Real-Time Floating Panoramic Image Processing for Retail Scanning
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional panoramic imaging techniques face challenges in maintaining the 6 degrees of freedom of the imaging device and additional constraints in retail store environments, particularly when scanning retail units, due to difficulties in positioning and trajectory maintenance during image acquisition.
Innovation Solution
An image processing method that computes and displays floating panoramic images in real-time, using overlapping images acquired by an imaging sensor, with shifting and scaling to maintain visibility within a preview window, along with indicators for speed, distance, and drift to assist in positioning the imaging device effectively.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If panoramic images are acquired by sweeping the imaging device in a given direction, then panoramic scene coverage is improved, but maintaining the 6 degrees of freedom and trajectory accuracy becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The system provides real-time visual feedback by displaying a preview window that shows the current field of view and guiding indicators. This feedback loop allows the operator to adjust the sweeping trajectory in real-time, maintaining both comprehensive scene coverage and accurate trajectory following without requiring complex mechanical constraints.
Solution Approach 2:
A processing device acts as an intermediary between the imaging device and the final panoramic output. It receives images from the sweeping device, performs alignment and stitching computations, and compensates for trajectory deviations, thereby decoupling the simplicity of manual sweeping from the precision requirements of panoramic image acquisition.
2Ease of operation
If real-time display of floating panoramic images is implemented, then user positioning is facilitated, but computational load and processing time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system displays a scaled-down preview version of the panoramic image rather than the full-resolution output. This partial display provides sufficient visual feedback for positioning while significantly reducing the computational burden of real-time image processing and rendering.
Solution Approach 2:
The panoramic image processing is divided into discrete stages: individual image capture, preliminary alignment computation, and progressive stitching. The preview window displays intermediate results from these segmented processing stages, allowing real-time feedback without requiring complete processing of the entire panoramic sequence.
3Area of stationary object
If the imaging device is moved along a scanning direction to acquire images, then panoramic coverage is improved, but maintaining overlap and trajectory consistency becomes complex
Solution Approach 1:
The processing device automatically computes alignment and overlap parameters from the captured images themselves, rather than requiring external trajectory data or complex mechanical encoding. The system self-corrects for trajectory variations by analyzing feature matching between consecutive images, simplifying the operational requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts processing parameters such as overlap thresholds, alignment algorithms, and stitching parameters based on the actual captured images and their quality. This adaptive parameter adjustment simplifies trajectory control by allowing the system to compensate for variations in scanning speed, distance, and angle without requiring precise mechanical control.
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure provides a method for providing an indication about a distance between a retail unit and an electronic device, comprising: acquiring from an image sensor in a retail establishment, at least one image of a product on a store shelf; accessing in a memory that stores a plurality of templates associated with a plurality of differing products, a template associated with the product on the store shelf in the at least one acquired image; comparing at least one dimension associated with the product in the at least one acquired image with at least one dimension associated with the accessed template; based on the comparison, determining whether a distance between the image sensor and the product on the store shelf is within an acceptable range for additional image processing; and providing a notification to a user of the electronic device to adjust the distance between the image sensor and the product on the shelf when the product is outside of the acceptable range.