Non-Planar Surface Information Extraction via Multi-Angle Image Stitching
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Solution Overview
Problem
Routine inspection of fire extinguishers in large buildings is costly, time-consuming, and prone to human error due to the need for manual data recording from non-planar surfaces like cylindrical vessels, which cannot be fully captured in a single image.
Innovation Solution
A method and system for extracting information from non-planar surfaces by capturing images from different angles, stitching them together, and processing to extract textual or graphical information, which is then associated with a report template to generate an inspection report.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If multiple images are captured and stitched together to capture the entire area on a non-planar surface, then the completeness of information capture is improved, but the complexity of the inspection process increases
Solution Approach 1:
The inspection process is segmented into distinct automated steps: image capture from multiple angles, image stitching to assemble the complete view, information extraction from the stitched image, and report generation. This segmentation allows each step to be handled by specialized software components, reducing overall process complexity while ensuring complete information capture from the non-planar surface.
Solution Approach 2:
The manual mechanical process of physically inspecting and recording information from fire extinguishers is replaced with an automated optical and computational system. The system uses image capture devices to acquire data, software algorithms to stitch and process images, and automated extraction methods to retrieve information, eliminating the need for manual inspection while ensuring complete data capture.
2Device complexity
If manual inspection methods are used to read and record information from fire extinguishers, then the simplicity of the inspection process is maintained, but the time consumption and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The manual inspection process is replaced with an automated system that captures images of fire extinguishers, stitches them together to form a complete view, extracts information automatically using image processing algorithms, and generates inspection reports. This substitution eliminates the time-consuming manual reading and recording steps while maintaining operational simplicity through integrated software.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs self-service by automatically capturing images, processing and stitching them together, extracting the required information, and generating inspection reports without human intervention. The automated information extraction and report generation capabilities allow the system to complete the entire inspection workflow independently, significantly reducing time consumption and operational costs.
3Reliability
If manual inspection is performed to ensure accurate reading of information, then the reliability of data collection is improved, but the possibility of human error remains and the process becomes costly
Solution Approach 1:
The manual data collection process is replaced with automated image capture and processing systems that eliminate human error. The system uses optical devices to capture images and computational algorithms to extract information, ensuring consistent and accurate data collection across all inspections. This automated approach improves reliability by removing the variability of human reading and recording while reducing costs through elimination of manual labor.
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates digital copies of the fire extinguisher labels and information through high-quality image capture. These digital copies are then processed and analyzed automatically, ensuring that the information is accurately reproduced and extracted without the errors that can occur during manual transcription. The digital copying process maintains fidelity to the original information while enabling automated processing.
Data Source
AI summary
A system receives images capturing a non-planar surface from different respective angles, where each of the images captures a section of an area on the non-planar surface, the area including textual or graphical information. The system stitches together the images to obtain a stitched image that captures an entirety of the area on the non-planar surface. The system processes the stitched image to extract the textual or graphical information from the area on the non-planar surface. The system then associates the extracted textual or graphical information with one or more information fields in a report template, and generates a report by populating the one or more information fields of the report template with corresponding associated information within the extracted textual or graphical information.