Building Height Calculation via Spherical Projection

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative Solutions
Generate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Manual collection of building height data is inefficient and costly, limiting the ability to quickly and accurately identify high-quality points of interest on electronic maps.

Innovation Solution

A method and device that determine a building's height by projecting an original picture onto a preset sphere to eliminate wide-angle distortion, performing edge detection, and calculating the projection angle and distance to automatically derive the building's height from a captured image.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If manual collection method is used to acquire building height data, then data acquisition accuracy can be maintained, but acquisition efficiency is low and cost is high

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvebuilding height data acquisition efficiencyVSAvoiddata acquisition time
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent replaces manual mechanical measurement methods with automated image processing and computational algorithms. By using panoramic images captured by cameras and applying geometric projection models, the system automatically calculates building heights without human intervention, thereby dramatically improving acquisition efficiency and reducing time loss.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent uses panoramic images as copies of the physical building scene to extract height information. Instead of directly measuring buildings, the system creates a digital representation through imaging and derives measurements from these visual copies, enabling efficient automated data acquisition while maintaining accuracy.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #26Copying

2Measurement precision

If manual collection method is used to acquire building height data, then data quality can be ensured, but acquisition cost increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvebuilding height measurement accuracyVSAvoiddata acquisition cost
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The patent substitutes expensive manual surveying equipment and labor with affordable camera systems and software algorithms. The automated image processing approach maintains measurement precision while significantly reducing the cost of data acquisition by eliminating the need for specialized manual measurement tools and personnel.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent employs a universal panoramic camera system that can capture multiple building heights in a single operation. This multi-functional approach allows the same device to measure numerous buildings across different locations, reducing per-unit acquisition cost while maintaining consistent measurement precision through standardized processing algorithms.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

3Productivity

If automated image processing is used to determine building height, then acquisition efficiency improves and cost reduces, but system complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvebuilding height data acquisition efficiencyVSAvoidimage processing system complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent utilizes a spherical projection model to simplify the complex task of height measurement from panoramic images. By mapping the panoramic image onto a sphere and applying geometric relationships on the spherical surface, the system transforms a complex three-dimensional measurement problem into a more manageable calculation involving projection angles and spherical geometry, thereby reducing computational complexity while maintaining efficiency.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #14Spheroidality (Curvature)

Data Source

PatentEP3358298B1Building height calculation method and apparatus, and storage medium
Publication Date: 2021.01.27 BAIDU ONLINE NETWORK TECH (BEIJIBG) CO LTD
  • EP3358298B1 patent drawingFigure 1A~1B
  • EP3358298B1 patent drawingFigure 1C~1D
  • EP3358298B1 patent drawingFigure 1E~1F

AI summary

Embodiments of the present invention disclose a building height calculation method, device, and storage medium. The method includes: acquiring an original picture including an image of a building; projecting the original picture to a surface of a preset sphere to form a projected picture; performing an edge detection on the image of the building in the projected picture to acquire a pixel height of the building; determining a projection angle of the projection on the preset sphere based on the pixel height of the building; and determining a height of the building based on the projection angle and a distance between the building and a capturing position of the original picture. In the embodiments of the present invention, a projection angle of a building is determined based on an original picture including an image of the building, and the height of the building is determined based on the projection angle and a distance between the building and a capturing position of the original picture. Hence, the height of the building can be obtained automatically and quickly based on the picture without manual involvements, thus reducing the cost of acquisition while improving the acquisition efficiency.