Framework for distributed and networked vision systems

Hitherto, machine vision systems have been designed as integrated units, in which one or more cameras, a dedicated image processing engine and control/image display console are connected together and hence are all located in close physical proximity to one another. Myriad is a web-based framework that allows these components to be separated from one another and enables complex hierarchies and meshes of inter-communicating cameras and image processing elements to be built. Any component of a given type can be interchanged with any component of the same type, wherever they are located. Myriad networks can employ single- or multiple-stream processing. Several users may be active at a given moment and an unlimited number of users can passively observe what another one is doing, provided that the appropriate permissions have been granted. Myriad networks can encompass intelligent programmed controllers, and/or human controllers, working through a standard web browser. A sub-system can record its observations in a standard database, which can then be interrogated in the normal manner.