Self-Service Checkout Position Detection and Notification

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Solution Overview

Problem

In self-service checkout terminals, customers failing to place products at suitable positions hinder the acquisition of identification information, leading to potential errors in product registration.

Innovation Solution

An information processing system that includes detection, acquisition, determination, and notification means to identify the position of customers, products, or carriers, and generates notifications when the position is not suitable for identification information acquisition, ensuring correct product registration.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If customers place products at arbitrary positions, then ease of operation is improved, but identification information acquisition reliability deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveproduct placement freedomVSAvoididentification information acquisition

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary detection of product positions and predicts whether identification information can be acquired before the actual scanning process. This allows the system to proactively identify and notify customers about improper product placements, preventing acquisition failures rather than reacting after the fact.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system provides real-time feedback to customers through notifications when products are placed in positions that will prevent identification information acquisition. The notification includes guidance on where to move the product, creating a closed-loop feedback system that guides customers to correct their placements.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

2Reliability

If the system notifies customers about position errors, then identification information acquisition reliability is improved, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveidentification information acquisitionVSAvoidsystem structure

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent replaces complex mechanical or manual inspection systems with an image recognition-based detection system. By using cameras and computer vision algorithms to detect product positions and predict scanning outcomes, the system achieves high reliability without requiring complex physical guidance mechanisms or manual verification procedures.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Data Source

PatentUS11276053B2Information processing system, method, and storage medium for detecting a position of a customer, product or carrier used for carrying the product when the customer approaches a payment lane and determining whether the detected position enables acquisition of identification information from the product

Publication Date: 2022.03.15 NEC CORP

AI summary

Provided is an information processing system including: a detection means for detecting a position of a customer, a product, or a carrier used for carrying the product; an acquisition means for acquiring identification information from the product; a determination means for determining whether or not a position detected by the detection means is a position that enables acquisition of the identification information; and a notification information generation means for, when it is determined that the position detected by the detection means is not a position that enables acquisition of the identification information, generating notification information used for providing a notification to the customer.