Heavy Equipment Camera-Prism Alignment from Rotation and Travel
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for determining the location of a camera and optical target on a rotating body of heavy equipment, such as a hydraulic shovel, are complex and require precise initial setup, making them difficult to implement effectively.
Innovation Solution
A method involving the use of a surveying device to measure the location of an optical target and performing Structure from Motion (SfM) on images captured by a camera during rotating, straight-moving, and tilting actions of the rotating body, with bundle adjustment calculations under specific constraints to determine the relationship between the optical target and camera locations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a reflection prism and camera are arranged on a rotating body with strict preliminary setup, then location measurement accuracy is improved, but device complexity and ease of operation deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary actions by measuring the location of the optical target using a surveying device before the main SfM processing. This preliminary measurement provides constraint information that simplifies the subsequent bundle adjustment calculation, eliminating the need for strict preliminary setup while maintaining accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The surveying device acts as an intermediary that provides external measurement data about the optical target's location. This intermediary measurement serves as a constraint to guide the bundle adjustment process, bridging the gap between simple setup and accurate measurement without requiring complex calibration procedures.
2Measurement precision
If bundle adjustment calculation is performed with constraint conditions, then measurement precision is improved, but calculation complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the parameters of the bundle adjustment calculation by introducing constraint conditions based on surveying device measurements. These constraints modify the optimization problem to include additional equations that must be satisfied, thereby improving accuracy while managing complexity through structured constraint application.
Data Source
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AI summary
Information on location relationship between a camera and an optical target arranged on a rotating body of a heavy equipment is obtained easily. A method for obtaining information of heavy equipment (100) including a running body (101) having moving means and a rotating body (103) which is rotatable on the running body (101) and which has reflection prism (107) and a camera (108), the method includes: a first step in which location of the reflection prism (107) is measured by a total station (300) and SfM is performed using photographed images by the camera (108) during a process of rotating action of the rotating body (103); and a second step in which the location of the reflection prism (107) is measured by the total station (300) and SfM is performed using the photographed images by the camera (108) during a process of straight-moving action of the running body (101) without rotating the rotating body (103); wherein relationship of the location of the reflection prism (107) and the location of the camera (108) on the rotating body (103) is calculated based on the location of the reflection prism (107) and the location and the orientation of the camera (108) obtained by SfM in the first step and the second step.