Sony patents LiDAR image processing that speeds up object detection
Sony describes a system that processes images from LiDAR sensors, which use laser pulses to measure distance. It uses a fast, basic method to label most of the image, then applies a slower, more precise method only to areas where the first pass was uncertain. This approach aims to balance high accuracy with faster processing and lower memory usage.
In the filing’s own words
There is provided an information processing apparatus to improve a processing speed while ensuring accuracy of semantic segmentation, and further reduce a memory consumption amount. The information processing apparatus includes: a first processing unit configured to perform first segmentation on an input image, and output a result of the first segmentation and a reliability related to the result of the first segmentation; a second processing unit configured to perform second segmentation having higher accuracy than accuracy of the first segmentation on an image region in which a reliability related to a result of the first segmentation is lower than a threshold value, the second processing unit being configured to output a result of the second segmentation; and an estimation unit configured to output an estimation result based on a result of the first segmentation and a result of the second segmentation, in which the input image includes an image acquired by LiDAR.
What exactly they claim (claim 1)
1. An information processing apparatus comprising: a first processing unit configured to perform first segmentation on an input image, and output a result of the first segmentation and a reliability related to the result of the first segmentation; a second processing unit configured to perform second segmentation having higher accuracy than accuracy of the first segmentation on an image region in which a reliability related to a result of the first segmentation is lower than a threshold value, the second processing unit being configured to output a result of the second segmentation; and an estimation unit configured to output an estimation result based on a result of the first segmentation and a result of the second segmentation, wherein the input image includes an image acquired by light detection and ranging (LiDAR).
Facts
- Company
- Sony (Sony Group Corporation)
- Official title
- INFORMATION PROCESSING APPARATUS, INFORMATION PROCESSING METHOD, AND PROGRAM
- Publication number
- US20260289790A1
- Application number
- 19473403
- Filed
- Feb 27, 2024
- Published
- Sep 24, 2026
- Inventors
- 1
- Claims
- 16
Classified under
G06T 7/12 Physics & computingG01S 17/89 Physics & computingG06T 7/136 Physics & computingG06V 10/7715 Physics & computingG06T 2207/20084 Physics & computingG06T 2207/30252 Physics & computingMore from Sony in AI & software
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Summaries are simplified from the filing’s own abstract and first claim. A patent filing is not a product announcement.
Patent data and drawings: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Nebula is not affiliated with or endorsed by the USPTO.