Enhancement of range measurement resolution using imagery

摘要

This invention provides a method for computing hybrid range measurements wherein range measurements of a target are obtained along with at least two images of the target and the location and the orientation of the images. Hybrid range measurements are computed based on the range measurements and the images.

主权项

1. A method for increasing the spatial resolution of a LIDAR range measurement, the method comprising:
gathering at least one LIDAR range measurement that corresponds to a measurement region of a target, wherein the LIDAR range measurement includes a full waveform; gathering a plurality of images of the measurement region; gathering at least two locations and at least two orientations of the images relative to the LIDAR range measurement; defining a grid upon the measurement region, wherein the grid includes at least two sub-cells, which have a higher spatial resolution than the LIDAR range measurement; correlating the sub-cells with a plurality of pixels from the images; computing a plurality of new range measurements with a histogram similar to the full waveform; and assigning the new range measurements to the sub-cells to increase the spatial resolution of the LIDAR range measurement.