Signature-based order monitoring system and procedures for drive-thru services

Abstract

A method for providing signature-based order monitoring, the method comprising: Capturing an image relating to a vehicle at an order location and at a delivery location relative to a point of sale unit using an image capturing unit by detecting the presence of a vehicle at the order location and the delivery location using a vehicle presence sensor; Processing the image captured at the job location and the delivery location to extract a small region of interest, subsequently reducing the small region of interest to a unique signature, and storing the signature associated with the job location in a database together with a corresponding job and the image; and Comparing the signature associated with the delivery location with the signature stored in the database, after which the order associated with the vehicle is displayed in a user interface together with the image taken at the delivery location and the order location, ensuring that the correct order is fulfilled for a customer.

Description

Technical area

[0001] The present invention generally relates to order management systems and methods for in-vehicle or drive-thru services. Embodiments also relate to detection devices and techniques. Embodiments further relate to signature-based order monitoring in a service environment for in-vehicle or drive-thru services. Background of the invention

[0002] A "drive-thru service" is a type of service provided by a business, such as a fast-food restaurant, bank, pharmacy, or coffee shop, where a customer can purchase a product without leaving their vehicle. Such drive-thru services provide customers with a quick and convenient service and can also increase the number of customers that can be served compared to conventional in-person activities. Prior art examples of systems and methods for a "drive-thru service" are described, for example, in patent applications US 2003 / 195821 A1 and US 2007 / 187183 A1.

[0003] Orders can generally be placed using a microphone, and these orders are received by a person at a window. Once the order is placed, an order taker enters the order information into an order management system. The order information can be displayed on a screen so that the order can be forwarded to a courier.

[0004] Conventionally, typical order-taking processes utilize a single-queue approach, resulting in customers with small, quick orders waiting behind customers with large, complex orders. The problem with this approach is that vehicles become out of sequence between the time the order is placed and the time the vehicle receives the product. Furthermore, this conventional approach does not ensure that the correct product is delivered to the vehicle that placed the order, further reducing order accuracy and efficiency.Such problems are further aggravated in high-traffic locations where multiple order placement lanes exist for each order processing window, resulting in reduced customer satisfaction and a pronounced loss of operating revenue.

[0005] Given the situation described above, it is an object to provide an improved system and method to provide signature-based order monitoring or tracking for drive-thru services, as described in more detail below. Brief overview

[0006] A system and method for providing signature-based order tracking and monitoring for drive-thru services and vehicle-based services, respectively, are provided. An image is captured relative to a vehicle at a POS (point of sale) unit at an order location and at a delivery or service fulfillment location (e.g., the payment location or the order pick-up location) using an image capture unit, by detecting the presence of the vehicle at each location using a vehicle presence sensor. The captured image is then processed to extract a small region of interest (e.g., the vehicle license plate number) and to reduce the image into a unique signature. The extracted signature of the vehicle at the order location is stored in a database along with the associated order and the vehicle image.The signature extracted at the delivery location is compared with the signature stored in the database. If a match is detected, the order associated with the vehicle, along with the images captured at the delivery location and the order location, is displayed in a user interface at the delivery location, ensuring that the correct order is processed for a customer.

[0007] In an extraction mode, the region of interest is determined, and the signature of the vehicle at the job location is extracted and stored in the database. The ROI (region of interest) related to the vehicle image is extracted using an automated vehicle license plate recognition technique (e.g., a mathematical morphology-based recognition technique) to determine the signature. The signature can be, for example, the license plate number obtained using an optical character recognition technique, or it can be a bitmap of the ROI, and / or the signatures can be other image features (e.g., scale-invariant feature transform (SIFT) features). The signature is then stored in the database along with the associated job and the vehicle image.

[0008] In a matching mode, the vehicle's signature is extracted at the payment point and the order pick-up point and compared with the signatures stored in the database. If the signature is the license plate number, the matching can be performed by simply comparing the characters. If the signature is the bitmap, a two-dimensional correlation-type matching technique can be used. SIFT feature matching can be achieved by matching features based on a Euclidean distance between the feature vectors. The order associated with the current vehicle is displayed in the user interface, along with the images taken at the delivery location and the order placement location.The signature, along with the image and the order, is automatically deleted from the database after the order product has been issued to the customer or the order has been fulfilled. This approach can be efficiently deployed in a variety of vehicle-based or drive-thru service environments to ensure that appropriate orders have been assembled and are ready to be issued to the customer, or the associated products. Short description of the drawings Fig. 1 shows a schematic view of a computer system according to the disclosed embodiments; Fig. 2 shows a schematic view of a software system including a vehicle and a job monitoring module, an operating system, and a user interface according to the disclosed embodiments; Fig. 3 shows a block diagram of a signature-based job monitoring system according to the disclosed embodiments; Fig. 4 shows a perspective view of the signature-based order monitoring system in a vehicle-based service environment or a drive-thru service environment according to the disclosed embodiments; Fig. 5 shows a graphical representation of a job monitoring window according to the disclosed embodiments; and Fig. 6 shows a high-level flowchart of activities illustrating the logical operational steps of the method for monitoring or tracking the order based on a signature with respect to a vehicle according to the disclosed embodiments. Detailed description

[0009] As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the present invention may be implemented as a method, a data processing system, or a computer program product. Accordingly, the present invention may be implemented in an entirely hardware embodiment, an entirely software embodiment, or an embodiment combining software and hardware aspects, generally referred to herein as a "circuit" or "module." Furthermore, the present invention may take the form of a computer program product on a computer-usable storage medium having computer-usable programming coding embedded in the medium. Any suitable computer-readable medium may be used, including hard disks, USB flash drives, DVDs, CD-ROMs, optical storage devices, magnetic storage devices, etc.

[0010] Computer program coding for performing operations of the present invention may be written in an object-oriented programming language (e.g., Java, C++, etc.). However, computer program coding for performing the operations of the present invention may also be written in conventional procedure-based programming languages, such as the C programming language, or in a visually oriented programming environment, such as Visual Basic.

[0011] The program code may be executed entirely on a user's computer, but may also be partially executed on the user's computer as a standalone software package, or this code may be executed partially on the user's computer and partially on a remote computer, or it may be executed entirely on the remote computer. In the latter scenario, the remote computer is connected to the user's computer via a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN), via a wireless data network, such as Wimax, 802.xx, or a radio network, or the connection to an external computer may be established via networks provided by a third party (for example, via the Internet using an Internet service provider).

[0012] The embodiments are presented, at least in part, herein with reference to flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams of methods, systems, and computer program products and data structures according to embodiments of the present invention. It should be understood that each block of the illustrations and combinations of blocks may be implemented by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions are provided to a processor of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, or other programmable data processing device to provide an apparatus such that the instructions, executing via the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing device, provide means for implementing the functions / activities specified in the block or blocks.

[0013] These computer instructions may also be stored on a computer-readable memory that causes a computer or other programmable data processing device to function in a specific manner such that the instructions stored in the computer-readable memory result in a manufactured product having instruction means that implement the function / activity specified in the block or blocks.

[0014] The computer program instructions may also be loaded into a computer or other programmable data processing device to cause a series of operations to be performed on the computer or other programmable device to produce a computer-implemented process such that the instructions executed on the computer or other programmable device provide steps for implementing the functions / activities specified in the block or blocks.

[0015] The Fig. 1 to 2 are provided as exemplary views of data processing environments in which embodiments of the present invention are implemented. It should be noted that the Fig. 1 to 2 are merely illustrative in nature and are not intended to impose limitations on the environments in which aspects or embodiments of the disclosed invention may be implemented. Many modifications may be made to the illustrated environments without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosed embodiments.

[0016] As in Fig. 1, the disclosed embodiments are implemented within a data processing system 100 having, for example, a central processor 101, a main memory 102, an input / output controller 103, a keyboard 104, an input device 105 (e.g., a pointing device such as a mouse, trackball, or stylus, and the like), a display device 106, a mass storage device 107 (e.g., a hard drive), and a USB (universal serial bus) peripheral connection 111. Additional input / output devices, such as an image capture device 108 (e.g., a camera, etc.), are coupled to the data processing system 100 as needed. As shown, the various components of the data processing system 100 may electronically communicate with one another via a system bus 110 or a similar architecture.The system bus 110 is, for example, a subsystem that transfers data, for example, between computer components within the data processing system 100 or transfers data to and from other data processing devices, components, computers, etc.

[0017] Fig. 2 shows a computer software system 150 for controlling the operation of the data processing system 100, which in Fig. 1. A software application 152, located in main memory 102 or mass storage 107, generally creates a kernel or operating system 151 and a peripheral or interface 153. One or more application programs, such as a software application 152, are "loaded" (i.e., transferred from mass storage 107 to main memory 102) to be executed by data processing system 100. Data processing system 100 receives user commands and data via a user interface 153; these inputs are then processed by data processing system 100 according to commands from operating system module 151 and / or software application 154.

[0018] The following discussion is intended to provide a brief, general description of suitable computing environments in which the system and method may be implemented. Although not required, the disclosed embodiments are described in the general context of computer-executable instructions, such as program modules, that can be executed by a single computer. In most cases, a "module" corresponds to a software application.

[0019] Generally, program modules include, but are not limited to, routines, subroutines, software applications, programs, objects, components, data structures, etc., that perform specific tasks or implement specific abstract data types and instructions. Furthermore, those skilled in the art will recognize that the inventive method and system can be implemented with other computer system configurations, such as, for example, portable devices, multi-processor systems, data networks, microprocessor-based or programmable consumer electronic devices, network-connected PCs, minicomputers, larger computers, utility computers or servers, and the like.

[0020] Note that, as used herein, the term "module" can refer to a collection of routines and data structures that perform a specific task or implement a specific abstract data type. Modules are composed of two parts: an interface that contains the constant data types, variables, and routines that can be accessed by other modules or routines; and an implementation, which is typically private (accessible only by that module) and has source code that actually implements the routines in the module. The term "module" can also simply refer to an application, such as a computer program, designed to assist in performing a specific task, such as word processing, accounting, inventory management, etc.

[0021] The interface 153, which is preferably a graphical user interface (GUI), can be used to present results, after which a user can provide additional input or terminate a particular session. In some embodiments, the operating system 151 and the interface 153 are implemented in the context of a "window system." It should be noted that other types of systems are, of course, possible. Instead of a traditional "window system," other operating systems, such as, for example, a real-time operating system (RTOS), which is more commonly used in wireless systems, can be used to provide the operating system 151 and the interface 153. The software application 152 includes, for example, a job tracking module 154 for managing a job based on a signature related to a vehicle.The vehicle and job monitoring module 154 includes instructions such as those of method 500 described below with reference to FIG. Fig. 6 is explained.

[0022] The Fig. 1 through 2 are therefore intended to serve as an example, not as an architectural limitation, with respect to the specific embodiments. However, such embodiments are not limited to any particular application or computing or data processing environment. Rather, those skilled in the art will recognize that the disclosed system and method may be advantageously applied to a variety of system and application software systems. Furthermore, the present invention may be implemented on a variety of different computing platforms, including Macintosh, UNIX, LINUX, and the like.

[0023] Fig. Figure 3 shows a block diagram of a point-of-sale (POS) system for tracking or monitoring an order 240 with respect to a vehicle 205 according to the disclosed embodiments. Note that in the Fig. 1 to 6, identical or similar blocks are generally designated by identical reference numerals. The POS system 200 can be efficiently deployed in a wide variety of vehicle-based or drive-thru service environments to ensure efficient delivery or fulfillment for a superior quality of service to a mobile customer with a very limited time budget. The system 200 generally includes an order processing unit 210, one or more delivery or fulfillment locations, such as a payment processing unit 260 and an order intake processing unit 275, and a centralized monitoring processing unit 290 including the order monitoring module 154, all operatively connected to the network 245.

[0024] It should be noted that network 245 may be an internet connection, which represents a global collection of networks and access gateways that use the Transmission Control Protocol / Internet Protocol (TCP / IP) to communicate with each other. The internet is based on a framework of high-speed data communication lines between central nodes or host computers comprised of thousands of commercial, public, educational, or other computer systems that transmit data and messages. Of course, network 245 may also be implemented as a number of different types of networks.

[0025] The order processing unit 210 of the POS system 200 captures an image 254 relative to the vehicle 205 using a job location image capture unit 212 by detecting the presence of the vehicle 205 using a job location vehicle presence sensor 230. The order processing unit 210 further includes an order location user interface 235 for presenting the order 240 to the customer. Similarly, the payment processing unit 260 and the capture processing unit 275 of the POS system 200 include separate image processing units, such as a payment location image capture unit 262 and an order capture location image capture unit 276, for capturing the images 254 relative to the vehicle 205 by detecting the presence of the vehicle 205 via respective vehicle presence sensors 270 and 280, respectively.

[0026] It should be noted that the image acquisition units 212, 262 described in more detail herein may be analogous or similar to the image acquisition unit 108 of the data processing system 100 described in Fig. 1. The image acquisition unit may contain built-in integrated functions, such as image processing, data formatting, and data compression. Furthermore, the unit includes a positioning device, an area detection device, and a flashlight.

[0027] The order monitoring module 154 of the centralized service computer 290 processes the captured images 254 in the POS system 200 to extract a small region of interest (ROI) 220, for example, in the form of a vehicle license plate. A region of interest, often abbreviated as ROI, is a selected subset of elements within a data set determined for a specific purpose. The region of interest 220 with respect to the vehicle 205 can be further reduced to a unique signature 252 in the order processing unit 210 and stored in a database 250 along with the corresponding order 240 and the vehicle image 254. A matching application orComparison application 265, which is set up in the payment processing unit 260 and the order taking processing unit 275, compares the signatures 252 extracted in the payment processing unit 260 and the order taking processing unit 275 with the signature 252 stored in the database 250.

[0028] The reconciliation application 265 further displays the order 240 associated with the vehicle 205, along with the images 254 captured at the delivery locations 260 and 275 by the order processing unit 210, in the user interfaces 272 and 285 to ensure that the correct order 240 is assigned to the customer. The payment location user interface 272 provides confirmation of payment related to the order 240 placed at the order processing unit 210 of the POS system 200. Similarly, the order pick location user interface 285 displays the delivered and processed orders 240 related to the vehicle 205.

[0029] Fig. 4 shows a perspective of the point-of-sale (POS) system 200 in a service environment for vehicle-based services or for drive-thru services 320. The system 200 is provided with a store or warehouse 310 with a repository 320 to process and manage the orders 240 in the store or warehouse 310. The repositories 320 can hold pending orders 240 in the POS system 200. The system 200 can be activated in an extract mode to extract and store the signatures 252, and the system can also be used in a match mode to match or compare the signatures 352 of the vehicle 205. In the extraction mode, the region of interest 220 is positioned relative to the image 254 of the vehicle 205 and the signature 252 of the vehicle 205 is extracted and stored in the database 250.It should be noted that the region of interest (ROI) 220 may be a portion of the image 240 that a user can filter or to which another operation can be applied. Sometimes it is convenient to process a single sub-region of the image 240 while leaving other regions unchanged. The region of interest 220 with respect to the vehicle image 254 is determined or extracted, for example, by applying an automated vehicle license plate recognition algorithm, such as a mathematical morphology-based recognition technique, to determine the signature 252. The signature 252 includes, for example, a vehicle license plate number determined using an optical character recognition technique, a bitmap of the region of interest 220, or other image features, such as a scale-invariant feature transform.

[0030] In matching mode, the signatures 252 of the vehicle 205 are extracted at the payment processing unit 260 and the order entry processing unit 275 and compared with the signatures 252 stored in the database 250. If the signature 252 is the vehicle license plate number, the matching can be performed by a simple character comparison. If the signature is the bitmap, a two-dimensional correlation-type comparison can be used. SIFT feature matching can be accomplished by comparing features based on a Euclidean distance of the feature vectors.The signatures 252 relating to the vehicle 205 may also be extracted using a wide variety of other recognition techniques, such as support vector machine methods, pattern classification, Bayesian decision techniques, neural network classifiers, fuzzy logic decision making, and genetic algorithm-based optimizers, etc. Such signatures 252 may further be used to efficiently assemble the orders 240 relating to the customer in the drive-thru environment 230. The signature 252 is stored in the database 250 along with the associated order 240 and the vehicle image 254. The signatures 252 may then be automatically deleted from the database 250 along with the image 254 and the order 240 after the service or its result has been delivered or fulfilled to the customer according to the order 240.

[0031] Fig. 5 shows a graphical representation of an order monitoring window 400 with respect to the delivery locations or fulfillment locations of system 200 according to the disclosed embodiments. The graphical window 400 is generally implemented within a GUI "window." It should be noted that, in computing, a GUI "window" is generally a visual area containing some type of user interface. Such a "window" is usually (but not always) rectangular in shape and displays the result of one or more processes and may also allow input to one or more processes. Such windows are generally linked to graphical displays that can be manipulated using a mouse pointer, for example, with the input device 105 shown in Fig. 1. A GUI using "windows" as one of its essential "metaphors" is often referred to as a window-based system.

[0032] The user interfaces 272 and 285 related to the delivery locations 260 and 275 display the images 410 and 420 taken at the order processing location 210 and the delivery or fulfillment locations 260 and 275 to match the order number, vehicle identification, and other details related to the order 240 placed in the drive-thru environment 330. It should be noted that the drive-thru environment or the vehicle-based environment 330 as disclosed herein typically encompasses a wide range of business applications, such as fast food restaurants, banks, pharmacies, and coffee shops. The POS system 200 related to the services ordered in the vehicle orin connection with drive-thru services 330 provides a fast and convenient service, while also increasing the number of customers that can be served compared to conventional in-person store activities.

[0033] Fig. 6 shows a high-level flowchart of activities illustrating logical steps of the method 500 for monitoring orders based on the signature 252 with respect to the vehicle 205 according to the disclosed embodiments. It should be noted that the method 500 may also be implemented in the context of a computer-usable medium containing a program product, which in turn contains, for example, a module or group of modules. Again, it should be recalled that in the Fig.1 to 6, identical or similar blocks are generally designated by the same reference numerals. The presence of the vehicle 205 in the drive-thru environment 330 may be detected via the vehicle presence sensors 230, 270, and 280 associated with the POS system 200, as illustrated in block 510. The image 254 related to the vehicle 205 may be captured at each point or location 210, 260, and 275 using the image capture units 212, 262, and 272, respectively, as illustrated in block 520.

[0034] The image 254 captured at the order processing unit 210 may be processed to extract the small region of interest 220 via the centralized service computer 290, and the image may be reduced to unique signatures 252, as shown in block 530. The extracted signatures 252 of the vehicle 205 in the order processing unit 210 are stored in the database 250 along with the corresponding order 240 and the vehicle image 254, as shown in block 540. The signature 252 extracted at the delivery locations 260 and 275 is compared to the signature 252 stored in the database 250, as shown in block 550.

[0035] If a match is determined, the order 240 associated with the vehicle 205, along with the images 254 captured at the delivery locations 260 and 275 and at the order processing unit 210, is further displayed at the user interfaces 272 and 285 of the delivery locations 260 and 275, as shown in block 560. Finally, the appropriate order 240 related to the customer is completed or the associated product is delivered based on the matching signatures 252 in the vehicle-based service environment 330, as shown in block 570. Such a system and method can be efficiently implemented in a variety of drive-thru service environments.Environments with services that are ordered and received in the vehicle can be used to ensure that appropriate orders have been compiled and are ready so that their result can be delivered to the customer or the service can be fulfilled.

Claims

[1] A method for providing signature-based order monitoring, the method comprising: Capturing an image relating to a vehicle at an order location and at a delivery location relative to a point of sale unit using an image capturing unit by detecting the presence of a vehicle at the order location and the delivery location using a vehicle presence sensor; Processing the image captured at the job location and the delivery location to extract a small region of interest, subsequently reducing the small region of interest to a unique signature, and storing the signature associated with the job location in a database together with a corresponding job and the image; and Comparing the signature associated with the delivery location with the signature stored in the database, after which the order associated with the vehicle is displayed in a user interface together with the image taken at the delivery location and the order location, ensuring that the correct order is fulfilled for a customer. [2] The method of claim 1, further comprising: determining the region of interest so that the signature of the vehicle at the job location is then extracted in an extraction mode. [3] The method of claim 1, further comprising: extracting the region of interest with respect to the image using an automated vehicle license plate recognition technique such that the signature is determined. [4] The method of claim 3, wherein the automated vehicle marking recognition technique comprises a mathematical morphologically based recognition technique. [5] The method of claim 1, wherein the region of interest comprises one or more of the following image types: a vehicle registration number; a pixel map of the area of ​​interest; and a scale-invariant feature transformation. [6] The method of claim 1, further comprising: extracting a current signature of the vehicle at a payment location and an order acceptance location, so that the current signature is then compared with the signature stored in the database in a comparison mode. [7] A system for providing signature-based order monitoring, the system comprising: a processor; a data bus connected to the processor; a computer-usable medium having computer coding implemented therein, the computer-usable medium being connected to the data bus, and the computer program coding comprising instructions executable by the processor that result in: capturing an image relating to a vehicle at an order location and a delivery location with respect to a point-of-sale unit using an image capturing unit by detecting a presence of the vehicle at the order location and the delivery location using a vehicle presence sensor; the image captured at the order location and the delivery location is processed to extract a small region of interest and then reduce the small region of interest into a unique signature, the signature associated with the order location being stored in a database together with a corresponding order and the image; and the signature linked to the delivery location is compared with the signature stored in the database, so that the order linked to the vehicle is then displayed in a user interface together with the image taken at the delivery location and the order location to ensure that the correct order is fulfilled for a customer. [8] The system of claim 7, wherein the instructions are further configured to specify the region of interest such that the signature of the vehicle at the job location is then extractable in an extraction mode. [9] The system of claim 7, wherein the instructions are further configured to extract the region of interest with respect to the image using an automated vehicle identification recognition technique such that the signature is determinable. [10] The system of claim 9, wherein the automated vehicle marking recognition technique comprises a mathematical morphologically based recognition technique.

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