Linear Panorama Image Stitching UI for Retail Product Recognition
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing image stitching techniques for creating linear panoramic images often result in artifacts, making it difficult to recognize products accurately in retail environments, such as shelves, due to suboptimal overlap and alignment of images.
Innovation Solution
A system and method that uses an image recognition application to guide the capture of a series of images by providing real-time feedback through a user interface, ensuring adequate overlap between images, which includes dynamically comparing features and updating the interface with visually distinct indicators to achieve a predetermined overlap threshold.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If existing image stitching techniques are used to create linear panoramic images, then the stitching process can be completed, but artifacts are generated and product recognition accuracy deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by providing real-time feedback during image capture to guide proper overlap and alignment before stitching occurs. The user interface displays dynamically compared features and visually distinct indicators that show the user how to position the capture device to achieve optimal overlap thresholds, preventing artifacts before they are created during stitching.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements continuous feedback by dynamically comparing features between the current preview image and previously captured images. The user interface provides real-time visual indicators showing overlap quality and alignment status, allowing users to adjust their capture technique immediately to achieve proper overlap thresholds and minimize stitching artifacts.
2Productivity
If manual tracking of product location and quantity is used, then labor intensity is high, but automated recognition can improve efficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables self-service by allowing users to perform automated product recognition themselves using standard capture devices. The user interface guides users through the capture process with real-time feedback, eliminating the need for complex centralized automated systems while still achieving efficient inventory management through user-operated image capture and stitching.
3Reliability
If overlap threshold is increased to reduce stitching artifacts, then more images need to be captured, but this increases the time required for image acquisition
Solution Approach 1:
The system provides real-time feedback during image capture by dynamically comparing features and displaying visually distinct indicators of overlap quality. This allows users to achieve proper overlap thresholds efficiently by seeing immediate feedback on whether each captured image meets the quality requirements, reducing unnecessary captures while ensuring stitching quality.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary feature comparison and overlap assessment before final stitching occurs. By evaluating overlap quality in advance during the capture phase and providing guidance feedback, the system ensures that only images meeting the required overlap threshold are used, preventing the need for re-captures and reducing total acquisition time.
Data Source
AI summary
A system and method that allows the capture of a series of images to create a single linear panoramic image is disclosed. The method includes capturing an image, dynamically comparing a previously captured image with a preview image on a display of a capture device until a predetermined overlap threshold is satisfied, generating a user interface to provide feedback on the display of the capture device to guide a movement of the capture device, and capturing the preview image with enough overlap with the previously captured image with little to no tilt for creating a linear panorama.