3D Point Cloud Display with Alignment Markers

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Solution Overview

Problem

Point cloud data acquisition is limited to visible viewpoints, requiring multiple viewpoints for alignment and combination, making it difficult to visually assess relationships between data sets during the alignment process.

Innovation Solution

An image processing apparatus and method that enables 3D display of combined point cloud data from multiple viewpoints, allowing hierarchical display, color differentiation, and positional alignment markers to facilitate visual assessment of data relationships and alignment accuracy.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If point cloud data is acquired from multiple viewpoints to cover blind spots, then completeness of 3D data is improved, but complexity of positional alignment and combination operations increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecompleteness of 3D dataVSAvoidcomplexity of alignment operation

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system provides real-time visual feedback by displaying alignment markers (circles and triangles) that show the positional relationship between point cloud data from different viewpoints. The display control unit updates the screen to show whether markers coincide (good alignment) or are separated (misalignment), enabling operators to adjust and achieve proper alignment through continuous feedback.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces alignment markers (circles and triangles) as intermediary visual elements that mediate between the complex point cloud data and the operator's perception. These markers serve as simplified indicators that represent the positional relationship between multiple viewpoint data, making the alignment process more intuitive and manageable.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Reliability

If multiple items of point cloud data are combined from multiple viewpoints, then completeness of measurement is improved, but difficulty of visually ascertaining relationships between data sets increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecompleteness of measurementVSAvoiddifficulty of visual assessment

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDifficulty of detecting and measuring

Solution Approach 1:

The system uses different colors to represent point cloud data from different viewpoints. Each viewpoint's data is assigned a distinct color, enabling operators to visually distinguish and track individual data sets within the combined point cloud. This color-coding system makes it easy to identify which points belong to which viewpoint and assess their spatial relationships.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #32Color changes

Solution Approach 2:

Alignment markers (circles and triangles) are introduced as intermediary visual elements that represent the positional relationship between point cloud data from different viewpoints. These markers are displayed on the screen to indicate whether the alignment is good (markers coincide) or bad (markers are separated), making it easy to visually assess alignment quality without analyzing raw point cloud data directly.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

3Ease of operation

If point cloud data is displayed in 3D to show spatial relationships, then visual understanding of alignment is improved, but clarity of individual data item identification decreases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvevisual understanding of alignmentVSAvoididentification of individual data

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The system assigns different colors to point cloud data from different viewpoints while maintaining 3D spatial display. This allows operators to simultaneously perceive the three-dimensional spatial relationships and identify which points belong to which viewpoint through color differentiation, preventing information loss about individual data sources.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #32Color changes

Solution Approach 2:

The system adds color as an additional dimension of information to the 3D spatial display. By encoding viewpoint information in the color dimension while maintaining spatial position in three dimensions, the system enables simultaneous visualization of both spatial relationships and data source identification without interference.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

Data Source

PatentUS10382747B2Image processing apparatus, image processing method, and image processing program

Publication Date: 2019.08.13 TOPCON CORPORATION

AI summary

An image processing apparatus is provided to display an image on a screen, the image facilitating visual ascertainment of relationships between each of a plurality of items of point cloud data and point cloud data arising from combining the plurality of items of point cloud data. The image processing apparatus includes a display controlling section configured to 3D display combination point cloud data combining a plurality of items of point cloud data obtained from a plurality of viewpoints and allow 3D display of one item out of the plurality of items of point cloud data obtained from the plurality of viewpoints.