Michael B Daily

US Patent:

7599789, Oct 6, 2009

Filed:

May 24, 2006

Appl. No.:

11/420079

Inventors:

Jon N. Leonard - Tucson AZ, US
Ronald T. Azuma - Santa Monica CA, US
Michael J. Daily - Thousand Oaks CA, US

Assignee:

Raytheon Company - Waltham MA

International Classification:

G01C 21/26

US Classification:

701207, 382103

Abstract:

A beacon-augmented pose estimation system includes positionable beacons that can determine their own 3-D geospatial coordinates and transmit those coordinates back to the pose object. An imaging sensor images the field-of-view of the pose object to provide 2-D image coordinates for any of the beacons in the FOV. A pose object controller processes the sets of 3-D geospatial coordinates and 2-D image coordinates to refine a pose estimate of the pose object. The positionable beacons may include both static beacons that are pre-positioned and mobile beacons that are command-guided to position themselves in the pose object's likely or actual FOV.