Asymmetric Camera System for Colour Video Processing Bandwidth Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing mobile survey devices for harsh environments face challenges in efficiently processing colour video data, leading to increased computational load, power consumption, and thermal constraints, which hinder real-time processing and decision-making.
Innovation Solution
The method employs an asymmetric camera system combining a Colour Filter Array (CFA) imaging device with a full colour imaging device to process colour video data. This system isolates colour channels from both devices, processes them using computer vision algorithms, and generates metadata to produce processed data representing objects, thereby reducing data transfer and computational load.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a full colour imaging device is used to capture complete colour information, then colour accuracy is improved, but data bandwidth and processing load increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the colour imaging task by using a CFA sensor to capture only specific colour channels (e.g., green channel for luminance, red or blue for colour information) instead of capturing all three colour channels for every pixel. This segmentation reduces the data bandwidth requirement while maintaining sufficient colour accuracy for computer vision applications.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts only the essential colour information needed for the specific application. By using a CFA sensor that captures only certain colour channels and combining them with metadata from a full colour reference image, the system extracts minimal necessary data to achieve the required colour accuracy, thereby reducing overall data bandwidth.
2Speed
If full colour images are processed in real-time, then processing speed is improved, but power consumption and thermal constraints increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies partial action by processing only the essential colour channels captured by the CFA sensor rather than processing all three colour channels of full colour images. This partial processing approach achieves real-time processing speed while significantly reducing power consumption and thermal generation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the processing parameters by working with reduced colour channel data from the CFA sensor instead of complete RGB data. This parameter change allows real-time processing to be achieved with lower computational requirements, thereby reducing power consumption and thermal constraints.
3Quantity of substance
If CFA images are used to reduce data bandwidth, then data transfer efficiency is improved, but colour information completeness deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces metadata from a full colour reference image as an intermediary to compensate for the incomplete colour information from the CFA sensor. This intermediary provides the missing colour data without requiring full colour images to be transmitted, thus maintaining data bandwidth efficiency while recovering colour information completeness.
Data Source
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AI summary
A computer implemented method (82) for colour video processing, the method comprising: receiving a CFA image from a CFA imaging device, wherein the CFA image comprises CFA image pixels defining a plurality of image regions, each image region having at least one pixel of a first colour and at least one pixel of a second colour, at least one image region representing a portion of an object; receiving a full colour image from a colour imaging device, wherein the full colour image represents the portion of the object; storing the full colour image in a memory; isolating pixels of the first colour of the CFA image to generate a first colour channel comprising pixels of the first colour channel; isolating pixels of the first colour of the full colour image to generate a second colour channel comprising pixels of the second colour channel; processing the pixels of the first colour channel using a first computer vision algorithm to generate first image metadata; processing the pixels of the second colour channel using the first computer vision algorithm to generate second image metadata; and generating processed data using the first image metadata and/or the second image metadata, the processed data comprising a plurality of data points representing the object.