Photo Localization in 3D Models via Feature Matching
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for organizing and localizing images within three-dimensional representations of structures, such as buildings, are inefficient, leading to a loss of image context as collections grow, making it difficult to determine the physical location depicted in an image, which can waste time and reduce the image's value.
Innovation Solution
A computer-implemented method that identifies features in images and matches them with corresponding features in a 3D representation of a structure, using a database to determine the location depicted by the image, allowing for accurate localization and communication of image information.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If images are manually organized by naming convention or file location, then the user can track a small collection of images, but as the collection expands the relationship between images and physical locations is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a digital copy of the physical structure in the form of a 3D model, which serves as a virtual repository for images. Instead of manually tracking images, the system copies spatial relationships from the physical building into a digital 3D representation, allowing automatic localization of images within the model without manual intervention.
Solution Approach 2:
The 3D model acts as an intermediary between the physical structure and the image collection. Rather than directly linking images to file names or locations, the system uses the 3D model as a mediator that contains both the spatial framework and the embedded images, automatically maintaining the relationship between images and their physical locations.
2Productivity
If a user receives images without location information, then the images can be stored and organized, but determining the physical location requires time-consuming manual search
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary action by pre-building the 3D model of the structure with all spatial information encoded before images need to be localized. The 3D model is prepared in advance with a coordinate system and structural features that will automatically receive and定位 images, eliminating the need for manual location determination when images are added or analyzed.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical/manual process of searching through buildings to locate issues with an automated computational system. The 3D model with embedded images allows users to visually search the digital representation instead of physically navigating the building, substituting manual mechanical search with automated digital visualization and location determination.
3Adaptability or versatility
If images are shared with others, then collaboration is enabled, but the relationship between images and locations becomes difficult to maintain
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the image management system with the 3D spatial model, combining what were previously separate functions (image storage and location tracking) into a unified system. The 3D model serves as both the structural representation and the organizational framework for images, so that location information is inherently embedded in the image data structure rather than being a separate tracking mechanism.
Data Source
AI summary
A photo localization application is configured to determine the location that an image depicts relative to a 3D representation of a structure. The 3D representation may be a 3D model, color range scan, or gray scale range scan of the structure. The image depicts a particular section of the structure. The photo localization application extracts and stores features from the 3D representation in a database. The photo localization application then extracts features from the image and compares those features against the database to identify matching features. The matching features form a location fingerprint, from which the photo localization application determines the location that the image depicts, relative to the 3D representation. The location allows the user to better understand and communicate information captured by the image.