Cascaded Camera Imaging Balances Survey Accuracy and Processing Speed

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing photogrammetry systems face inefficiencies in capturing high-resolution aerial imagery due to conflicting requirements of redundancy for accurate positioning and rapid survey completion, leading to high costs and time consumption.

Innovation Solution

Employing a cascaded camera system with one camera set capturing overview images at high redundancy and another set capturing detail images at low redundancy, minimizing overlap in detail images to reduce redundant data and processing time.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Measurement precision

If high redundancy is used in all captured images to ensure accurate positioning, then measurement precision is improved, but productivity deteriorates due to increased data storage and processing requirements

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvepositioning accuracyVSAvoidsurvey completion speed
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent divides the imaging system into two separate camera sets: one dedicated to capturing overview images with high redundancy for positioning accuracy, and another dedicated to capturing detail images with low redundancy for efficient data processing. This segmentation allows each subsystem to optimize for its specific function, resolving the contradiction between measurement precision and productivity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

2Reliability

If high redundancy is maintained across all images, then reliability is improved, but loss of substance worsens due to excessive data storage requirements

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvepositioning reliabilityVSAvoiddata storage capacity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLoss of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies different redundancy qualities to different types of images: overview images maintain high redundancy to ensure positioning reliability, while detail images use low redundancy to minimize data storage requirements. This local differentiation of quality attributes allows the system to achieve reliable positioning without the excessive data storage burden of uniformly high redundancy across all images.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

3Measurement precision

If overlap is increased in detail images to improve positioning accuracy, then measurement precision is improved, but productivity deteriorates due to increased processing time

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedetail image positioning accuracyVSAvoidprocessing time
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the positioning function between two camera sets: the first camera set captures overview images with high overlap and redundancy to establish positioning accuracy, while the second camera set captures detail images with minimal overlap for rapid processing. This segmentation eliminates the need to process high-overlap detail images, thereby reducing processing time while maintaining positioning precision through the overview images.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Data Source

PatentEP2480860B1Systems and methods of capturing large area images in detail including cascaded cameras and/or calibration features
Publication Date: 2025.07.23 NEARMAP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD
  • EP2480860B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2480860B1 patent drawingFigure 2A
  • EP2480860B1 patent drawingFigure 2B

AI summary

A method and system are presented in which images are captured from overview and detail imaging devices such that overview images are created with a first degree of redundancy, and detail images are captured with less overlap and a second degree of redundancy.