Dynamic Cutout Image Display for Multi-Object Tracking

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing image processing systems face challenges in effectively tracking and displaying multiple moving objects using a single camera, as they struggle to maintain positional relations and provide clear visual information, especially when objects overlap or are distant, leading to inefficient use of the display screen.

Innovation Solution

An image processing device and method that employs an entire image display control for a predetermined region and a cutout image display control to manage the display of tracking subjects, where relative distances between objects determine whether to display them in a single or multiple cutout images within the same window, ensuring clear visualization and maintaining positional relations.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Device complexity

If a single camera is used to track multiple moving objects, then device complexity is reduced, but the ability to maintain positional relations and provide clear visual information deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecamera system complexityVSAvoidpositional relation information

Core Design Contradiction:

Device complexityVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The display screen is segmented into multiple display regions: an entire image display window showing the overall scene and multiple cutout image display windows showing enlarged views of specific objects. This segmentation allows the system to maintain both positional relations (in the entire image) and detailed visual information (in the cutout images) simultaneously, resolving the contradiction between simplified camera system and information preservation.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

2Area of stationary object

If all moving objects are displayed on a single screen, then screen utilization is improved, but the display size of each object becomes too small to identify when objects are distant

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedisplay screen utilizationVSAvoidobject identification precision

Core Design Contradiction:

Area of stationary objectVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The display is divided into an entire image display window for overview and multiple cutout image display windows for detailed views. Objects that are distant or small in the entire image can be enlarged in corresponding cutout windows, allowing users to identify details without sacrificing overall screen utilization.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The system transitions from a two-dimensional display of all objects at once to a multi-dimensional display structure with different display windows serving different purposes (overview vs. detail). This dimensional approach allows simultaneous presentation of both small distant objects and their detailed views.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

3Measurement precision

If a window is provided to each moving object to display detailed views, then object identification precision is improved, but screen utilization deteriorates when multiple objects come close together

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveobject identification precisionVSAvoiddisplay screen utilization

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSArea of stationary object

Solution Approach 1:

Multiple cutout images of different objects are merged into a single cutout image display window when objects are close together. This merging approach maintains detailed view capability for each object while maximizing screen utilization by avoiding redundant separate windows for each object.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

4Device complexity

If overlapping moving objects are tracked as one object, then tracking processing is simplified, but the ability to track multiple moving objects precisely deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvetracking processing complexityVSAvoidmoving object tracking precision

Core Design Contradiction:

Device complexityVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The tracking system segments objects based on their spatial relationships and motion characteristics. Objects that are close together and move together are tracked as a group in the entire image, while individual cutout windows are created for each object when needed. This segmentation allows simplified processing for close objects while maintaining precise individual tracking when required.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Data Source

PatentUS8957971B2Image processing device and method, image processing system, and image processing program

Publication Date: 2015.02.17 SONY GROUP CORP

AI summary

An image processing device includes: an entire image display control portion that performs control to display an entire image of a predetermined region in an entire image display window; and a cutout image display control portion that performs control to enlarge a plurality of tracking subjects included in the entire image and display the tracking subjects in a cutout image display window. The cutout image display control portion performs the control in such a manner that one cutout image including the tracking subjects is displayed in the cutout image display window in a case where relative distances among the tracking subjects are equal to or smaller than a predetermined value, and that two cutout images including the respective tracking subjects are displayed in the cutout image display window in a case where the relative distances among the tracking subjects are larger than the predetermined value.