18276329. INFORMATION PROCESSING APPARATUS, POSITION ESTIMATION METHOD, AND NON-TRANSITORY COMPUTER-READABLE MEDIUM simplified abstract (NEC Corporation)

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INFORMATION PROCESSING APPARATUS, POSITION ESTIMATION METHOD, AND NON-TRANSITORY COMPUTER-READABLE MEDIUM

Organization Name

NEC Corporation

Inventor(s)

Takahiro Shiroshima of Tokyo (JP)

INFORMATION PROCESSING APPARATUS, POSITION ESTIMATION METHOD, AND NON-TRANSITORY COMPUTER-READABLE MEDIUM - A simplified explanation of the abstract

This abstract first appeared for US patent application 18276329 titled 'INFORMATION PROCESSING APPARATUS, POSITION ESTIMATION METHOD, AND NON-TRANSITORY COMPUTER-READABLE MEDIUM

Simplified Explanation

An information processing apparatus described in the patent application uses virtual points to estimate the position and pose of an imaging device capturing images for generating a three-dimensional environment map.

  • Projection unit arranges virtual points in front of the imaging device and projects them onto multiple images for environment mapping.
  • Image extraction unit extracts a specific image from the set of images based on the projection results.
  • Estimation unit estimates the position and pose of the imaging device by comparing feature points in the target image and the extracted image.

Potential Applications

This technology can be applied in various fields such as:

  • Augmented reality
  • Robotics
  • Autonomous vehicles

Problems Solved

The technology helps in accurately estimating the position and pose of imaging devices, which is crucial for tasks like navigation, object recognition, and mapping.

Benefits

  • Improved accuracy in estimating device position and pose
  • Enhanced performance in environment mapping and object recognition
  • Increased efficiency in augmented reality applications

Potential Commercial Applications

The technology can be utilized in:

  • AR headsets
  • Robotics navigation systems
  • Autonomous vehicle sensors

Possible Prior Art

One possible prior art could be the use of feature points for estimating device position and pose in computer vision applications.

Unanswered Questions

How does this technology handle occlusions in the environment mapping process?

The patent abstract does not mention how the apparatus deals with occlusions when projecting virtual points onto images for environment mapping. This aspect is crucial for accurate mapping in complex environments.

What is the computational overhead of this technology in real-time applications?

The abstract does not provide information on the computational resources required for implementing this technology in real-time scenarios. Understanding the computational overhead is essential for assessing the feasibility of deploying this apparatus in practical applications.


Original Abstract Submitted

An information processing apparatus according to the present disclosure includes: a projection unit configured to arrange a predetermined number of virtual points in a front direction of an imaging device that captures a first image, by using an estimated position of the imaging device as a starting point, and project the virtual points onto each of a plurality of images used for generating an environment map being three-dimensional information; an image extraction unit configured to extract a second image from the plurality of images, based on a result of the projection of the virtual points; and an estimation unit configured to estimate, by using a feature point included in a target image being a target for estimating a position and a pose of an imaging device and a feature point included in the second image, aa position and a pose of the imaging device that captures the target image.