Patent Document ID: 9519979
Application ID: 14604180
Patent Status: 1

Claim One:
1. A method on an electronic processing device for LADAR range data video color rendering, the electronic processing device comprising an electronic processor, a data storage device, and a graphical processing unit, the method comprising: providing an electronic processing device; collecting LADAR range data at time (t) with a LADAR sensor operatively-associated with said electronic processing device, wherein said range data is defined by position and orientation defined in an Earth-fixed (EF) three-dimensional space; wherein said range data is the row (r) and column (c) range image, wherein for each pixel notationally-defined as (r,c), a range notationally-defined as (R r,c ) is the distance from said LADAR sensor to a scene for the pixel (r,c); wherein said EF three-dimensional space is an EF coordinate frame and is a three-dimensional Cartesian coordinate system having an origin fixed at a point near the surface of the earth, wherein the x-axis points north, the y-axis points east, and the z-axis points down, wherein the x-y plane is parallel with the surface of the earth at the origin; wherein said LADAR sensor is defined by a sensor-fixed (SF) coordinate frame having its origin fixed to said LADAR sensor, wherein said SF coordinate frame is a three-dimensional Cartesian coordinate system having an origin fixed to said LADAR sensor, wherein the x-axis points in the forward looking direction of said LADAR sensor, the y-axis is parallel with said LADAR sensor pixel rows, and the z-axis is parallel with said LADAR sensor pixel columns; electronically-computing an elevation for each pixel of said Range Data using said position and orientation associated with said EF three-dimensional space; electronically-converting said elevation into an index, l(r, c); electronically-determining a color value for said pixel by extracting, from a color map stored on a data storage device, the color value associated with said index; electronically-associating said color value with said pixel, said association defined as a flash for said range data, said position, and said orientation collected at time (t); wherein said position is position notationally-defined as (P r , P y , P z ) of said LADAR sensor at time (t) when said Range data was collected, wherein said position is defined in said sensor fixed coordinate frame with respect to said EF coordinate frame, wherein when said position is (P x =0, P y =0, P z =0), the origin of said sensor fixed coordinate frame is located at the origin of said EF coordinate frame; wherein said orientation is a rotational matrix of said LADAR sensor notationally-defined defined as, M = [ T 11 T 12 T 13 T 21 T 22 T 23 T 31 T 32 T 33 ] , said rotational matrix, M, is defined with respect to said EF coordinate frame, wherein said rotational matrix, M, has an identity matrix of [ 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 ] , for the elements T defined for said SF coordinate frame as a reference orientation where the x-axis of both the EF coordinate frame and the SF coordinate frame are parallel and pointing J in the same direction, wherein said y-axis of both the EF coordinate frame and the SF coordinate frame are parallel and pointing in the same direction, wherein the z-axis of both the EF coordinate frame and the SF coordinate frame are parallel; wherein when two or greater flashes are present, fitting said flashes together to form a continuous image of said scene, said continuous image of said scene defining a frame, wherein a time sequence of frames define a rendered LADAR video stream; and outputting said rendered LADAR video stream in a tangible medium.