Real-Time Visual Marker Scanning with Local Neural Recognition
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing visual marker scanning tools struggle to recognize free-form visual objects like posters and paintings in real-time on smartphones due to computational limitations and require user intervention and cloud-based processing, which compromises privacy and efficiency.
Innovation Solution
A real-time scan system that identifies and delivers visual markers directly on demand through a smartphone camera using a neural network and search index, enabling real-time detection and interaction with multimedia content without cloud storage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If cloud-based processing is used to recognize visual markers, then recognition capability is improved, but user privacy is compromised and processing time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the visual marker recognition system into distinct functional modules: image capture module, preprocessing module (with grayscale conversion, Gaussian blurring, Canny edge detection), contour detection module, and recognition module. This segmentation allows each module to be optimized independently and executed efficiently on mobile devices, enabling real-time processing without cloud dependency.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary approach by using local feature extraction and comparison algorithms that bridge the gap between simple image matching and complex cloud-based AI recognition. The system extracts key visual features (contours, edges, shapes) and compares them against a local database, providing cloud-like recognition capability while maintaining offline functionality and privacy.
2Measurement precision
If cloud-based processing is used to recognize visual markers, then recognition capability is improved, but user privacy is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements self-service by enabling the mobile device to perform complete visual marker recognition independently without requiring cloud connectivity. The device captures images, processes them through local algorithms (preprocessing, contour detection, feature extraction), and compares results against locally stored visual marker databases, eliminating the need to transmit user images to external servers and thus protecting privacy while maintaining recognition capability.
3Device complexity
If traditional image processing algorithms are used on smartphones, then computational simplicity is maintained, but real-time processing capability is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-processing images with grayscale conversion and Gaussian blurring before contour detection, and by pre-establishing a local database of visual marker templates. These preliminary steps simplify subsequent processing and enable real-time performance on mobile devices by reducing computational complexity during the critical recognition phase.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes parameter changes by dynamically adjusting processing parameters such as Gaussian blur kernel size, Canny edge detection thresholds, and contour approximation precision based on image characteristics and device performance. This allows the system to optimize the balance between computational simplicity and real-time processing capability adaptively.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods herein describe a real-time scan system that identifies a visual marker in an image frame, identifies key points from the image frame, compares the image frame with a database of visual marker images using the identified key points, identifies a set of matched images in the database of visual marker images, filters the set of matched images using a neural network trained to analyze the image frame and set of matched images, detects the visual marker in an image of the filtered set of matched images, causes presentation of a notification on a display unit of the computing device, receives a selection of the notification, and in response to receiving the selection of the notification, causes presentation of multi-media content associated with the visual marker on the display unit of the computing device.