Conformal Bounding Box Intervals for Reliable Object Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing object detectors in autonomous vehicles lack a reliable method to ensure the safety and accuracy of bounding box coordinate predictions, which is crucial for safe operation.
Innovation Solution
A method and device for determining a prediction interval for bounding box coordinates using conformal quantiles, ensuring the object detector operates safely by providing a statistical guarantee for the correctness of the bounding box coordinates.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional object detectors are used without prediction intervals, then the system is simpler and faster, but the reliability and safety of bounding box coordinate predictions cannot be guaranteed
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-calculating and storing quantile values (e.g., 0.95 quantile) during a calibration phase using training data. During actual operation, the system simply retrieves these pre-computed quantiles and applies them to new predictions, avoiding the need for complex real-time statistical calculations while ensuring reliable coverage guarantees.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the approach from computing full prediction distributions to using fixed quantile parameters (e.g., 0.95 quantile) that are pre-determined from calibration data. This parameter transformation simplifies the operational complexity while maintaining the reliability guarantee that the true bounding box coordinate falls within the predicted interval with at least 95% probability.
2Measurement precision
If prediction intervals are calculated using conformal quantiles, then the statistical guarantee for bounding box coordinate correctness is improved, but the computational time and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs the computationally intensive quantile calculation during a preliminary calibration phase using training data, storing the results in a lookup table. During deployment, the system only performs simple table lookups and basic arithmetic operations, reducing computational time while maintaining high measurement precision through the statistically guaranteed prediction intervals.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a simplified operational model by copying the calibration results into a lookup structure. Instead of recomputing complex conformal quantiles for each new prediction, the system copies the pre-computed quantile values and applies them directly, significantly reducing computational time while preserving the statistical precision guarantees.
3Reliability
If class-specific conformal quantiles are used, then the accuracy and reliability of predictions for specific object classes is improved, but the device complexity and data requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the prediction system by object class, maintaining separate calibration data and quantile values for each class. This segmentation allows the system to optimize reliability for each specific class while managing complexity through modular organization - each class has its own quantile lookup table that can be independently maintained and updated without affecting other classes.
Data Source
AI summary
A device, data structure, and method for determining a prediction interval for a coordinate of a bounding box, for checking whether an object detector operates safely or not. The method includes providing calibration data and a test sample, the calibration data including digital images that are associated with a respective ground truth bounding box coordinate and class label, the test sample including a digital image; determining, with the object detector, a predicted box coordinate for the box coordinate depending on the test sample, determining, depending on the calibration data, conformal label quantiles for the respective classes and conformal box coordinate quantiles for the respective box coordinates, selecting, depending on the conformal label quantiles, a conformal box coordinate quantile for the box coordinate, determining the conformal box coordinate prediction interval for the box coordinate depending on the conformal box quantile for the box coordinate.