{
  "patent_number": "US 12211234",
  "country": "US",
  "title": "How Computers Track the Position and Angle of Multiple Objects",
  "original_title": "Estimation method, estimation apparatus and program",
  "summary": "A method for using multiple cameras to track the exact location and orientation of many similar objects in a 3D space, even when they overlap.",
  "what_it_does": "This patent describes a system that uses multiple cameras to observe a 3D space containing several similar objects. First, it identifies 'representative points' for each object in the camera images. It then calculates where those objects are in 3D space by comparing these points across different camera angles. Finally, it uses a pre-trained machine learning model to estimate the 'attitude'—or the specific angle and orientation—of each object by combining its calculated position with visual features like the shape of the object in the image.",
  "what_it_does_not_cover": [
    "Does not cover systems that use only a single camera to estimate 3D position.",
    "Does not cover object tracking methods that rely on depth sensors like LiDAR or Time-of-Flight cameras.",
    "Does not cover tracking systems that require objects to have unique visual markers or QR codes.",
    "Does not cover methods that do not use a regression model to estimate the final object orientation."
  ],
  "filed": "2019-12-10",
  "granted": "2025-01-28",
  "expires": null,
  "status": "active",
  "holder": "Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corp",
  "holder_url": "https://patentbrief.org/company/nippon-telegraph-and-telephone-corp",
  "inventors": [
    {
      "name": "Shin Mizutani",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/shin-mizutani"
    }
  ],
  "times_cited": 0,
  "tags": [
    "ai_ml",
    "mechanical",
    "consumer_electronics"
  ],
  "abstract": "An estimation step according to an embodiment causes a computer to execute: a calculation step of using a plurality of images obtained by a plurality of imaging devices imaging a three-dimensional space in which a plurality of objects reside, to calculate representative points of pixel regions representing the objects among pixel regions of the images; a position estimation step of estimating positions of the objects in the three-dimensional space, based on the representative points calculated by the calculation step; an extraction step of extracting predetermined feature amounts from image regions representing the objects; and an attitude estimation step of estimating attitudes of the objects in the three-dimensional space, through a preliminarily learned regression model, using the positions estimated by the position estimation step, and the feature amounts extracted by the extraction step.",
  "url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/12211234/rapid-iterative-development",
  "markdown_url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/12211234/rapid-iterative-development/md",
  "google_patents_url": "https://patents.google.com/patent/US12211234",
  "relatedPatents": []
}