Patents by Inventor Alexander Douglas Stewart

Alexander Douglas Stewart has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 10325381
    Abstract: A method of localizing portable apparatus (100) in an environment, the method comprising obtaining captured image data representing an image captured by an imaging device (106) associated with the portable apparatus, and obtaining mesh data representing a 3-dimensional textured mesh of at least part of the environment. The mesh data is processed to generate a plurality of synthetic images, each synthetic image being associated with a pose within the environment and being a simulation of an image that would be captured by the imaging device from that associated pose. The plurality of synthetic images is analyzed to find a said synthetic image similar to the captured image data, and an indication is provided of a pose of the portable apparatus within the environment based on the associated pose of the similar synthetic image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 17, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 18, 2019
    Assignee: The Chancellor Masters and Scholars of The University of Oxford
    Inventors: William Paul Maddern, Alexander Douglas Stewart, Paul Michael Newman, Geoffrey Michael Pascoe
  • Patent number: 10255680
    Abstract: A method of localizing a transportable apparatus (102) within an environment around the apparatus is disclosed. The method comprises obtaining a sequence of images (200) of the environment and generating one or more sequences of transformed images (204) from the sequence of images wherein an image from the sequence of images has undergone a transformation to provide a transformed image within the sequence of transformed images. Processing circuitry (112) is then used to compare one or more images from the sequence of transformed images (204) and one or more images from at least one of the sequence of images (200) and a further sequence of transformed images against a representation of the environment. The comparison determines corresponding features within the images (200) and/or transformed images (204) and the representation. The transportable apparatus (102) is then localized according to a position of the one or more corresponding features.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 29, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2019
    Assignee: Oxford University Innovation Limited
    Inventors: Paul Newman, William Maddern, Alexander Douglas Stewart, Winston Churchill, Colin McManus
  • Publication number: 20180342080
    Abstract: A method of localising portable apparatus (100) in an environment, the method comprising obtaining captured image data representing an image captured by an imaging device (106) associated with the portable apparatus, and obtaining mesh data representing a 3-dimensional textured mesh of at least part of the environment. The mesh data is processed to generate a plurality of synthetic images, each synthetic image being associated with a pose within the environment and being a simulation of an image that would be captured by the imaging device from that associated pose. The plurality of synthetic images is analysed to find a said synthetic image similar to the captured image data, and an indication is provided of a pose of the portable apparatus within the environment based on the associated pose of the similar synthetic image.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 17, 2015
    Publication date: November 29, 2018
    Applicant: The Chancellor Masters and Scholars of the University of Oxford
    Inventors: WILLIAM PAUL MADDERN, ALEXANDER DOUGLAS STEWART, PAUL MICHAEL NEWMAN, GEOFFREY MICHAEL PASCOE
  • Patent number: 10070101
    Abstract: Method and apparatus for localizing transportable apparatus (100) within an environment (120) includes obtaining (202) point cloud data (114) representing a 3D point cloud with appearance information of at least part of the environment. The method further obtains (204) first frame data (110) representing an image produced by a sensor (102) onboard transportable apparatus at a first time and location within the environment and second frame data (110) representing an image produced by the sensor at a second time and location within the environment. The method harmonizes (206) information about the first frame data, the second frame data and an overlapping subset of the point cloud data in order to determine a location within the point cloud data where at least one of the first frame and the second frame was produced, thereby localizing (208) the transportable apparatus within the environment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 4, 2018
    Assignee: The Chancellor Masters and Scholars of The University of Oxford
    Inventors: Paul Michael Newman, Alexander Douglas Stewart
  • Publication number: 20170076455
    Abstract: A method of localising a transportable apparatus (102) within an environment around the apparatus is disclosed. The method comprises obtaining a sequence of images (200) of the environment and generating one or more sequences of transformed images (204) from the sequence of images wherein an image from the sequence of images has undergone a transformation to provide a transformed image within the sequence of transformed images. Processing circuitry (112) is then used to compare one or more images from the sequence of transformed images (204) and one or more images from at least one of the sequence of images (200) and a further sequence of transformed images against a representation of the environment. The comparison determines corresponding features within the images (200) and/or transformed images (204) and the representation. The transportable apparatus (102) is then localised according to a position of the one or more corresponding features.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 29, 2015
    Publication date: March 16, 2017
    Inventors: Paul Newman, William Maddern, Alexander Douglas Stewart, Winston Churchill, Colin McManus
  • Publication number: 20140240501
    Abstract: Method and apparatus for localising transportable apparatus (100) within an environment (120) includes obtaining (202) point cloud data (114) representing a 3D point cloud with appearance information of at least part of the environment. The method further obtains (204) first frame data (110) representing an image produced by a sensor (102) onboard transportable apparatus at a first time and location within the environment and second frame data (110) representing an image produced by the sensor at a second time and location within the environment. The method harmonises (206) information about the first frame data, the second frame data and an overlapping subset of the point cloud data in order to determine a location within the point cloud data where at least one of the first frame and the second frame was produced, thereby localising (208) the transportable apparatus within the environment.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 27, 2012
    Publication date: August 28, 2014
    Inventors: Paul Michael Newman, Alexander Douglas Stewart