Indoor Insect Detection Using a Stationary Camera and Image Comparison
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing pest control systems for indoor environments, such as those using image sensors with moving cameras or retroreflective surfaces, are cumbersome and obtrusive, making them unsuitable for widespread use in homes and urban spaces.
Innovation Solution
A system comprising a camera and processor housed within a single unit that detects and locates pests without requiring additional elements, allowing for unobtrusive installation and accurate pest indication using visual marks, with optional auxiliary devices for handling pests.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If a moving camera system is used to detect pests in large areas, then surveillance coverage is improved, but device complexity and ease of operation deteriorate due to the need for constant camera movement in indoor spaces
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts the field of view by changing focal length or lens parameters rather than physically moving the camera, enabling area surveillance while maintaining a stationary position in indoor environments
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes optical parameters (focal length, magnification) to achieve different surveillance areas and detection resolutions without moving the camera physically, resolving the contradiction between coverage area and operational simplicity
2Measurement precision
If a retroreflective surface is added to track flying insects, then measurement precision is improved, but device complexity increases due to additional elements required
Solution Approach 1:
The system extracts and eliminates the retroreflective surface component from the pest detection system, achieving insect tracking through alternative methods such as direct image processing and motion detection algorithms, thereby reducing device complexity while maintaining measurement precision
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses digital image processing to create virtual representations of insect positions and trajectories, replacing the need for physical retroreflective surfaces with computational models that achieve the same tracking precision
3Ease of operation
If a single housing system is used for pest detection, then ease of operation is improved, but measurement precision may deteriorate without additional specialized elements
Solution Approach 1:
The single housing system integrates multiple functions (detection, processing, actuation) into one unit, achieving both ease of operation and measurement precision through multi-functional components that perform multiple tasks without requiring separate specialized elements
Solution Approach 2:
The system merges the camera, processor, and actuation mechanisms into a single integrated housing, combining detection and response functions in one unit that maintains operational simplicity while achieving accurate pest detection and localization through integrated sensor-processing-actuation loops
Data Source
Figure 1A
Figure 1B
Figure 2A
AI summary
Systems and methods are provided for locating an insect in a space and for indicating to a user the location of the insect and/or for eliminating the insect. The system includes a camera to obtain an image of the space and a processor to detect an object by comparing at least two images of the space and determine that the object is an insect based on a characteristic of the object in an image of the space. In some embodiments an independently mobile device may be controlled to eliminate the insect at the location of the insect in the space.