US 11,994,405 B2
Methods and systems for determining geographic orientation based on imagery
Daniel Joseph Filip, San Jose, CA (US); and Zhen Yang, San Jose, CA (US)
Assigned to GOOGLE LLC, Mountain View, CA (US)
Appl. No. 16/978,374
Filed by Google LLC, Mountain View, CA (US)
PCT Filed Mar. 12, 2018, PCT No. PCT/US2018/021957
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Sep. 4, 2020,
PCT Pub. No. WO2019/172941, PCT Pub. Date Sep. 12, 2019.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/639,674, filed on Mar. 7, 2018.
Prior Publication US 2021/0041259 A1, Feb. 11, 2021
Int. Cl. G06V 20/56 (2022.01); G01C 21/28 (2006.01); G01C 21/36 (2006.01); G06F 18/214 (2023.01); G06T 7/80 (2017.01); G06V 20/10 (2022.01); H04N 23/698 (2023.01)
CPC G01C 21/3602 (2013.01) [G01C 21/28 (2013.01); G06F 18/214 (2023.01); G06T 7/80 (2017.01); G06V 20/10 (2022.01); G06V 20/176 (2022.01); H04N 23/698 (2023.01); G06T 2207/20081 (2013.01); G06T 2207/30244 (2013.01)] 15 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A computer-implemented method comprising:
receiving, by a computing system, data generated by a camera and representing imagery that includes at least a portion of a physical real-world environment comprising the camera and a travelway;
estimating a position of a light source based on a time of day associated with the imagery;
and
determining, by the computing system, a geographic orientation of the camera with respect to the travelway, wherein the geographic orientation of the camera with respect to the travelway further comprises:
determining a geographic location of the camera; and
selecting, based at least in part on the geographic location of the camera, a machine-learning model from amongst a plurality of different machine-learning models for determining geographic orientations of cameras with respect to travelways, the plurality of different machine-learning models being based at least in part on training data comprising imagery from different corresponding geographic regions, the machine-learning model being based at least in part on training data comprising imagery from a geographic region comprising the geographic location of the camera, the imagery from the geographic region not including imagery that comprises the travelway.