels corresponding to the keypoint match in the view-overlapped keyframe pair, wherein the inverse reliability score comprises a pixel distance between p′ and an epipolar line for p;

identify a supervision signal associated with the keypoint match, the supervision signal comprising a keypoint reliability score of the keypoint based on a final pose output of the VSLAM process; and

train a keypoint detection neural network using the keypoint match, the inverse reliability score, and the keypoint reliability score.

2 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the view-overlapped keyframe pair comprises a pair of image frames captured by a camera, and wherein the keypoint match corresponds to the keypoint that is present in each of the image frames in the view- overlapped keyframe pair.

3 . The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the keypoint comprises a landmark in a scene of the view-overlapped keyframe pair.

4 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the keypoint detection neural network comprises a convolutional neural network (CNN).

5 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the keypoint reliability score is based on a comparison of coordinates of the keypoint in the final pose output generated by the VSLAM process to saved coordinates for a scene of the view-overlapped keyframe pair.

6 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors are further to:

regress the inverse reliability score into a regressed inverse reliability score;

train a separate head of the keypoint detection neural network with the regressed inverse reliability score; and

combine the regressed inverse reliability score with the keypoint reliability score to obtain a final keypoint reliability score.

7 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the apparatus comprises a robot utilizing the VSLAM process for localization of the robot.

8 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors comprise one or more of a graphics processor, an application processor, and another processor, wherein the one or more processors are co-located on a common semiconductor package.

9 . A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon executable computer program instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising:

providing a view-overlapped keyframe pair from a pose graph that is generated by a visual simultaneous localization and mapping (VSLAM) process executed by the one or more processors, wherein the view-overlapped keyframe pair comprises a matched pixel set (p, p′);

determining a keypoint match from the view-overlapped keyframe pair based on a keypoint detection and matching process, the keypoint match corresponding to a keypoint;

calculating an inverse reliability score based on matched pixels corresponding to the keypoint match in the view-overlapped keyframe pair, wherein the inverse reliability score comprises a pixel distance between p′ and an epipolar line for p;

identifying a supervision signal associated with the keypoint match, the supervision signal comprising a keypoint reliability score of the keypoint based on a final pose output of the VSLAM process; and

training a keypoint detection neural network using the keypoint match, the inverse reliability score, and the keypoint reliability score.

10 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 9 , wherein the view-overlapped keyframe pair comprises a pair of image frames captured by a camera, and wherein the keypoint match corresponds to the keypoint that is present in each of the image frames in the view-overlapped keyframe pair.

11 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 9 , wherein the keypoint detection neural network comprises a convolutional neural network (CNN).

12 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 9 , wherein the keypoint reliability score is based on a comparison of coordinates of the keypoint in the final pose output generated by the VSLAM process to saved coordinates for a scene of the view-overlapped keyframe pair.

13 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 9 , wherein the operations further comprise:

regressing the inverse reliability score into a regressed inverse reliability score;

training a separate head of the keypoint detection neural network with the regressed inverse reliability score; and

combining the regressed inverse reliability score with the keypoint reliability score to obtain a final keypoint reliability score to utilize during an inference stage of the keypoint detection neural network.

14 . A method for facilitating learning reliable keypoints in situ with introspective self-supervision, the method comprising:

providing a view-overlapped keyframe pair from a pose graph that is generated by a visual simultaneous localization and mapping (VSLAM) process executed by one or more processors, wherein the view-overlapped keyframe pair comprises a matched pixel set (p, p′);

determining a keypoint match from the view-overlapped keyframe pair based on a keypoint detection and matching process, the keypoint match corresponding to a keypoint;

calculating an inverse reliability score based on matched pixels corresponding to the keypoint match in the view-overlapped keyframe pair, wherein the inverse reliability score comprises a pixel distance between p′ and an epipolar line for p;

identifying a supervision signal associated with the keypoint match, the supervision signal comprising a keypoint reliability score of the keypoint based on a final pose output of the VSLAM process; and

training a keypoint detection neural network using the keypoint match, the inverse reliability score, and the keypoint reliability score.

15 . The method of claim 14 , wherein the view-overlapped keyframe pair comprises a pair of image frames captured by a camera, and wherein the keypoint match corresponds to the keypoint that is present in each of the image frames in the view- overlapped keyframe pair.

16 . The method of claim 14 , wherein the keypoint detection neural network comprises a convolutional neural network (CNN).

17 . The method of claim 14 , wherein the keypoint reliability score is based on a comparison of coordinates of the keypoint in the final pose output generated by the VSLAM process to saved coordinates for a scene of the view-overlapped keyframe pair.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Nov 30, 2023
From: SHI, XUESONG; MANEPALLI, SANGEETA; CHATTOPADHYAY, RITA; WANG, PENG; ZHANG, YIMIN
To: INTEL CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 065718/0795 →
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20240257374A1 · Aug 1, 2024
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