Article recognition apparatus and article recognition method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2019026583-A1
Application number	US-201816137932-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Sep 21, 2018
Priority date	Feb 6, 2017
Publication date	Jan 24, 2019
Grant date	—

Abstract

According to one embodiment, an article recognition apparatus includes an image interface, a weight interface and a processor. The image interface acquires an image captured by photographing a predetermined place where a plurality of articles are disposed. The processor acquires a first image, acquires a second image after detecting a predetermined event, recognizes an article, based on an image of an article area of an article which is absent in the second image, among article areas extracted from the first image, acquires a registered weight of the recognized article from an article database, and outputs an error if total of the registered weights disagrees with a difference weight between a first weight which a weight scale measures at a time of photographing the first image, and a second weight which the weight scale measures at a time of photographing the second image.

First claim

1 . A settlement apparatus for commodities, comprising:
an image interface configured to acquire an image captured by photographing a predetermined place where a plurality of commodities are disposed; a weight interface configured to acquire a weight of the commodities measured by a weight scale, the weight scale being configured to measure the weight of the commodities disposed at the predetermined place; and a processor configured to:
acquire a first image through the image interface;
acquire a second image through the image interface after detecting a predetermined event;
recognize which one or more commodities out of the plurality of commodities have been taken out based on the first and the second image;
recognize the commodities that have been taken out;
acquire registered weights of the recognized one or more commodities from a commodity database;
output an error if a total of the registered weights disagrees with a difference between a first weight which the weight scale measures at a time of photographing the first image, and a second weight which the weight scale measures at a time of photographing the second image;
acquire a price corresponding to the recognized one or more commodities; and
complete settlement of the commodities based on the acquired price when the weight scale does not detect any commodity.

2 . The settlement apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:
a display interface configured to communicate with a display, wherein the processor is configured to display commodity areas, which are extracted from the first image, on the display through the display interface.

3 . The settlement apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the processor is configured to display the first image on the display through the display interface, and to display, on the first image, frames indicating the commodity areas extracted from the first image.

4 . The settlement apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:
an operation unit configured to input an operation, wherein the processor is configured to accept, as the predetermined event, a predetermined operation through the operation unit.

5 . The settlement apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the processor is configured to accept a predetermined gesture as the predetermined event.

6 . The settlement apparatus of claim 1 , wherein
the processor is configured to
determine, if the total of the registered weights agrees with the difference, whether a commodity is present at the predetermined place at the time of photographing the second image,
set the second image as the first image and set the second weight as the first weight if the processor determines that the commodity is present at the predetermined place at the time of photographing the second image,
acquire a new second image through the image interface after detecting a predetermined event,
recognize which commodity has been taken out, based on the first and the second image,
recognize the commodity that has been taken out,
acquire a registered weight of the recognized commodity from the commodity database, and
output an error if the total of the registered weights disagrees with a difference weight between the first weight which the weight scale measures at the time of photographing the first image, and a second weight which the weight scale measures at the time of photographing the second image.

7 . The settlement apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:
a memory including the commodity database.

8 . The settlement apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the processor is configured to generate a difference image between the first image and the second image, to generate a mask image based on the difference image, and to generate, based on the mask image, an image of commodity areas of the one or more commodities that have been taken out.

9 . A settlement method of commodities, comprising:
acquiring a first image captured by photographing a predetermined place where a plurality of commodities are disposed; acquiring a second image captured by photographing the predetermined place after detecting a predetermined event; recognizing which one or more commodities out of the plurality of commodities have been taken out based on the first and the second image; recognizing the commodities that have been taken out; acquiring registered weights of the recognized one or more commodities from a commodity database; outputting an error if the total of the registered weights disagrees with a difference between a first weight which a weight scale measures at a time of photographing the first image, and a second weight which the weight scale measures at a time of photographing the second image, the weight scale being configured to measure a weight on the predetermined place; acquiring a price corresponding to the recognized one or more commodities; and completing settlement of the commodities based on the acquired price when the weight scale does not detect any commodity.

10 . The settlement method of claim 9 , further comprising:
displaying commodity areas, which are extracted from the first image, on a display.

11 . The settlement method of claim 10 , further comprising:
providing a display; displaying the first image on the display; and displaying, on the first image, frames indicating the commodity areas extracted from the first image.

12 . The settlement method of claim 9 , further comprising:
providing an operation unit; and accepting, as the predetermined event, a predetermined operation through the operation unit.

13 . The settlement method of claim 9 , further comprising:
accepting a predetermined gesture as the predetermined event.

14 . The settlement method of claim 9 , further comprising:
determining, if the total of the registered weights agrees with the difference, whether a commodity is present at the predetermined place at the time of photographing the second image; setting the second image as the first image and setting the second weight as the first weight if the commodity is present at the predetermined place at the time of photographing the second image; acquiring a new second image through an image interface after detecting a predetermined event, recognizing which commodity has been taken out based on the first and the second image; recognizing the commodity that has been taken out; acquiring a registered weight of the recognized commodity from the commodity database; and outputting an error if the total of the registered weights disagrees with a difference weight between the first weight which the weight scale measures at the time of photographing the first image, and a second weight which the weight scale measures at the time of photographing the second image.

15 . The settlement method of claim 9 , further comprising:
generating a difference image between the first image and the second image; generating a mask image based on the difference image; and generating, based on the mask image, an image of commodity areas of the one or more commodities that have been taken out.

Assignees

• Toshiba Tec Kk

Inventors

• Sawada Takayuki

Classifications

• G06V20/52 Primary

  Surveillance or monitoring of activities, e.g. for recognising suspicious objects (recognising microscopic objects G06V20/69) · CPC title

• G06V20/60

  Type of objects · CPC title

• G06F18/22

  Matching criteria, e.g. proximity measures · CPC title

• G01G19/417

  with provision for checking computing part of balance · CPC title

• G07G1/0072

  with means for detecting the weight of the article of which the code is read, for the verification of the registration (weighing combined with recording means, e.g. in weighing scale, G01G19/415) · CPC title