Cloud 3D Surveillance from 2D Video via Stereo Vision
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current surveillance systems rely on 2D images and videos, limiting their ability to provide advanced analytics and requiring costly upgrades to 3D cameras, while there is a need for cloud-based platforms that can generate and analyze 3D data for enhanced security surveillance accessible anywhere, anytime.
Innovation Solution
A cloud-based surveillance system comprising input capture devices (ICDs), a cloud-based analytics platform with a processor and memory, and user devices, capable of generating 3D visual representations from 2D input data for advanced analytics and safety control activation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If 3D cameras are used to generate 3D surveillance data, then measurement precision and analytics capability are improved, but device cost and complexity increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a virtual 3D copy of the physical surveillance environment by processing 2D images from multiple cameras through stereo vision algorithms. This virtual 3D model provides depth information and spatial relationships without requiring expensive 3D cameras, effectively copying the essential 3D characteristics into a computational representation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a cloud-based processing platform as an intermediary between 2D camera inputs and 3D analytics outputs. This intermediary performs stereo vision computation, depth map generation, and 3D object reconstruction, transforming standard 2D images into 3D-like analytical data without modifying the camera hardware.
2Measurement precision
If multiple 2D cameras are deployed to capture surveillance data, then measurement precision is improved, but device complexity and data processing requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes standard 2D cameras multi-functional by enabling them to serve both as individual surveillance units and as components of a stereo vision system. The same cameras can capture images for basic monitoring while simultaneously providing depth information when processed in pairs through the cloud platform, eliminating the need for specialized 3D camera hardware.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transforms 2D image data into 3D spatial information by processing pairs of 2D images through stereo vision algorithms in the cloud. This dimensionality transformation occurs computationally rather than through hardware, converting flat images into depth maps and 3D point clouds that enable spatial analytics.
3Productivity
If cloud-based processing is used to generate 3D data from 2D inputs, then productivity and analytics capability are improved, but use of energy and computational resources increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent processes only the essential elements needed for 3D reconstruction rather than analyzing every pixel in the images. By focusing computational resources on key features, depth map generation, and critical spatial relationships, the system achieves 3D analytics capability with reduced computational overhead compared to full-image processing.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent divides the surveillance system into distributed camera nodes that capture images locally and a centralized cloud platform that performs 3D processing. This segmentation allows local devices to operate with minimal energy consumption while the cloud handles the computationally intensive stereo vision algorithms, balancing the energy distribution across the system.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods for cloud-based surveillance for an operation area are disclosed. At least two input capture devices, at least one safety control device and at least one user device are communicatively connected to a cloud-based analytics platform. The cloud-based analytics platform automatically generates 3-Dimensional (3D) surveillance data based on received 2-Dimensional (2D) video and/or image inputs and perform advanced analytics and activates the at least one safety control device based on analytics data from advanced analytics.