Image-Based Visibility Measurement Using Lighting Adjustment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current visibility measurement solutions are limited by requiring specialized equipment, being sensitive to lighting conditions, and failing to accurately account for varying atmospheric conditions, leading to inconsistent and often inaccurate measurements.
Innovation Solution
An image-based visibility measurement system that adjusts calculations based on lighting conditions and incorporates multiple metrics from image data to estimate visual range, using configuration data from training images to improve accuracy across different environments.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If transmissometer is used to measure visibility, then light transmission can be measured, but the equipment requires widely separated precisely aligned components and fails to account for scattered light
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses image capture devices (cameras) to capture visual scenes, creating a digital copy of the optical path. This allows visibility measurement without requiring physical alignment of separate components, as the image itself contains all necessary information about light transmission and scattering in the atmospheric path.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces image processing algorithms and atmospheric models as intermediaries between the captured image and visibility calculation. These intermediaries account for scattered light by analyzing contrast reduction and applying correction factors based on atmospheric conditions, eliminating the need for direct scattered light measurement.
2Measurement precision
If nephelometer or scattered light meter is used, then light scattering can be measured, but absorption loss is not measured
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the image capture device perform multiple functions: it simultaneously measures both scattered light (through contrast analysis) and absorbed light (through overall intensity reduction). By analyzing the same image data through different computational approaches, the system extracts both scattering and absorption information without requiring separate instruments.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines scattering measurement and absorption measurement into a single integrated system. The image capture device records the combined effect of both processes, and the processing algorithm separates these effects computationally, merging the capabilities of what were previously separate measurement functions.
3Measurement precision
If teleradiometer is used to measure target brightness, then total brightness can be measured, but the measurement is sensitive to non-uniform lighting and contrast variations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the image into multiple regions (target object region and background region) and processes each separately. By calculating contrast as the ratio between target and background luminance for multiple segmented regions, the system reduces sensitivity to non-uniform lighting conditions and identifies consistent contrast values across different areas of the image.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs iterative processing where the initial contrast measurement feeds back into the atmospheric parameter estimation, which then refines the visibility calculation. This feedback loop allows the system to compensate for lighting variations by continuously adjusting the interpretation of contrast data based on atmospheric conditions.
4Measurement precision
If model-based calculations are used to compensate for non-measured components, then measurement completeness can be improved, but cost and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces complex physical measurement systems with computational models. Instead of adding more physical sensors to directly measure all atmospheric parameters, the system uses image processing algorithms and atmospheric physics models to computationally derive visibility, substituting mechanical complexity with informational processing.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system provides a more accurate and robust measurement of visibility by accounting for varying lighting and atmospheric conditions, reducing the need for specialized equipment and improving consistency across different environments.
Implementation Method 1
Light scattering, which is the deflection of light from one path into another, and is caused, for example, by some atmospheric components. Light scattering contributes to extinction by scattering light from a target object out of the line of vision
Implementation Method 2
The second primary cause of extinction is light absorption, which reduces the light available to arrive from the target object, and is caused, for example, by other components of the atmosphere
Data Source
AI summary
The invention provides an image-based visibility measurement solution in which an image is used to calculate a visibility (visual range). In one embodiment, a lighting condition for the image is determined and the visibility calculation is adjusted based on the lighting condition. Further, the invention can obtain image data for a set of portions of the image and estimate a visual range based on each portion. The estimated visual ranges can be combined to calculate the visibility for the image. Still further, multiple metrics can be calculated, each of which is used to estimate a visual range. Subsequently, the visual ranges can be used to calculate the visibility for the image. Even further, configuration data that is based on a set of training images can be used to calculate the visibility for a new image. To this extent, the invention can incorporate the lighting condition, portions of the image having differing features, multiple metrics, and/or feedback through training images to accurately measure visibility based on an image.