Method, device, medium and equipment for video tracking of cargo flow process

Abstract

This application provides a method, apparatus, medium, and device for video tracking of the goods circulation process. The method includes: acquiring the barcode scanning time of the goods; distributing tasks to a controller, so that the controller controls the circulation of the goods within a goods sorting system and records the time of the goods at each circulation node; capturing video of the internal workings of the goods circulation system using multiple cameras positioned at different locations; searching for videos corresponding to the goods based on the barcode scanning time and the time of each circulation node; and processing the searched videos to obtain a video tracking file of the goods. The video tracking file allows for quick and convenient visual tracking of the goods circulation system.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application belongs to the field of logistics technology and relates to a video tracking method, particularly a method, apparatus, storage medium and electronic device for video tracking of the flow of goods. Background Technology

[0002] With the development of intelligent logistics and automated sorting technologies, cargo sorting systems have been widely used in express delivery and retail supply chains. Taking small commodity sorting systems as an example, they possess advantages such as high throughput, high accuracy, and good adaptability to multiple SKUs (Stock Keeping Units) of small items, significantly improving order processing efficiency for small commodities. However, due to the highly integrated structure, closed internal transport links, and numerous process nodes of sorting systems, goods often remain in a black box state throughout their journey from the supply inlet to the final outlet. They lack both end-to-end physical tracking and real-time access to precise location and status information at each intermediate stage. Especially under high-speed operating conditions, if abnormal events such as missorting, jamming, stacking, barcode recognition failure, or outlet deviation occur, maintenance personnel struggle to quickly pinpoint the specific point of failure and the cause of the anomaly. Summary of the Invention

[0003] This application provides a method, apparatus, storage medium, and electronic device for video tracking of the flow of goods, in order to solve the aforementioned problems existing in the prior art.

[0004] In a first aspect, embodiments of this application provide a method for video tracking of a goods transfer process. The method includes: obtaining the barcode scanning time of the goods; distributing a task to a controller, causing the controller to control the transfer of the goods within a goods sorting system and record the time of the goods at each transfer node; capturing video footage of the goods transfer system using multiple cameras positioned at different locations; searching for videos corresponding to the goods based on the barcode scanning time and the time of each transfer node; and processing the found videos to obtain a video tracking file of the goods.

[0005] In some implementations, the method further includes: obtaining the current system time of the electronic device and sending the system time to the controller in real time; the controller updating its own time in real time after receiving the system time; and synchronizing the system time through the time service synchronization function of the electronic device to synchronize the time of the camera with the time of the electronic device.

[0006] In some implementations, the controller controls the flow of goods within the goods sorting system and records the time of the goods at each flow node, including: the controller controls the goods to arrive at the elevator and records the time of the goods arriving at the elevator; the controller controls the goods to transfer to the mobile carrier and records the time of the goods transferring to the mobile carrier; the controller controls the goods to enter the target compartment and records the time of the goods entering the target compartment.

[0007] In some implementations, finding the video corresponding to the goods based on the scanning time and the time of each of the transfer nodes includes: searching for video stream segments from relevant cameras within the corresponding time range in the NVR via the RSTP protocol; processing the found video to obtain the video tracking file of the goods includes: merging the found video stream segments to obtain the video tracking file of the goods.

[0008] In some implementations, the method further includes: adding a watermark to the video tracking file and storing the video tracking file in a database.

[0009] In some implementations, the method further includes: associating the video tracking file with the order number and / or barcode of the goods; obtaining the video file address of each barcode from the database via a web API on a webpage; searching for the video tracking file of the goods based on the order number and / or barcode of the goods; and playing the video tracking file.

[0010] In some implementations, the cargo sorting system includes seeding walls and / or cross belts.

[0011] Secondly, embodiments of this application provide an apparatus for video tracking of the goods circulation process. The apparatus includes: a task distribution module for distributing tasks to a controller, enabling the controller to control the circulation of goods within a goods sorting system and record the time of the goods at each circulation node; a time acquisition module for acquiring the scanning time of the goods and the time of each circulation node; a video search module for searching for a video corresponding to the goods based on the scanning time and the time of each circulation node, wherein the video is obtained by multiple cameras positioned at different locations capturing images inside the goods circulation system; and a tracking file generation module for processing the found video to obtain a video tracking file of the goods.

[0012] Thirdly, embodiments of this application provide a computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon. When the computer program is executed by a processor, it implements the method described in any one of the first aspects of the embodiments of this application.

[0013] Fourthly, embodiments of this application provide an electronic device. The electronic device includes: a memory storing a computer program; and a processor communicatively connected to the memory, which, when the computer program is invoked, executes the method described in any one of the first aspects of this application.

[0014] As described above, the embodiments of this application provide a method, apparatus, storage medium, and electronic device for video tracking of the cargo flow process, which have the following beneficial effects:

[0015] The technical solution provided in this application can record the scanning time of goods and the time of goods at different flow nodes, and can capture video and / or images of different areas within the goods flow system through a camera. Based on the order number, serial number, scanning time, and time at each flow node of the goods, the video corresponding to the goods can be obtained from the video captured by the camera, and a video tracking file corresponding to the goods can be generated. Based on this video tracking file, the flow process of goods can be visually tracked, which is beneficial for maintenance personnel to find the cause of anomalies and count the types of errors, improving the convenience of equipment anomaly analysis.

[0016] In this embodiment, a controller can be used to control the flow of goods within the sorting system and record the time of goods at each flow node, thereby constructing a complete spatiotemporal trajectory of goods from entering the line to being placed in the sorting box. This helps to break the black box state within the system and realize the visualization of the goods flow process.

[0017] In this embodiment, the electronic device, controller, and camera are synchronized in time. Once an anomaly such as misclassification, jamming, or missed scanning occurs, the device logs, controller records, and camera recordings can be quickly associated based on a unified timeline, which helps to shorten the troubleshooting time.

[0018] Based on the solution provided in this application, relevant personnel can directly observe equipment defects through monitoring, find the specific location of equipment damage, and provide evidence for judging reasons such as inaccurate delivery, which helps to improve equipment accuracy and maintenance convenience.

[0019] The solution provided in this application does not require modification of the hardware of the goods sorting system, and has good scalability and cost advantages. Attached Figure Description

[0020] Figure 1 This diagram illustrates an example of an overall implementation environment for an embodiment of this application.

[0021] Figure 2 The flowchart shown is a method for video tracking of the flow of goods provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0022] Figure 3The flowchart shown is a process for time synchronization between devices in an embodiment of this application.

[0023] Figure 4A The flowchart shown is a process for obtaining the time of goods at each transfer node in an embodiment of this application.

[0024] Figure 4B The diagram shown is an example of an implementation environment including an NVR in an embodiment of this application.

[0025] Figure 5 The flowchart shown is a process for generating video tracking files in an embodiment of this application.

[0026] Figure 6 The diagram shown is a structural schematic of an apparatus for video tracking of the flow of goods, provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0027] Figure 7 The diagram shown is a structural schematic of an electronic device provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0028] Component designation explanation

[0029] 600 Device for video tracking of the flow of goods. 601 Task distribution module 602 Time acquisition module 603 Video search module 604 Tracking file generation module 700 electronic devices 701 processor 702 memory 7021 operating system 7022 app 703 Network interface 704 bus system 705 User Interface S21~S25 step S31~S33 step S41~S43 step S51~S52 step Detailed Implementation

[0030] The following specific examples illustrate the implementation of this application. Those skilled in the art can easily understand other advantages and effects of this application from the content disclosed in this specification. This application can also be implemented or applied through other different specific embodiments, and various details in this specification can also be modified or changed based on different viewpoints and applications without departing from the spirit of this application. It should be noted that, unless otherwise specified, the following embodiments and features in the embodiments can be combined with each other.

[0031] It should be noted that the illustrations provided in the following embodiments are only schematic representations of the basic concept of this application. Therefore, the illustrations only show the components related to this application and are not drawn according to the number, shape and size of the components in actual implementation. In actual implementation, the form, quantity and proportion of each component can be arbitrarily changed, and the layout of the components may also be more complex.

[0032] In this application, the terms "exemplary" or "for example" indicate examples, illustrations, or descriptions. Any embodiment or design described as "exemplary" or "for example" in this application should not be construed as being more preferred or advantageous than other embodiments or designs. Specifically, the use of terms such as "exemplary" or "for example" is intended to present the relevant concepts in a concrete manner.

[0033] In this application embodiment, "at least one" refers to one or more, and "more than one" refers to two or more. "And / or" describes the relationship between related objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can represent: A alone, A and B simultaneously, or B alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. The character " / " generally indicates that the preceding and following related objects are in an "or" relationship. "At least one of the following" or similar expressions refer to any combination of these items, including any combination of single or plural items. For example, at least one of a, b, or c can represent: a, b, c, ab, ac, bc, or abc, where a, b, and c can be single or multiple.

[0034] Within cargo sorting systems (especially small commodity sorting systems), due to the highly integrated system structure, closed internal conveyor links, and numerous process nodes, goods often operate in a black box state throughout their journey from the packaging inlet to the final sorting outlet. This lack of end-to-end physical tracking and the inability to obtain real-time, precise location and status information at each intermediate stage makes it particularly difficult to quickly pinpoint the specific stage and root cause of any anomalies such as missorting, jamming, stacking, barcode recognition failure, or sorting deviation, especially under high-speed operation. Furthermore, limited sensor coverage, insufficient timestamp recording granularity, or lack of strict time synchronization between subsystems make it difficult to accurately align event logs and video recordings, further complicating anomaly tracing. This uncontrollability and lack of traceability not only prolongs troubleshooting cycles and reduces system availability but also hinders the systematic classification and statistical analysis of error types, resulting in a lack of reliable data support for equipment performance optimization, process improvement, and preventative maintenance.

[0035] At least to address the aforementioned problems, embodiments of this application provide a method for video tracking of the goods flow process. The method includes: obtaining the barcode scanning time of the goods; distributing tasks to a controller, so that the controller controls the flow of goods within a goods sorting system and records the time of the goods at each flow node; capturing videos of the goods flow system using multiple cameras positioned at different locations; searching for videos corresponding to the goods based on the barcode scanning time and the time of each flow node; and processing the found videos to obtain a video tracking file of the goods.

[0036] Based on the method provided in this application embodiment, the system can record the scanning time of goods and the time of goods at different flow nodes, and can capture video of different areas within the goods flow system through a camera. Based on the order number, serial number, scanning time, and time at each flow node of the goods, the video corresponding to the goods can be obtained from the video captured by the camera, and a video tracking file corresponding to the goods can be generated. Based on this video tracking file, the flow process of goods can be visually tracked, which is beneficial for maintenance personnel to find the cause of abnormal problems and count the types of errors, improving the convenience of equipment anomaly analysis.

[0037] Figure 1 The diagram shown illustrates an overall implementation environment according to an embodiment of this application. Figure 1 The implementation environment shown includes electronic devices, controllers, and multiple cameras. The electronic devices refer to various hardware devices with data processing and communication capabilities used in logistics tracking scenarios. These devices can be fixed or mobile, encompassing industrial PCs, servers, sorting and scheduling system (FDS) hosts, handheld terminals, smart wearable devices, personal computers (PCs), and embedded processing modules integrated into automated equipment. These devices typically have wired (e.g., Ethernet, industrial bus) or wireless (e.g., Wi-Fi, 5G, LoRa, Bluetooth) communication capabilities, enabling them to acquire information from other devices in real time and interact with upper-level systems.

[0038] The controller (e.g., a programmable logic controller, PLC) serves as the core execution unit of the goods sorting system. It receives task instructions from the host electronic device and, based on preset logic and real-time sensor feedback, precisely coordinates the timing of actions of various actuators to control the entire flow of goods within the sorting system. Specifically, the PLC can receive task data packets containing destination codes, routing paths, and priorities via industrial communication protocols (such as Modbus TCP, Profinet, EtherNet / IP, etc.). This data drives actuators such as conveyor motors, elevators, swing wheels, cross-belt trolleys, slider pushers, or pneumatic sorting devices to complete critical operations such as accelerating, turning, merging, separating, loading onto carriers, and delivering goods. Simultaneously, the PLC continuously collects status signals from field devices such as photoelectric switches, encoders, and weighing sensors to determine the real-time position, speed, and abnormal states of goods (such as blocked packages, stacked items, or missing barcodes), and dynamically adjusts control strategies or triggers alarm mechanisms. In addition, the PLC can record the timestamps of each key node and send the execution results and status feedback back to the host electronic device to realize closed-loop management of tasks and full-link traceability, ensuring that the sorting process is efficient, stable and controllable.

[0039] Multiple cameras are deployed at various nodes and work areas of the cargo sorting system, such as the entrance to the package feeding station, the upper and lower ends of the elevator, the main loop of the cross belt, the sorting grid, and the return channel, to collect video and / or images of the corresponding areas in real time.

[0040] Figure 2 The flowchart shown is a method for video tracking of the flow of goods provided in an embodiment of this application. This method can be applied to... Figure 1 The electronic device shown. For example... Figure 2 As shown, the method includes the following steps S21 to S25.

[0041] S21, Obtain the barcode scanning time of the goods. For example, when the package passes through the barcode reader, the system can record the moment when the barcode is successfully recognized as a start timestamp of the sorting process for subsequent end-to-end tracking and event alignment.

[0042] S22, Distribute tasks to the controller so that the controller controls the flow of goods within the goods sorting system and records the time of goods at each flow node. Exemplarily, flow nodes are, for example, the node where goods arrive at the elevator, the node where goods are transferred to the mobile vehicle, and / or the node where goods fall into the target slot, but this application is not limited thereto.

[0043] S23, multiple cameras positioned at different locations are used to capture video of the interior of the goods flow system. The number, location, and shooting angle of the cameras can be set according to actual needs, and this application does not impose any restrictions on this.

[0044] S24: Based on the scanning time and the time of each transfer node, find the video corresponding to the goods. Specifically, the video captured by the camera may contain the transfer process of multiple goods. In step S24, the video containing a specific goods can be found based on the scanning time of a specific goods and its events at each transfer node.

[0045] S25, Process the found video to obtain a video tracking file for the goods. This video tracking file contains part or all of the process of a specific item moving within the goods sorting system, and can be used to visually track the movement of that specific item.

[0046] Please see Figure 3 The method for video tracking of the flow of goods provided in this application embodiment may further include the following steps S31 to S33.

[0047] S31, obtain the current system time of the electronic device and send the system time to the controller in real time.

[0048] S32, the controller updates its own time immediately after receiving the system time.

[0049] S33 synchronizes the system time through the time service synchronization function of the electronic device, so that the time of the camera is synchronized with the time of the electronic device.

[0050] For example, when the electronic device is a computer, in step S31, the FDS software system can obtain the current system time of the computer and send it to the controller in real time. In step S33, the system time of the computer can be synchronized using the time service synchronization function built into the Windows operating system. In this way, the system time of the computer can be synchronized with the time of the webcam.

[0051] Please see Figure 4A In some implementations, the controller controls the flow of goods within the goods sorting system and records the time of goods at each flow node, including the following steps S41 to S43.

[0052] S41, the controller controls the goods to arrive at the elevator and records the time when the goods arrive at the elevator as the first node time.

[0053] S42, the controller controls the transfer of goods to the mobile vehicle and records the time of the transfer as the second node time. For example, the mobile vehicle may be a delivery vehicle, but this application is not limited thereto.

[0054] S43, the controller controls the goods to enter the target compartment and records the time when the goods enter the target compartment (i.e., the time of placement) as the third node time.

[0055] As described above, the time of the flow nodes obtained in this embodiment includes the first node time, the second node time, and the third node time. Through these three consecutive node times, the entire process path and sequence of a single item from vertical transfer and horizontal transport to final sorting can be completely reconstructed, eliminating the black box blind spot.

[0056] Please see Figure 4BIn some implementations, the camera mentioned in step S23 is an IP camera. Finding the video corresponding to the goods based on the scanning time and the time of each transfer node includes: using RSTP (Rapid Spanning Tree Protocol) to find video stream segments from relevant cameras within the corresponding time range in the NVR (Network Video Recorder). Here, the relevant camera refers to the camera corresponding to the transfer segment of the goods that the user is interested in, and can be specified by the user. Processing the found video to obtain the video tracking file of the goods includes: merging the found video stream segments to obtain the video tracking file of the goods.

[0057] An NVR is a device or software system used to receive, store, manage, and play back video streams from IP cameras. In this embodiment, an NVR can be used to uniformly receive and store video streams from multiple IP cameras deployed at locations such as the package feeding station, elevator, cross-belt main loop, sorting slots, and return channels. When the system records an abnormal event (such as a package not being placed in the correct slot or getting stuck), it can automatically associate the corresponding camera and the corresponding time period recording in the NVR based on the synchronized timestamp. This eliminates the need for manual searching by relevant personnel, significantly improving fault location efficiency.

[0058] For example, the method for video tracking of goods flow provided in this application embodiment may further include: adding a watermark to the video tracking file and storing the video tracking file in a database. For example, key information (such as timestamps, package IDs, sorting grid numbers, system log summaries, etc.) can be embedded in the watermark to strongly correlate the video content with business events. Once the video is tampered with or forged, the watermark information will be inconsistent, thereby effectively preventing data fraud.

[0059] For example, the method for video tracking of the goods flow process provided in this application embodiment may further include: associating video tracking files with the order number and / or barcode of the goods; obtaining the video file address of each barcode from the database via a web API (Web Application Programming Interface) on a webpage; searching for the video tracking file of the goods based on the order number and / or barcode and playing it. Based on this, in the event of lost, mis-sorted, or damaged items, maintenance personnel only need to enter the order number or package barcode to quickly locate and play back the corresponding video. Furthermore, embedding video tracking capabilities into the business operation interface allows non-technical personnel to access visual tracking files based on familiar business identifiers (order number, SKU, waybill number), which helps reduce operational difficulty.

[0060] Please see Figure 5In some other implementations, processing the found video to obtain video tracking files of the goods includes the following steps S52 and S52.

[0061] S51, the found video is extracted to obtain the video clip corresponding to the goods.

[0062] For example, the traceability system can retrieve video data of goods from the database using order numbers and SKU barcodes, and then filter out video clips within the corresponding time range based on the scanning time and the time of each flow node. These video clips correspond to the goods. By extracting these video clips, the video segment corresponding to the goods can be obtained.

[0063] S52, the video clips are merged to obtain a video tracking file of the goods. For example, the video clips can be edited using a plugin for ffmpeg, but this application is not limited thereto.

[0064] In some implementations, the method for video tracking of goods flow provided in this application embodiment may further include: associating video tracking files with the order number and / or barcode of the goods; searching for and playing the video tracking files of the goods on a webpage using the order number and / or barcode.

[0065] In some implementations, the cargo sorting system may include seed walls and / or cross belts, but this application is not limited thereto.

[0066] The scope of protection for the method for video tracking of the flow of goods provided in this application is not limited to the order of steps listed in this embodiment. Any solution implemented by adding, subtracting, or replacing steps in the prior art based on the principles of this application is included within the scope of protection of this application.

[0067] This application also provides an apparatus for video tracking of the goods flow process. This apparatus can implement the method for video tracking of the goods flow process described in this application. However, the apparatus for implementing the method for video tracking of the goods flow process described in this application includes, but is not limited to, the structure of the apparatus for video tracking of the goods flow process listed in this embodiment. All structural modifications and substitutions of the prior art made in accordance with the principles of this application are included within the protection scope of this application.

[0068] Figure 6 This is a schematic block diagram of a device for video tracking of the flow of goods, as provided in an embodiment of this application. Figure 6As shown, the device 600 for video tracking of the goods flow process includes a task distribution module 601, a time acquisition module 602, a video search module 603, and a tracking file generation module 604. The task distribution module 601 distributes tasks to the controller, enabling the controller to control the flow of goods within the goods sorting system and record the time of goods at each flow node. The time acquisition module 602 acquires the barcode scanning time of the goods and the time of each flow node. The video search module 603 searches for videos corresponding to the goods based on the barcode scanning time and the time of each flow node. The videos are obtained by multiple cameras positioned at different locations capturing images of the goods flow system. The tracking file generation module 604 processes the found videos to obtain video tracking files for the goods.

[0069] It should be understood that the specific process of each module performing the above-mentioned corresponding steps has been described in detail in the above method embodiments, and will not be repeated here for the sake of brevity.

[0070] This application also provides a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program thereon. When executed by a processor, the computer program implements the method for video tracking of the flow of goods provided in this application. Those skilled in the art will understand that all or part of the steps in the methods of the above embodiments can be implemented by a program instructing a processor. The program can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium, which is a non-transitory medium, such as random access memory, read-only memory, flash memory, hard disk, solid-state hard disk, magnetic tape, floppy disk, optical disk, and any combination thereof. The above storage medium can be any available medium accessible to a computer or a data storage device such as a server or data center that integrates one or more available media. The available medium can be a magnetic medium (e.g., floppy disk, hard disk, magnetic tape), an optical medium (e.g., digital video disc (DVD)), or a semiconductor medium (e.g., solid-state disk (SSD)).

[0071] This application also provides an electronic device. Figure 7 This is a schematic block diagram of an electronic device provided in an embodiment of this application. Figure 7As shown, electronic device 700 includes: at least one processor 701, memory 702, at least one network interface 703, and user interface 705. The various components in electronic device 700 are coupled together via bus system 704. It is understood that bus system 704 is used to implement communication between these components. In addition to a data bus, bus system 704 also includes a power bus, a control bus, and a status signal bus. However, for clarity, in… Figure 7 The general will label all buses as bus systems.

[0072] The user interface 705 may include a monitor, keyboard, mouse, trackball, clicker, button, touchpad, or touch screen.

[0073] It is understood that memory 702 can be volatile memory or non-volatile memory, or both. Non-volatile memory can be read-only memory (ROM) or programmable read-only memory (PROM), which serves as an external cache. By way of example, but not limitation, many forms of RAM are available, such as static random access memory (SRAM) and synchronous static random access memory (SSRAM). The memories described in the embodiments of this application are intended to include, but are not limited to, these and any other suitable categories of memory.

[0074] In this embodiment, the memory 702 is used to store various types of data to support the operation of the electronic device 700. Examples of this data include any executable program that operates on the electronic device 700, such as the operating system 7021 and the application program 7022. The operating system 7021 contains various system programs, such as the framework layer, core library layer, driver layer, etc., for implementing various basic services and handling hardware-based tasks. The application program 7022 may contain various applications, such as a media player, browser, etc., for implementing various application services. The method for video tracking of the goods flow process provided in this embodiment can be included in the application program 7022.

[0075] The methods disclosed in the embodiments of this application can be applied to processor 701, or implemented by processor 701. Processor 701 may be an integrated circuit chip with signal processing capabilities. In the implementation process, each step of the above method can be completed by the integrated logic circuit of the hardware in processor 701 or by instructions in the form of software. The processor 701 may be a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, etc. Processor 701 can implement or execute the methods, steps, and logic block diagrams disclosed in the embodiments of this application. General-purpose processor 701 may be a microprocessor or any conventional processor, etc. The steps of the accessory optimization method provided in the embodiments of this application can be directly reflected as being executed by a hardware decoding processor, or being executed by a combination of hardware and software modules in the decoding processor. The software module may be located in a storage medium, which is located in memory. The processor reads the information in the memory and combines it with its hardware to complete the steps of the aforementioned method.

[0076] In an exemplary embodiment, the electronic device 700 may be used by one or more application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), DSPs, programmable logic devices (PLDs), or complex programmable logic devices (CPLDs) to perform the aforementioned method.

[0077] This application embodiment may also provide a computer program product comprising one or more computer instructions. When the computer instructions are loaded and executed on a computing device, all or part of the processes or functions described in this application embodiment are generated. The computer instructions may be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another. For example, the computer instructions may be transmitted from one website, computer, or data center to another via wired (e.g., coaxial cable, fiber optic, digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wireless (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) means.

[0078] When the computer program product is executed by a computer, the computer performs the method described in the foregoing method embodiments. The computer program product can be a software installation package; when the foregoing method is required, the computer program product can be downloaded and executed on the computer.

[0079] As used in this specification, the terms "component," "module," "system," etc., are used to refer to computer-related entities, hardware, firmware, combinations of hardware and software, software, or software in execution. For example, a component can be, but is not limited to, a process running on a processor, a processor, an object, an executable file, an execution thread, a program, and / or a computer. As illustrated, applications running on computing devices and computing devices can both be components. One or more components may reside in a process and / or an execution thread, and components may be located on a single computer and / or distributed among two or more computers. Furthermore, these components can be executed from various computer-readable media on which various data structures are stored. Components can communicate, for example, via local and / or remote processes based on signals having one or more data packets (e.g., data from two components interacting with another component between a local system, a distributed system, and / or a network, such as the Internet interacting with other systems via signals).

[0080] Those skilled in the art will recognize that the various illustrative logical blocks and steps described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented in electronic hardware, or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether these functions are implemented in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementations should not be considered beyond the scope of this application.

[0081] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, apparatuses, and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the apparatus embodiments described above are merely illustrative; for instance, the division of units is only a logical functional division, and in actual implementation, there may be other division methods. For example, multiple units or components may be combined or integrated into another system, or some features may be ignored or not executed. Furthermore, the coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed may be through some interfaces; the indirect coupling or communication connection between apparatuses or units may be electrical, mechanical, or other forms.

[0082] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate. The components shown as units may or may not be physical units; that is, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of the units can be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment according to actual needs.

[0083] In addition, the functional units in the various embodiments of this application can be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit can exist physically separately, or two or more units can be integrated into one unit.

[0084] In the above embodiments, the functions of each functional unit can be implemented entirely or partially through software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented using software, it can be implemented entirely or partially in the form of a computer program product. A computer program product includes one or more computer instructions (programs). When the computer program instructions (programs) are loaded and executed on a computer, all or part of the flow or function according to the embodiments of this application is generated. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable device. The computer instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another. For example, computer instructions can be transmitted from one website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center via wired (e.g., coaxial cable, fiber optic, digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wireless (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) means.

[0085] If a function is implemented as a software functional unit and sold or used as an independent product, it can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of this application, in essence, or the part that contributes to the prior art, or a part of the technical solution, can be embodied in the form of a software product. This computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions to cause a computer device (which may be a personal computer, server, or network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the methods of the various embodiments of this application. The aforementioned storage medium includes various media capable of storing program code, such as USB flash drives, portable hard drives, read-only memory, random access memory, magnetic disks, or optical disks.

[0086] In summary, this application provides a method, apparatus, medium, and equipment for video tracking of the goods flow process. It can record the scanning time of goods and the time of goods at different flow nodes, and can capture video of different areas within the goods flow system using a camera. Based on the order number, serial number, scanning time, and time at each flow node of the goods, the video corresponding to the goods can be obtained from the video captured by the camera, thereby generating a video tracking file corresponding to the goods. Based on this video tracking file, the goods flow process can be visually tracked, which is beneficial for maintenance personnel to find the cause of abnormal problems and statistically analyze error types, improving the convenience of equipment anomaly analysis. Furthermore, in the embodiments of this application, a controller can be used to control the flow of goods within the sorting system and record the time of goods at each flow node, thereby constructing a complete spatiotemporal trajectory of goods from entering the line to being placed in the sorting box. This helps to break the black box state within the system and realize the visualization of the goods flow process. Moreover, in the embodiments of this application, the electronic equipment, controller, and camera are synchronized in time. Once anomalies such as missorting, jamming, or missed scanning occur, equipment logs, controller records, and camera recordings can be quickly associated based on a unified timeline, which helps to shorten the troubleshooting time. Furthermore, the solution provided in this application does not require modification to the hardware of the goods sorting system, exhibiting good scalability and cost advantages. Therefore, this application effectively overcomes the various shortcomings of the prior art and possesses high industrial applicability.

[0087] The above embodiments are merely illustrative of the principles and effects of this application and are not intended to limit this application. Any person skilled in the art can modify or alter the above embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of this application. Therefore, all equivalent modifications or alterations made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and technical concept disclosed in this application should still be covered by the claims of this application.

Claims

1. A method for video tracking of the flow of goods, characterized in that, The method includes: The time required to scan the barcode to retrieve goods; The task is distributed to the controller, which controls the flow of the goods within the goods sorting system and records the time of the goods at each flow node. Video of the interior of the cargo handling system is captured by multiple cameras placed in different locations; Based on the scanning time and the time of each of the aforementioned transfer nodes, a video corresponding to the goods is retrieved; The found video is processed to obtain video tracking files of the cargo.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The method further includes: Obtain the current system time of the electronic device and send the system time to the controller in real time; The controller updates its own time immediately upon receiving the system time. The system time is synchronized by the time service synchronization function of the electronic device, so that the time of the camera is synchronized with the time of the electronic device.

3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The controller controls the flow of goods within the goods sorting system and records the time of the goods at each flow node, including: The controller controls the goods to arrive at the elevator and records the time when the goods arrive at the elevator; The controller controls the transfer of goods to the mobile vehicle and records the time when the goods are transferred to the mobile vehicle; The controller controls the goods to enter the target compartment and records the time when the goods enter the target compartment.

4. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, Finding the video corresponding to the goods based on the scanning time and the time of each of the circulation nodes includes: searching for video stream segments from relevant cameras within the corresponding time range from the NVR via the RSTP protocol; Processing the found video to obtain the video tracking file of the goods includes merging the found video stream segments to obtain the video tracking file of the goods.

5. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that, The method further includes: Add a watermark to the video tracking file and store the video tracking file in the database.

6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that, The method further includes: Associate the video tracking file with the order number and / or barcode of the goods; On the webpage, the video file address of each barcode is obtained from the database via web API. The video tracking file of the goods is obtained by searching based on the order number and / or barcode of the goods and then played.

7. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The cargo sorting system includes seeding walls and / or cross belts.

8. A device for video tracking of the flow of goods, characterized in that, The device includes: The task distribution module is used to distribute tasks to the controller, so that the controller controls the flow of goods within the goods sorting system and records the time of the goods at each flow node; The time acquisition module is used to acquire the scanning time of the goods and the time of each of the circulation nodes; The video search module is used to search for videos corresponding to the goods based on the scanning time and the time of each of the circulation nodes. The videos are obtained by multiple cameras set in different locations to capture images of the inside of the goods circulation system. The tracking file generation module is used to process the found video to obtain video tracking files of the goods.

9. A computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, characterized in that, When the computer program is executed by a processor, it implements the method of any one of claims 1 to 7.

10. An electronic device, characterized in that, The electronic device includes: A memory that stores a computer program; The processor, which is communicatively connected to the memory, executes the method of any one of claims 1 to 7 when the computer program is invoked.

Images