Camera-Guided Product Search With Keyword-Based Shelf Highlighting

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Solution Overview

Problem

It is difficult for users to find specific products they desire among a variety of displayed items using existing systems.

Innovation Solution

An information processing apparatus and method that utilizes a camera to capture images of products, receives a keyword input, and generates guide images to highlight matching products, allowing easy identification of desired items.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If various products are displayed on a product shelf, then product variety is increased, but it becomes difficult for users to find specific products

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveproduct varietyVSAvoidproduct search difficulty
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces a camera-based image processing system as an intermediary between the user and the products. The system captures images of the product shelf, processes them to identify and highlight target products, and presents the results to the user. This intermediary system resolves the contradiction by maintaining full product variety on the shelf while providing an automated search mechanism that eliminates the difficulty of manually searching through various products.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Measurement precision

If manual search through products is performed, then product location can be found, but time consumption increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveproduct location accuracyVSAvoidsearch time
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary action by capturing an image of the entire product shelf beforehand and processing it to pre-identify the locations of target products. When a user searches for a specific product, the system has already prepared the image data with potential match locations marked, eliminating the need for real-time manual searching. This preliminary processing significantly reduces search time while maintaining accurate product location identification.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentEP4679347A1Information processing device and article search method
Publication Date: 2026.01.14 PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO LTD
  • EP4679347A1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4679347A1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP4679347A1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

An information processing device comprising: a reception unit that receives first image data, which is an image obtained by a camera capturing a range including a plurality of articles, and a keyword; a control unit that identifies an article matching the keyword from among the articles included in the first image data; and an output unit that outputs second image data in which the identified article from among the articles included in the image captured by the camera is displayed so as to be differentiated from the other articles.