Image Processing Apparatus for Fast Object Retrieval
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing image recording and storing systems require significant time and effort to search for specific objects within vast amounts of recorded images, as they lack efficient search functionality.
Innovation Solution
An image processing apparatus and method that extracts and synthesizes image frames from multiple cameras based on predefined search conditions, using an image analyzer, database, search engine, and file generator to create a single compressed image file, facilitating fast object retrieval.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If all recorded images are stored without separate processing, then complete image information is preserved, but search time and effort increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by extracting object properties information and generating thumbnail images during the initial storage phase. This preprocessing allows the search engine to quickly identify and retrieve relevant full-resolution images without scanning all stored images, thus reducing search time while maintaining complete image information availability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces thumbnail images as intermediary representations that mediate between complete image storage and fast search. Thumbnails serve as simplified proxies that can be quickly generated and searched, allowing the system to maintain complete original images while enabling rapid retrieval through the thumbnail intermediary layer
2Productivity
If image analysis and object separation are performed, then object properties information is extracted for fast searching, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the image processing task into distinct functional modules: image analysis unit for extracting object properties, thumbnail generation unit for creating simplified representations, and search engine for querying. This segmentation allows each component to specialize in a specific function, improving overall search productivity while managing complexity through modular architecture
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates simplified copies (thumbnails) of original images that contain essential visual information but require less processing and storage. These thumbnail copies enable fast searching and preliminary filtering, improving search speed while the copying process is managed through automated algorithms that reduce the computational burden compared to processing full-resolution images
Data Source
AI summary
An image processing apparatus includes a storage storing images received from at least one camera, an image analyzer analyzing the images received from the at least one camera, separating an object, for which an event occurred, from a background, and extracting object properties information, a database storing the object properties information extracted with respect to each of the at least one camera, a search condition setter setting a search condition, a search engine searching the database for the object properties information matching the search condition, and obtaining image frames including the object properties information found from the storage, and a file generator generating a single image file by synthesizing the image frames.