Partial View Object Analysis Using Fixed Cameras
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing techniques for measuring attributes of physical objects in outdoor environments, such as stockpiles, are often expensive, difficult to use, and lack specialized equipment, and commercially available cameras do not typically include dedicated measurement tools for identifying and measuring object attributes effectively.
Innovation Solution
The development of an Image-based Object Exterior Analysis (IOEA) system that uses fixed-location cameras to acquire images of objects, generates 3D computer models, and determines attributes like volume and shape, even with partial visual coverage, by analyzing visual data and performing automated verification to ensure data sufficiency and quality.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If specialized measurement equipment (rangefinders, radar, lidar, 3D scanners, theodolites) is used to identify and measure object attributes, then measurement precision and reliability are improved, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a 3D computer model (copy) of the physical object based on 2D images captured by standard cameras. This digital replica allows measurement of object attributes without requiring specialized measurement equipment to physically measure the actual object, thus resolving the contradiction between measurement precision and device complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces mechanical measurement systems (rangefinders, lidar, 3D scanners) with an optical system using standard cameras combined with image processing algorithms. The photogrammetric reconstruction process substitutes complex mechanical measurement devices with simpler optical capture and computational analysis
2Loss of information
If multiple camera positions are used to achieve complete visual coverage of an object, then measurement completeness is improved, but device complexity and operational difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent accepts that fixed-location cameras provide only partial views of the object and uses photogrammetric reconstruction to infer complete 3D geometry from these partial observations. The system performs sufficient action (reconstruction from limited data) without requiring excessive action (complete visual coverage from multiple positions), thus resolving the contradiction between measurement completeness and operational ease
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces computational algorithms and 3D reconstruction processes as intermediaries between the partial camera views and the complete object model. These computational intermediaries synthesize the partial visual information into a complete representation, eliminating the need for physically positioning cameras at multiple locations
3Device complexity
If standard commercially available cameras are used instead of specialized equipment, then device complexity and cost are reduced, but measurement precision and capability deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates accurate 3D digital copies of physical objects using only standard camera images. The photogrammetric reconstruction process extracts precise geometric information from 2D photographs, producing measurement-grade data without requiring specialized measurement equipment, thus resolving the contradiction between device complexity and measurement precision
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces specialized mechanical measurement equipment with standard optical cameras combined with computational photogrammetry. The system substitutes expensive, complex measurement instruments with widely available camera devices and software-based reconstruction algorithms, achieving comparable or superior measurement capabilities
Data Source
AI summary
Techniques are described for automated analysis and use of images acquired of an object of interest, such as from one or more fixed-location camera devices with only partial visual coverage of the object exterior, such as to automatically generate a computer model of the object from visual data in the images and to use the computer model to automatically estimate values for one or more object attributes. For example, the described techniques may be used to measure the volume of a pile of material significantly larger than a human using images acquired by one or more fixed-location cameras that provide visual coverage of only a subset of the pile's exterior. The images from such fixed-location cameras may be acquired at various times (e.g., when triggered by conditions in the environment of the object, dynamically upon request, etc.), and may be used to monitor changes in the object.