Live Image Feed Object Location System
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Solution Overview
Problem
Determining the physical location of objects within a facility is challenging, especially when there are many objects and no prior knowledge of their locations.
Innovation Solution
A system utilizing kiosks and image capturing devices that receive search input strings, transmit them to a central computing system, and capture live image feeds to identify the location of physical objects, employing machine vision techniques to confirm object presence and switch the feed to display the object's location on the kiosk.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If manual searching methods are used to locate physical objects in a facility, then system complexity is low, but the time required to locate objects and measurement precision of object location increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by pre-positioning image capturing devices throughout the facility and pre-establishing the relationship between physical objects and their locations. When a location request is made, the system already has captured images ready for immediate retrieval and analysis, eliminating the need for real-time manual searching and significantly reducing location time while maintaining high precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces manual mechanical searching with an automated electronic system. Image capturing devices (cameras) automatically capture and store images of physical objects at various locations. When needed, the system electronically retrieves and displays these images through computing devices, substituting the mechanical act of physically searching through facilities with automated optical capture and electronic information retrieval.
2Difficulty of detecting and measuring
If no image capturing devices are deployed, then device complexity is low, but the ability to detect and measure object locations is severely limited
Solution Approach 1:
The image capturing devices serve multiple functions: they capture images of physical objects, store these images for later retrieval, and enable location determination when queries are made. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate detection and measurement systems, thereby improving detection capability without proportionally increasing overall system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates visual copies (images) of physical objects using image capturing devices. These image copies are stored and can be retrieved to determine object locations without needing to physically access or interact with the actual objects. This copying mechanism significantly enhances detection capability while keeping the physical system relatively simple.
3Measurement precision
If real-time image analysis is performed to confirm object presence, then measurement precision of object location is improved, but use of energy and processing time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs partial analysis by retrieving pre-captured images that already contain the objects of interest, rather than continuously analyzing all possible images in real-time. The image capturing devices periodically capture images, and the system only retrieves and analyzes specific images when location queries are made, reducing energy consumption while maintaining sufficient precision for practical purposes.
Data Source
AI summary
Described in detail herein are systems and methods for providing a live image feed of a physical object in a section within the facility. In exemplary embodiments, physical objects can be disposed in a facility within multiple sections. Image capturing devices and kiosks can also be disposed in the facility. A kiosk can receive a search input string associated with a physical object. The kiosk can transmit the search input string to the central computing system. The central computing system can determine the exact physical location within the section of the facility in which the physical object is supposed to be disposed. The central computing system can determine the closest image capturing device to the exact physical location within the section of the facility in which the physical object is supposed to be disposed. The central computing system can control the determined image capturing device to capture a live video feed of the exact physical location within the section of the facility in which the physical object is supposed to be disposed. The central computing system can switch the input of the kiosk to display the captured live video feed.