JP2011112556A - Search target position locating device, method, and computer program - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve precision of locating a position by precisely measuring a target on an undulating ground surface searched from an aircraft. <P>SOLUTION: A position obtained by projecting a position of the target 3 to a horizontal surface deviates by R1 from an intersection of a straight line L1 extended in the direction of the search target 3 when viewed from the camera 2 and the horizontal surface since the search target 3 is located at a height H from the horizontal surface. However, actually, the ground surface 4 is at an altitude of 7 in steps sectioned by a mesh of three-dimensional landform data including altitude information, so that the position is as shown by a code R1', thus causing an error. By measuring a directional angle viewed from the camera 2 between a landmark 5 and a landmark 6 including known position information adjacent to the search target 3, therefore, the altitude of the landmark 5 and that of the landmark 6 are measured, the altitude information of the target 3 is calculated by the altitude information, and the intersection to a straight line extended in the direction of the search target 3 is found, and the position of the search target 3 is specified. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a search target position specifying device, a search target position specifying method, and a computer program. In particular, even when a search target exists in a terrain rich in undulations, three-dimensional terrain data and landmark position altitude information are provided. The present invention relates to a search target position specifying device, a search target position specifying method, and a computer program that can accurately specify a target position determined by searching from an aircraft or the like.

For example, Japanese Patent Application No. 7-84350 has already been filed as a search target position specifying device for accurately specifying a target position determined from an aircraft or the like.
In the method of this prior application patent (Japanese Patent Application No. 7-84350), a target on the ground surface is photographed from the air, the photographing position in the air is specified three-dimensionally, and the direction of the target with respect to the photographing position is measured. , The ground surface on which the target is present is obtained from the three-dimensional terrain data including altitude information about the undulation of the ground surface that has been created in advance, and the intersection of the ground surface and a straight line extending in the direction of the target from the shooting position The position of the target is specified as the position.

  Further, in the method of this prior application patent (Japanese Patent Application No. 7-84350), the specified search target position is displayed on a two-dimensional map in which a place name or the like is clearly specified. Further, the field of view when photographing the target is displayed on the two-dimensional map. More specifically, the aircraft that can be moved in the air, the aircraft position specifying means for specifying the aircraft position, the imaging means for shooting the target on the ground surface mounted on the aircraft, and the orientation of the imaging means with respect to the aircraft. Direction detecting means for detecting a direction in which the vehicle is located, ground surface recording means for recording three-dimensional terrain data including altitude information about the undulations of the ground surface, body position specifying means, and photographing means. In response to the output from the direction detection means and the ground surface recording means, the calculation processing for calculating the intersection of the straight line extending from the position of the machine body in the direction facing the photographing means and the ground surface, and specifying it as the position of the target The method, the position of the target object, and the field of view for capturing the target object are displayed on a two-dimensional map that clearly shows the place name and the like.

As another prior art in this field, for example, in Patent Document 1, the altitude of the ground surface of the imaging range is acquired using three-dimensional terrain data including altitude information about the ground surface undulations created in advance. Then, the altitude of the shooting location is calculated as the relative altitude obtained by subtracting the altitude of the ground surface from the absolute altitude of the aircraft, and the captured video is transformed and superimposed on the map of the geographic information system according to the shooting range. The method of doing is disclosed.
Further, for example, in Patent Document 2, an altitude difference that is a difference between each point of the terrain data 1 and the height of the point 4 on the retrieved reference line 2 is calculated, and a correction amount calculating means is calculated using the calculation result. Discloses a method of determining a correction amount for height (altitude) in the correction amount calculation device 7.

  Further, for example, in Patent Document 3, the map processing means first specifies the shooting position in the air three-dimensionally, and based on the posture of the camera and the aircraft relative to the ground surface, the shooting range of the ground surface (= shooting) (Image frame) is calculated by calculation, then landmark extraction is performed, and image deformation / correction is performed based on the landmark comparison result to correct the superimposed display position of the captured image on the map. If the corresponding landmark is extracted from the video, the obtained landmark is collated, and the distance between the two landmarks on the video and the distance between the two landmarks on the GIS map are calculated. A method for correcting the aircraft altitude to be the same is disclosed.

JP 2003-316259 A JP 2007-298332 A Re-specialized WO 2004-1113836

  By the way, in the conventional search target position specifying method described in the background art, for example, in the case of the method of the prior application patent (Japanese Patent Application No. 7-84350), as described above, the direction of the target with respect to the shooting position is set. When measuring and determining the ground surface where the target is present from the three-dimensional terrain data including altitude information about the undulations of the ground surface created in advance, the ground surface and a straight line extending in the direction of the target from the shooting position Although the position of the target is specified as the intersection position, there is a problem that the position error becomes large due to the resolution of the altitude information of the three-dimensional terrain data including the altitude information as a reference when specifying the search target position. It was.

The three-dimensional terrain data that will be used generally is the map numerical data published by the Geographical Survey Institute, but usually the resolution is such that altitude information divided in units such as 50m mesh is provided. It is. Therefore, when the altitude information 22 (H ′) of the ground surface position of the target of the three-dimensional terrain data is higher than the actual altitude (H) as shown in FIG. 3 of the prior application patent (Japanese Patent Application No. 7-84350). In this case, the position of the intersection between the ground surface and a straight line extending from the shooting position in the direction of the target is shifted forward, resulting in a position specifying error.
Further, in the case of the method of the prior application patent (Japanese Patent Application No. 7-84350), the aircraft information and the pointing direction of the camera, etc. include errors, so that the error in the position of the ground target increases as the altitude of the aircraft decreases. There was a point.

The outline of the present invention is as follows.
(1) Refer to 3D terrain data including altitude information created in advance,
(2) Refer to the altitude information of landmarks set in advance,
(3) Using the shooting data including the position data of the search target on the ground and the reference data of (1), the position of the target from the air is once specified, and further, using the reference data of (2), After correcting the three-dimensional terrain data, the position of the search target on the ground from the air is re-specified. The methods of Patent Documents 1 and 3 described above are the configuration requirements (1), (2 ) And (3) are not satisfied. In the method of Patent Document 3 described above, the three-dimensional information is used to three-dimensionally specify the shooting position in the air. However, in the method of the present invention, the position of the search target on the ground from the air. Is different from the present invention in terms of means. In the present invention, the position (coordinates) of the aircraft is specified using a GPS (Global Positioning System) function provided in the aircraft.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned conventional problems, and is capable of accurately measuring a rough ground surface target searched from an aircraft and improving the position specifying accuracy. An object of the present invention is to provide a target position specifying device and a search target position specifying method.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the search target position specifying device according to the present invention stores in advance three-dimensional map data in which three-dimensional terrain data including altitude information and preset altitude information of landmarks are recorded. And shooting the target with a camera installed at a high place, and detecting imaging information of the target, direction information of the target, and angle information indicating a viewing angle of the target viewed from the camera. An imaging means, means for specifying coordinate information of the position where the camera is installed using GPS (Global Positioning System), and specifying altitude information of the position where the camera is installed using an altimeter Means, photographing position specifying means for acquiring the position information of the camera based on the coordinate information and the altitude information, three-dimensional terrain data including altitude information about the undulations of the ground surface, and preset raster The position of the target based on the three-dimensional map information in which the altitude information of the mark is recorded, the imaging information of the target, the azimuth information of the target, the angle information of the target, and the position information of the camera And calculating means for calculating position information indicating.

  Further, the search target position specifying method according to the present invention includes a step of preliminarily storing 3D terrain data including altitude information and 3D map information recording altitude information of preset landmarks; A photographing step of photographing with a camera installed at a location, and detecting imaging information of the target, direction information of the target, and angle information indicating a viewing angle of the target viewed from the camera, and the camera Specifying the coordinate information of the position where the camera is installed using GPS (Global Positioning System), means for specifying the altitude information of the position where the camera is installed using an altimeter, and the coordinate information A shooting position specifying step of acquiring position information of the camera based on the altitude information, three-dimensional terrain data including altitude information about the undulation of the ground surface, and a preset land Of the target based on the three-dimensional map information in which the altitude information is recorded, the imaging information of the target, the azimuth information of the target, the angle information of the target, and the position information of the camera. And a calculation step for calculating position information indicating the position.

  The computer program according to the present invention is a computer program for causing a computer to execute calculation control of a search target position specifying device, wherein three-dimensional terrain data including altitude information and altitude information of preset landmarks are stored in advance. A step of reading the recorded three-dimensional map information from the database; and imaging information of the target, orientation information of the target, and the target acquired when the target is photographed by a camera installed at a high place. An imaging data storage step for temporarily storing angle information indicating a viewing angle viewed from the camera, and a step of specifying coordinate information of a position where the camera is installed using GPS (Global Positioning System), Identifying the altitude information of the position where the camera is installed using an altimeter, the coordinate information and the altitude information A step of acquiring the position information of the camera, 3D terrain data including altitude information about the undulation of the ground surface, 3D map information in which altitude information of preset landmarks is recorded, and the target A calculation step of calculating position information indicating the position of the target based on imaging information of the target, direction information of the target, angle information of the target, and position information of the camera. Features.

  As described above, according to the search target position specifying apparatus of the present invention, 3D terrain data including altitude information and 3D map information recording altitude information of preset landmarks are stored in advance. The target on the surface of the earth is photographed with a camera installed at a high place such as an aircraft, and the imaging information of the target, the orientation information of the target, and the viewing angle viewed from the camera to the target are shown. The angle information is detected, the coordinate information of the position where the camera is installed is specified using GPS, and the altitude information of the position where the camera is installed is specified using an altimeter. Camera position information based on the information, and thereby, 3D terrain data including altitude information about the undulations of the ground surface and 3D map information recording altitude information of preset landmarks; Since the position information indicating the position of the target is calculated based on the imaging information of the target, the orientation information of the target, the angle information of the target, and the position information of the camera, the ground surface where the target is rich in undulations Even if it exists, there exists an effect which can provide the search target position specific apparatus which can pinpoint the position of this target object with high precision.

It is a block diagram which shows the whole structure of the search target position specific device which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows 1 Example of the search target position specific device which concerns on embodiment of this invention.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to measure a ground surface target searched from an aircraft with high accuracy and improve the accuracy of position identification. For this reason, it has a function of specifying the position (coordinates) of the aircraft using GPS or the like provided in the aircraft. In addition, as other functions, aircraft altitude information is identified using an altimeter, a shooting function for shooting a target object, a gimbal function for stably holding these objects, and a camera direction (azimuth, dip angle) is measured / controlled. Control function, control function for controlling the target or preset landmark, three-dimensional terrain data including altitude information, and three-dimensional map information storage function for recording preset landmark altitude information, aircraft information And a calculation function for detecting the position of the target from the directivity information of the camera and ranging unit and the three-dimensional map information, and a data processing function (after specifying the target on the display process and the camera display screen) And a function of calculating the direction of the designated target based on the camera direction and the photographing viewing angle information).

  As specific specifying means for specifying the position of the target, first, the camera is directed toward the target, and then, one or more landmarks recorded in advance in the same shooting screen. The direction of the landmark from the aircraft is calculated from the viewing angle of the camera and the position information of the display image, and the search target is obtained from the three-dimensional terrain data including altitude information about the undulation of the ground surface prepared in advance. Specify the position of. Next, the correlation between the position of the search target and the position of the landmark recorded in advance is obtained, and the deviation is obtained. Using these data, the three-dimensional terrain data of the area where the target is located is corrected.

  Finally, the orientation of the camera and the direction of the target with respect to the shooting position are measured, and the ground surface on which the target is present is obtained from the three-dimensional terrain data including altitude information on the corrected ground surface undulation. The position of the target is specified as an intersection position between the surface and a straight line extending in the direction of the target from the shooting position. As a result, measurement errors can be reduced.

Hereinafter, specific embodiments of a search target position specifying device, a search target position specifying method, and a computer program according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram showing the overall configuration of a search target position specifying device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
The search target position specifying device shown in FIG. 1 includes a camera unit 2 mounted on the airframe, a video processing unit 10 and a display unit 11, and a camera unit control unit 12 at the rear stage of the camera unit 2.
In addition, the GPS 13 and altitude detection unit 14 mounted on the airframe, the airframe position detection unit 15 that inputs information from the GPS 13 and the altitude detection unit 14, the target position detection calculation unit 16 subsequent to the airframe position detection unit 15, and the target position A data processing unit 17 and a three-dimensional map information storage unit 18 connected to the detection calculation unit 16;

The camera unit 2 includes a camera 2 ′, a gimbal unit 8 at the rear stage of the camera 2 ′, and an azimuth / angle detection unit 9 connected to the gimbal unit 8.
Hereinafter, the function of the search target position specifying device according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described based on the components.
The camera unit 2 is a camera module mounted on the aircraft 1 (see FIG. 2) that performs measurement (that is, specifying the position of a search target).
The camera 2 ′ of the camera unit 2 is a camera for photographing a search target or the like. The gimbal unit 8 is a unit having a function of ensuring stability based on the directivity direction of the camera 2 ′ and the body information. Further, the azimuth / angle detection unit 9 is a mechanism unit having a function of detecting the directivity direction of the camera 2 ′.
The video processing unit 10 is a circuit module for converting the image picked up by the camera 2 'for display.

The display unit 11 is a display device for displaying an image captured by the camera 2 ′.
The camera unit control unit 12 is a control unit having a function of controlling the directivity direction of the camera by an operation from the display unit 11.
The GPS 13 has a GPS (Global Positioning System) function, and is used here to measure the position of the aircraft 1 (see FIG. 2).
The altitude detection unit 14 is an altimeter and is used for measuring the altitude of the aircraft 1.
The airframe position detection unit 15 has a function of detecting the airframe position (that is, the shooting position) based on information from the GPS 13 and the altitude detection unit 14.
The target position detection calculation unit 16 has a function of calculating the position of the search target based on the camera direction, the aircraft position, the three-dimensional map information, and the landmark position information.

The data processing unit 17 determines the landmark direction from the position where the camera 2 ′ centering on the direction of a target 3 (see FIG. 2), which will be described later, designates the landmark being imaged and displayed, and the viewing angle of the camera 2 ′. It has a function to detect calculation.
The three-dimensional map information storage unit 18 records and stores three-dimensional terrain data including altitude information such as map data of the Geographical Survey Institute and the position and altitude information of known landmarks.

(Example)
Hereinafter, functions of the search target position specifying device according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described based on examples.
FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing one example of the search target position specifying device according to the embodiment of the present invention.
In the figure, symbol H is the altitude of the target, symbol H ′ is the altitude of the target position based on the three-dimensional terrain data altitude information, symbol R1 is the difference distance between the extension line in the direction of the target camera, the horizontal plane intersection, and the ground plane intersection Symbol R1 ′ indicates the difference distance between the extension line in the target camera direction and the horizontal plane intersection and the three-dimensional terrain data altitude intersection, and symbol 3 ′ indicates the search target detected by the error.
FIG. 2 shows an embodiment of the present apparatus when photographing a target 3 using an aircraft 1 flying in the air and a camera 2 attached to the airframe.
The search target 3 is located on the ground surface 4 with undulations. Also, landmarks 5 and 6 whose position information is known in advance are located on the value surface 4.

In this embodiment, the coordinate position of the aircraft 1 is measured from the aircraft information of the navigation device such as GPS mounted on the aircraft, and the intersection of the straight line L1 extending from the camera 2 in the direction of the search target 3 position and the ground surface 4 The position of the search target 3 is specified.
Here, the position of the target 3 projected on the horizontal plane is that the search target 3 is at a height H from the horizontal plane, so that the straight line L1 extending in the direction of the search target 3 as viewed from the camera 2 and the horizontal plane And a position deviated by R1 from the intersection. However, in actuality, the ground surface 4 is a stepped altitude 7 separated by a mesh of three-dimensional terrain data including altitude information, and this position is a position indicated by a symbol R1 ′, and an error occurs.

  Therefore, in this embodiment, the landmark 5 and the landmark are measured by measuring the direction angle as seen from the camera 2 between the landmark 5 and the landmark 6 having the known position information close to the search target 3. The altitude of 6 is measured, the altitude information of the target 3 is calculated using this altitude information, and the position of the search target 3 is specified by finding the intersection with the straight line extending in the direction of the search target 3. This enables measurement with reduced errors.

(Other embodiments)
In the search target position specifying device and the search target position specifying method according to the present embodiment, as described above, the position specifying target is the search target 3. However, in the present invention, generally, the position specifying target is on the ground surface. Can be applied as long as it exists, for example, a well-known building or mountain may be used.
In the present embodiment, the search target position specifying device is mounted on the aircraft 1. However, in general, in the present invention, the place where the search target position specifying device is installed is not necessarily limited to the aircraft. It may be a sufficiently high building or tower, or may be on a mountain.
Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the search target position specifying device 2 is configured so that all the components are integrated, but the camera unit 2 and the components other than the camera unit 2 are spatially separated, It is also possible to adopt a configuration in which both are connected by a wireless line. Moreover, it is also possible to configure the components other than the camera unit 2 to be appropriately distributed and connected between them by a wireless line.

In addition, you may make it process the function of the search target position specific apparatus which concerns on this Embodiment, especially the target position detection calculating part 16 using a computer and a computer program.
According to the search target position specifying device according to the present embodiment, the position of the search target on the ground from the air, the three-dimensional terrain data including altitude information created in advance, and the registered known landmark position height By using the information, even when the three-dimensional terrain data is not accurate enough (for example, altitude information divided in units of 50m mesh, etc.) There is an effect that the position of the search target can be accurately specified.

  In addition, on the captured video display screen, the direction of the landmark is detected based on the position information designated by using a pointing device or the like and the camera viewing angle information, and the aircraft position and the target-oriented direction information are also obtained. By recording, there is an effect of enabling the measurement function even after the aircraft 1 has passed or landed.

  The present invention can be applied to the construction of a search target position specifying device, and in particular, even when the search target exists in a undulating terrain, it uses three-dimensional terrain data and landmark position altitude information. Therefore, the present invention is suitable for the construction of a search target position specifying device that can accurately specify the target position determined by searching from an aircraft or the like.

1 Aircraft
2 Camera section
3 Search target
3 'Search target detected by error 4 Ground surface
5 Known Landmark 6 Known Landmark 7 Ground Surface Based on Altitude Information of 3D Terrain Data 8 Gimbal Unit 9 Direction / Angle Detection Unit 10 Video Processing Unit 11 Display Unit 1
12 Camera unit controller 13 GPS
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 14 Height detection part 15 Airframe position detection part 16 Target position detection calculating part 17 Data processing part 18 3D map information storage part H Altitude of target object H 'Height of target object position based on 3D terrain data height information R1 Target part Camera direction Distance between the extension line of the horizontal plane and the horizontal plane intersection and the ground surface intersection R1 '

Claims (7)

Means for preliminarily storing 3D terrain data including altitude information and 3D map information in which altitude information of preset landmarks is recorded;
Image capturing means for capturing an image of a target with a camera installed at a high place and detecting imaging information of the target, orientation information of the target, and angle information indicating a viewing angle of the target viewed from the camera When,
Means for specifying coordinate information of the position where the camera is installed using GPS (Global Positioning System);
Means for specifying altitude information of the position where the camera is installed using an altimeter;
Photographing position specifying means for acquiring position information of the camera based on the coordinate information and the altitude information;
3D terrain data including altitude information about the undulation of the ground surface, 3D map information recording altitude information of preset landmarks, imaging information of the target, azimuth information of the target, and the target Computing means for calculating position information indicating the position of the target based on the angle information and the position information of the camera;
A search target position specifying device characterized by comprising:   The calculation means, once calculating position information indicating the position of the target, selects a plurality of landmarks in the same shooting screen as the imaging, and positions of the plurality of landmarks in the shooting screen The three-dimensional terrain data is corrected based on a deviation from the position of the target, and finally the position information is calculated again using the corrected three-dimensional terrain data. The search target position specifying device according to Item 1.   The search target position specifying device according to claim 1, wherein the photographing unit has a gimbal function for stably maintaining the imaging.   The search target position specifying device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein map numerical data issued by the Geographical Survey Institute is used as the three-dimensional terrain data.   The search target position specifying device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein at least the camera is mounted on an aircraft. Preliminarily storing 3D terrain data including altitude information and 3D map information recording altitude information of preset landmarks;
A photographing step of photographing a target with a camera installed at a high place and detecting imaging information of the target, orientation information of the target, and angle information indicating a viewing angle of the target viewed from the camera When,
Identifying the coordinate information of the position where the camera is installed using GPS (Global Positioning System);
Means for specifying altitude information of the position where the camera is installed using an altimeter;
A shooting position specifying step of acquiring position information of the camera based on the coordinate information and the altitude information;
3D terrain data including altitude information about the undulation of the ground surface, 3D map information recording altitude information of preset landmarks, imaging information of the target, azimuth information of the target, and the target Calculating the position information indicating the position of the target based on the angle information and the position information of the camera;
A search target position specifying method characterized by comprising: A computer program for causing a computer to execute calculation control of a search target position specifying device,
Reading from the database 3D terrain data including altitude information and 3D map information in which altitude information of preset landmarks is recorded in advance;
Image information obtained when the target is photographed with a camera installed at a high place, imaging information of the target, orientation information of the target, and angle information indicating a viewing angle of the target viewed from the camera. A shooting data storing step for temporarily storing;
Identifying the coordinate information of the position where the camera is installed using GPS (Global Positioning System);
Identifying altitude information of the location where the camera is installed using an altimeter;
A shooting position specifying step of acquiring position information of the camera based on the coordinate information and the altitude information;
3D terrain data including altitude information about the undulation of the ground surface, 3D map information recording altitude information of preset landmarks, imaging information of the target, azimuth information of the target, and the target Calculating the position information indicating the position of the target based on the angle information and the position information of the camera;
A computer program characterized by comprising:

Images