US 11,897,606 B2
System and methods for improved aerial mapping with aerial vehicles
Jonathan James Millin, Santa Clara, CA (US); Nicholas Pilkington, Santa Clara, CA (US); Devin Lane, Santa Clara, CA (US); Christopher Sullivan, Santa Clara, CA (US); and Michael Winn, Santa Clara, CA (US)
Assigned to DRONEDEPLOY, INC., Palo Alto, CA (US)
Filed by DroneDeploy, Inc., Santa Clara, CA (US)
Filed on Jul. 22, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/382,747.
Application 17/382,747 is a continuation of application No. 16/805,415, filed on Feb. 28, 2020, granted, now 11,107,275.
Application 16/805,415 is a continuation of application No. 15/887,832, filed on Feb. 2, 2018, granted, now 10,621,780, issued on Apr. 14, 2020.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/453,926, filed on Feb. 2, 2017.
Prior Publication US 2021/0350618 A1, Nov. 11, 2021
Int. Cl. B64C 39/02 (2023.01); G06T 17/05 (2011.01); G01C 11/34 (2006.01); G05D 1/00 (2006.01); G08G 5/00 (2006.01); G06V 20/13 (2022.01); B64U 101/30 (2023.01)
CPC B64C 39/024 (2013.01) [G01C 11/34 (2013.01); G05D 1/0094 (2013.01); G06T 17/05 (2013.01); G06V 20/13 (2022.01); G08G 5/006 (2013.01); G08G 5/0013 (2013.01); G08G 5/0021 (2013.01); G08G 5/0034 (2013.01); G08G 5/0069 (2013.01); G08G 5/0086 (2013.01); B64U 2101/30 (2023.01)] 18 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A system comprising:
a mobile user device communicatively connected to a camera and configured to receive images of a geographic region from the camera, the mobile device comprising a memory and a processor, wherein the processor is configured to:
determine a set of features for each of the images;
determine a temporal window of images corresponding to a limited number of the images which are most recently captured or processed, wherein the temporal window of images are captured by the camera and stored at the memory of the mobile user device; and
based on the temporal window, determine a refined camera pose associated with the image and a set of feature positions, comprising:
for each feature of the set of features, determining a set of matches within the temporal window of images;
based on the set of matches, determining a set of estimated positions; and
performing a bundle adjustment to refine the set of estimated positions using only images within the temporal window of images to reduce processing requirements of the processor.