Automated Building Dimension Determination Using Visual Data Analysis
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing technologies face challenges in effectively capturing, representing, and using building interior information, including determining building dimensions and navigating buildings without physical presence. Current methods, such as floor plans, are difficult to construct, maintain, and use effectively for navigation and data representation.
Innovation Solution
The use of computing devices to automatically analyze visual data from images of buildings to determine building information, including dimensions. This involves identifying visible structural objects, estimating camera heights, and using image scale information to determine building dimensions, which can then be used for navigation and data representation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If floor plans are used to represent building interiors, then layout information can be provided, but the floor plans are difficult to construct, maintain, and accurately scale
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual floor plan creation and measurement processes with automated image analysis technology. Images captured by cameras or mobile devices are processed through algorithms that automatically extract building dimensions, wall positions, and layout information, eliminating the need for manual construction and maintenance of floor plans while preserving complete building interior information.
2Measurement precision
If physical travel to buildings is performed to capture interior information, then accurate building data can be obtained, but time and resource consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates digital copies of building interiors through image capture and analysis. Instead of requiring physical presence for measurement, the system uses photographs or video frames as substitutes, extracting dimensional information from these visual copies. This approach maintains measurement precision while eliminating time-consuming physical travel and inspection processes.
3Measurement precision
If depth sensors are used to measure building dimensions, then accurate measurements can be obtained, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces image processing algorithms as an intermediary between standard cameras and building dimension measurement. Instead of using complex depth sensors directly, the system uses readily available camera images as intermediaries, applying computational methods to extract dimensional data. This approach achieves accurate measurements while avoiding the need for specialized depth-sensing hardware.
Data Source
AI summary
Techniques are described for using computing devices to perform automated operations for analyzing visual data of images acquired at a building to determine building information that includes building dimensions. The automated determination of building dimensions and other building information may include determining estimated camera height for one or more camera devices while acquiring the images based on identified visible structural building objects of defined types, using the determined image scale information to further determine resulting building dimensions, and associating the building dimension data with a floor plan generated from analysis of the images. Information about such determined buildings may be used in various automated manners, including for controlling device navigation (e.g., autonomous vehicles), for display on client devices in corresponding graphical user interfaces, for further analysis to identify shared and/or aggregate characteristics, etc.