Identifying inventory items using multiple confidence levels

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12026665-B2
Application number	US-202217686291-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 3, 2022
Priority date	Aug 7, 2017
Publication date	Jul 2, 2024
Grant date	Jul 2, 2024

Abstract

A method for identifying an inventory item is provided. The method includes using first one or more sensors to produce first one or more outputs indicative of an inventory item, using second one or more sensors to produce second one or more outputs indicative of the inventory item, generating, based on the first one or more outputs and independent of the second one or more outputs, a first confidence level of the inventory item being a first inventory item, generating, based on the second one or more outputs and independent of the first one or more outputs, a second confidence level of the inventory item being a second inventory item, and identifying, based on the first confidence level and the second confidence level, the inventory item as one of the first inventory item or the second inventory item.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for identifying an inventory item, the method comprising:
using first one or more sensors to produce first one or more outputs indicative of an inventory item;
using second one or more sensors to produce second one or more outputs indicative of the inventory item;
generating, based on the first one or more outputs and independent of the second one or more outputs, a first confidence level of the inventory item being a first inventory item;
generating, based on the second one or more outputs and independent of the first one or more outputs, a second confidence level of the inventory item being a second inventory item; and
identifying, based on the first confidence level and the second confidence level, the inventory item as one of the first inventory item or the second inventory item.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising generating, based on the first one or more outputs and independent of the second one or more outputs, a third confidence level of the inventory item being the second inventory item.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising generating, based on the second one or more outputs and independent of the first one or more outputs, a fourth confidence level of the inventory item being the first inventory item.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
triggering, at least in part in response to the identifying of the inventory item as the one of the first inventory item or the second inventory item, an action, wherein the triggering of the action comprises one or more of (i) updating a planogram indicating current placement of inventory items in a shopping store, (ii) notifying an employee of the shopping store of a misplaced inventory item and (iii) performing an inventory audit of the shopping store calculating a count of items per SKU in the shopping store.

5. The method of claim 1 ,
wherein the first confidence level is generated as part of a first evaluation of the inventory item that is based on the first one or more outputs and independent of the second one or more outputs,
wherein the first evaluation of the inventory item comprises evaluating a plurality of inventory items and a corresponding plurality of logits,
wherein each logit of the plurality of logits is indicative of a probability of the identified inventory item being a corresponding inventory item of the plurality of inventory items, and
wherein the first confidence level associated with a first logit is indicative of a first probability of the identified inventory item being the first inventory item of the plurality of inventory items.

6. The method of claim 5 ,
wherein the second confidence level is generated as part of a second evaluation of the inventory item that is based on the second one or more outputs and independent of the first one or more outputs,
wherein the second evaluation of the inventory item comprises evaluating the plurality of inventory items and another corresponding plurality of logits,
wherein each logit of the other plurality of logits is indicative of another probability of the identified inventory item being a corresponding inventory item of the plurality of inventory items, and
wherein the second confidence level associated with a second logit is indicative of a second probability of the identified inventory item being the second inventory item of the plurality of inventory items.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the generating of the first confidence level of the inventory item being the first inventory item comprises:
utilizing one or more neural network models to generate the first confidence level of the inventory item being the first inventory item.

8. A system including one or more processors coupled to memory, the memory being loaded with computer instructions to identify an inventory item, the instructions, when executed on the processors, implement actions comprising:
using first one or more sensors to produce first one or more outputs indicative of an inventory item;
using second one or more sensors to produce second one or more outputs indicative of the inventory item;
generating, based on the first one or more outputs and independent of the second one or more outputs, a first confidence level of the inventory item being a first inventory item;
generating, based on the second one or more outputs and independent of the first one or more outputs, a second confidence level of the inventory item being a second inventory item; and
identifying, based on the first confidence level and the second confidence level, the inventory item as one of the first inventory item or the second inventory item.

9. The system of claim 8 , wherein the actions further comprise generating, based on the first one or more outputs and independent of the second one or more outputs, a third confidence level of the inventory item being the second inventory item.

10. The system of claim 8 , wherein the actions further comprise generating, based on the second one or more outputs and independent of the first one or more outputs, a fourth confidence level of the inventory item being the first inventory item.

11. The system of claim 8 , further implementing actions comprising:
triggering, at least in part in response to the identifying of the inventory item as the one of the first inventory item or the second inventory item, an action, wherein the triggering of the action comprises one or more of (i) updating a planogram indicating current placement of inventory items in a shopping store, (ii) notifying an employee of the shopping store of a misplaced inventory item and (iii) performing an inventory audit of the shopping store calculating a count of items per SKU in the shopping store.

12. The system of claim 8 ,
wherein the first confidence level is generated as part of a first evaluation of the inventory item that is based on the first one or more outputs and independent of the second one or more outputs,
wherein the first evaluation of the inventory item comprises evaluating a plurality of inventory items and a corresponding plurality of logits,
wherein each logit of the plurality of logits is indicative of a probability of the identified inventory item being a corresponding inventory item of the plurality of inventory items, and
wherein the first confidence level associated with a first logit is indicative of a first probability of the identified inventory item being the first inventory item of the plurality of inventory items.

13. The system of claim 12 ,
wherein the second confidence level is generated as part of a second evaluation of the inventory item that is based on the second one or more outputs and independent of the first one or more outputs,
wherein the second evaluation of the inventory item comprises evaluating the plurality of inventory items and another corresponding plurality of logits,
wherein each logit of the other plurality of logits is indicative of another probability of the identified inventory item being a corresponding inventory item of the plurality of inventory items, and
wherein the second confidence level associated with a second logit is indicative of a second probability of the identified inventory item being the second inventory item of the plurality of inventory items.

14. The system of claim 8 , wherein the generating of the first confidence level of the inventory item being the first inventory item further comprises:
utilizing one or more neural network models to generate the first confidence level of the inventory item being the first inventory item.

15. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium impresse

Assignees

• Standard Cognition Corp

Inventors

• Fisher Jordan E
• Fischetti Daniel L
• Ogle Brandon L
• Novak John F
• Dorman Kyle E
• Kihara Kenneth S
• Lasheras Juan C

Classifications

• G06N3/0464

  Convolutional networks [CNN, ConvNet] · CPC title

• G06N3/045

  Combinations of networks · CPC title

• G06N3/09

  Supervised learning · CPC title

• G06V10/82

  using neural networks · CPC title

• G06V10/764

  using classification, e.g. of video objects · CPC title