Used goods appraisal system

Abstract

We provide a used goods appraisal system that precisely analyzes the condition of used goods at an attribute level and automatically calculates a rational and highly accurate appraisal price in accordance with the judgment criteria of professional appraisers. [Solution] The used goods appraisal system 1 comprises a used goods owner terminal device 11 operated by the used goods owner and a used goods appraisal device 21 that forms the core of the appraisal logic. The used goods appraisal device 21 requests the used goods owner terminal device 11 to take images of the exterior of the used goods using its built-in camera function. The user complies with this request and takes images of the overall appearance and details of the product using the camera function of the used goods owner terminal device 11. The used goods appraisal device 21 identifies the type of product from the received used goods images and generates appraisal data according to that type.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a used item appraisal system for analyzing the condition from captured images of used items using a mobile terminal such as a smartphone and calculating an appropriate purchase price.

Background Art

[0002] In recent years, against the backdrop of the effective utilization of resources and the growing awareness of reuse, online appraisals of used items via the Internet and person-to-person (CtoC) trading platforms such as flea market apps have rapidly spread. Generally, in the business of appraising used items, the mainstream method is that a user transmits images of the appearance of the used item captured from multiple angles to a server, and an appraiser of a purchasing merchant visually checks the images to determine the presence or absence of scratches and the wear condition, and presents the final appraisal amount.

[0003] In addition, with the remarkable improvement of image recognition technologies such as deep learning (deep neural networks) in recent years, a system has been proposed that uses AI (artificial intelligence) to automatically detect defects such as scratches, dirt, and dents from images of used items and perform a simple appraisal by comparing with market price information on a database. Thanks to these automation technologies, even ordinary users without specialized appraisal knowledge can relatively easily grasp the approximate value of used items from home without visiting a store.

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, in the conventional automatic appraisal system using image recognition, there were several serious problems in practical operation as follows. For example, even if image analysis can simply detect a "scratch," the actual reduction in market value will vary greatly depending on the physical location of the scratch ("where it is on the product") and its qualitative attributes ("what kind of scratch it is, whether it's a minor surface scuff or a deep cut that penetrates the material, etc."). Conventional systems lacked sufficient logic to comprehensively evaluate these detailed defect attributes and reflect them in the price, often resulting in a significant discrepancy between the system's results and the precise appraisals performed by skilled professional appraisers.

[0005] Furthermore, there were challenges in calculating the value when multiple defects were located in a small area. For example, if there were many minute scratches clustered in very close proximity, simply counting them as individual defects and adding them up could result in an excessively large deduction that was not actually appropriate. On the other hand, if each scratch was treated as "minor" and given a low value individually, the damage as widespread and significant cosmetic deterioration (so-called surface scratches) could not be properly reflected in the evaluation, potentially leading to a decrease in assessment accuracy.

[0006] Furthermore, there was concern that the total deductions based on individual defects might exceed the "parts replacement costs" or "overhaul costs" required to fundamentally resolve those defects, resulting in an economically irrational assessment. In addition, because the calculation process was a black box, users lacked clarity on the specific basis for the calculation and the reasons for the deductions, making it difficult for them to accept the offered amount.

[0007] This invention was made to solve the aforementioned problems, and goes beyond mere detection of the condition of used goods to perform a precise, multifaceted analysis at the attribute level. The aim is to provide a used goods appraisal system that can quickly and automatically calculate rational, objective, and highly accurate appraisal results in accordance with the judgment criteria of professional appraisers. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] This invention has an interface, memory, and CPU, and the interface receives images of used goods captured by a camera. The CPU is a used goods appraisal system that performs the following processes: writing images of used goods received by the interface to the scale; identifying the type of used goods based on the images of used goods read from the memory; identifying defects in the used goods based on the images of used goods and the identified type; and generating appraisal data indicating the purchase price of the used goods based on the identified type of used goods and the identified defects. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to this invention, defects in used goods are evaluated from multiple perspectives based on several attributes such as location, type, and size, thereby achieving a high level of accuracy similar to that of an expert appraiser. Furthermore, by incorporating a cap function that limits the cost of parts replacement to an upper limit, it becomes possible to calculate prices in an economically rational manner, preventing excessive deductions. In addition, since the basis for price deductions according to the defects can be clearly presented, it can increase user satisfaction and improve the transparency of used goods transactions. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0010] [Figure 1] Figure 1 is an overall network diagram of a used goods appraisal system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] Figure 2 is a flowchart showing the overall flow of the used goods appraisal process in this embodiment. [Figure 3] Figure 3 is a functional block diagram of the used goods owner terminal device 11 shown in Figure 1. [Figure 4] Figure 4 is a functional block diagram of the used goods appraisal device 21 shown in Figure 1. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0011] The embodiments of this invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. In this embodiment, we will describe in detail an appraisal system for used items such as "vehicles" and "brand-name bags" as an example.

[0012] The used goods appraisal system of this embodiment provides an interactive interface for capturing and collecting images of the exterior of used goods and identifying defects such as scratches, dirt, and dents through the camera of a mobile device owned by the used goods owner (user). Furthermore, based on the acquired images, a sophisticated image analysis engine is used to identify defective areas, and assessment data is dynamically generated that shows an objective purchase price considering the nature of the defects.

[0013] Figure 1 is an overall network diagram of a used goods appraisal system 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Figure 1, this system 1 includes a used goods owner terminal device 11 operated by the used goods owner and a used goods appraisal device 21 that plays a central role in the appraisal logic. These devices are connected to each other via communication networks such as the internet and mobile networks, enabling data communication between them.

[0014] The following describes the operation flow of the used goods appraisal device 21. Figure 2 is a flowchart showing the overall operation of the used goods appraisal device 21. The used product owner terminal device 11 shall have a dedicated application for using this service pre-installed or in a state where it can be executed via a web browser.

[0015] Step ST11: The used goods appraisal device 21 requests the terminal device 11 to take an image of the exterior of the used goods using its built-in camera function. The user complies with this request and takes an image of the overall appearance and details of the goods using the camera function of the used goods owner terminal device 11. The used goods owner terminal device 11 transmits the captured image to the used goods appraisal device 21. The used goods appraisal device 21 receives the image via interface 77 and stores it in memory 79.

[0016] Step ST12: The used product inspection device 21 activates the analysis engine and identifies defects based on the acquired image and the identified type.

[0017] Step ST13: The used product inspection device 21 generates final inspection data based on the identified individual defects.

[0018] Step ST14: The used product inspection device 21 transmits the inspection data generated in Step ST13 to the used product owner terminal device 11 and causes it to be displayed on the display.

[0019] <Used product owner terminal device 11> FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram of the used product owner terminal device 11 shown in FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 3, the used product owner terminal device 11 includes, for example, a display 51, an operation unit / interface 54, a communication unit 55, a memory 59, and a processing unit 61.

[0020] The display 51 displays an image based on a signal from the processing unit 61. The communication unit 55 communicates with the used product inspection device 21. The operation unit / interface 54 is an operation means such as a touch panel, a keyboard, or a mouse. The memory 59 stores programs executed by the processing unit 61. The processing unit 61 executes the program PRG stored in the memory 59 and performs the processing of the used product owner terminal device 11 defined in the present embodiment described above.

[0021] <Used product inspection device 21> FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram of the used product inspection device 21 shown in FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 4, the used product inspection device 21 includes, for example, a communication unit 75, an interface 77, a memory 79, and a processing unit 81, which are housed in the same housing.

[0022] The communication unit 75 communicates with the used product owner terminal device 11. Interface 77 is a terminal or similar component for receiving data from an external source. Memory 79 stores the program that the processing unit 81 will execute. The processing unit 81 executes the program PRG stored in the memory 79 to perform the processing of the used goods appraisal device 21 as defined in this embodiment.

[0023] According to this embodiment, defects can be identified and assessed for multiple types of used goods based on their images.

[0024] The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above. Those skilled in the art can appropriately modify, combine, or substitute parts of each component within the scope of the technical idea of ​​the present invention. [Industrial applicability]

[0025] This invention is applicable to a used goods appraisal system. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0026] 1… Used goods appraisal system 9… Communication Network 11… Used Owner Terminal Device 21… Used goods appraisal device 51… Display 54… Control Unit / Interface 55… Communications Department 59… Memory (device side) 61… Processing unit (terminal side) 75… Communications Department (Server Side) 77… Interface (server side) 79… Memory (server side) 81… Processing unit (server side)

Claims

[Claim 1] Interface and Memory and CPU and It has, The aforementioned interface receives images of used items captured by a camera, The aforementioned CPU is The process involves writing the image of the used item received by the interface to the scale, A process to identify the type of used item based on the image of the used item read from the memory, Based on the aforementioned used product image and the identified type, a defect identification process is performed to identify defects in the used product. A process to generate appraisal data indicating the purchase price of the used item based on the type of used item identified and the identified defects. Execute Used goods appraisal system.

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