Aerial video based point, distance, and velocity real-time measurement system
US20260071871A1
Abstract
A measurement system for determining geo-reference data for a measurement area includes a first system receiving a video stream and selecting images therefrom to correlate with geographic x, y coordinates of the measurement area. The system includes a second system (i.e., aerial platform) to hover over the measurement area and a vertical camera scoring unit (VCSU). The aerial platform and VCSU further include an inertial measurement unit (IMU) to measure orientation and movement, a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) configured to determine geo-reference coordinates of a reference point, and a camera/mounting system configured to orient the camera towards the measurement area underneath the first system. The camera is oriented directly plumb downward to obtain plan view video across the measurement area and the second system computes a single absolute geodetic point position and communicates the video and data to the first system for point, distance, and velocity computation.
Description (excerpt)
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS The present application is a divisional application of pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 18/219,255, filed Jul. 7, 2023, entitled “AERIAL VIDEO BASED POINT, DISTANCE, AND VELOCITY REAL-TIME MEASUREMENT SYSTEM,” which is a divisional application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/407,772, filed Aug. 20, 2021, entitled “AERIAL VIDEO BASED POINT, DISTANCE, AND VELOCITY REAL-TIME MEASUREMENT SYSTEM,” now U.S. Pat. No. 11,740,080 B2, which is a divisional application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/162,580, filed May 23, 2016, entitled “AERIAL VIDEO BASED POINT, DISTANCE, AND VELOCITY REAL-TIME MEASUREMENT SYSTEM,” now U.S. Pat. No. 11,140,326 B2, which claims the benefit of and priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/165,481, filed on May 22, 2015, and entitled “AERIAL VIDEO BASED POINT, DISTANCE, AND VELOCITY MEASUREMENT SYSTEM,” the complete disclosures of which are expressly incorporated by reference herein. STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT The invention described herein was made in the performance of official duties by employees of the Department of the Navy and may be manufactured, used and licensed by or for the United States Government for any governmental purpose without payment of any royalties thereon. This invention (Navy Case 200246US04) is assigned to the United States Government and is available for licensing for commercial purposes. Licensing and technical inquiries may be directed to the Technology Transfer Office, Naval Surface Warfare Center Corona Division, email: CRNA_CTO@navy.mil. BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE Oftentimes law enforcement and military personnel may need to obtain the geodetic position of a point, a distance from a nominally stationary or moving object, a distance of an impact from an absolute geodetic point, or the speed of a moving object. For example, during military operations, the distance that a large caliper weapon may miss a target center and, instead, impact the ocean or earth (i.e., the miss distance) is often required for training feedback and qualifications testing. Additionally, in law enforcement, it may be required to measure the speed of traffic on a roadway or highway. Existing systems that gather miss distances traditionally have large logistical footprints, are expensive to acquire, expensive to operate, time consuming to deploy, and/or do not offer real-time results. Alternatively, personnel might attempt to use a small portable device for deployment in training areas in remote locations that are presently difficult to bring in large-scale equipment or that do not contain the necessary infrastructure or land-line power nearby to operate the equipment. SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE The present invention relates to a measurement system or scoring system configured to operate in a variety of locations to measure distances, determine geodetic points, analyze speed of moving objects, and perform other spatial or velocity measurements or analyses. Generally, various embodiments of the present disclosure include an aerial video-based point, distance, and velocity measurement system that orients a video or static capture camera underneath an aerial platform which is configured to establish a measurement or coordinate area in which to detect geodetic points, distance between points relative to each other, and/or the velocity of objects moving within the area. In particular, some embodiments include systems for real-time measurements of absolute geodetic point positions, relative distances, distances from absolute geodetic positions, and/or vehicular velocities over a plurality of terrain, such as flat or irregular land or water. In some embodiments, a vertical camera scoring unit and/or a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) may be used to measure or otherwise determine spatial distances or velocities. Embodiments of the present disclosure may include the use of a solitary video camera operably coupled to an aerial platform (e.g., a drone, helicopter, plane, etc.), for example suspended in a nadir or plumb-bob orientation via a three-axes brushless gimbal, meaning that the camera may be oriented and face directly or straight down when coupled to the aerial device. As such, it is possible to obtain a direct overhead plan view of the monitored area. For example, embodiments of this disclosure can include a wireless or other untethered aerial platform that can maintain a stationary or moving hover over a particular area or may include a tethered or directly affixed video or other camera system which can provide overhead coverage of an area but that may be powered through a wired connection. According to a first illustrative embodiment of the present disclosure, a measurement system comprises a monitoring assembly comprising a ground station configured to receive images of a measurement area and configured to select a portion of the measurement area shown in the images. The ground station comprises a scaling unit configured to scale the
Filing details
- Inventors
- Gary A. Lunt
- Assignee
- The United States Of America, As Represented By The Secretary Of The Navy
- Filed
- Nov 18, 2025
- Granted
- Application pending
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