Group Detection and Billing via Sensor-Based Entry Verification
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current systems for identifying users in facilities, such as stores or hospitals, struggle to maintain group identification and association within the facility after entry, often requiring single entry verification or human intervention.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a system that uses cameras and sensors to monitor entry points, detect group formations, and associate users with each other and an account, allowing for automated group identification and billing without human intervention.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If single entry verification is used for each individual, then verification accuracy is improved, but processing time increases and throughput decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple individual verifications into a single group verification process. Instead of verifying each person separately, the system uses cameras and sensors to detect groups of people entering together and verifies them as a unit, thereby reducing processing time while maintaining accuracy through group-based identification
Solution Approach 2:
The system enables automated group identification without human intervention. Cameras and sensors automatically detect, track, and identify groups of people entering the facility, with the system autonomously determining group membership and associations without requiring manual verification by agents
2Measurement precision
If an agent reviews and verifies the number of individuals in a group, then verification accuracy is improved, but device complexity and operational burden increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical system of manual agent verification with an automated optical and sensor-based system. Cameras capture images of groups, sensors detect their presence and characteristics, and computational algorithms automatically determine group composition and memberships, eliminating the need for human agents while maintaining verification accuracy
Solution Approach 2:
The system introduces cameras, sensors, and computational algorithms as intermediary components between the group entering the facility and the verification process. These intermediaries automatically capture, process, and analyze group information, replacing the direct human-agent verification mechanism
3Loss of information
If group identification is maintained within the facility, then data quality is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements continuous monitoring and tracking of groups throughout their entire stay in the facility. Cameras and sensors continuously capture group members' movements and interactions, and the system continuously updates group associations and identifications, ensuring group information is maintained from entry to exit without requiring additional complex subsystems
4Productivity
If automated group identification is implemented, then throughput is improved, but measurement precision may worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The system employs feedback mechanisms where captured group images and sensor data are continuously analyzed by computational algorithms that refine their identification accuracy over time. The system learns from patterns and adjusts its recognition criteria, maintaining high accuracy while processing groups rapidly through automated feedback-driven optimization
Data Source
AI summary
Described are implementations that facilitate group determination and association at entry into a facility so that activities of group members of the group are associated with the group and/or applied to a single account designated for the group. For example, if four individuals enter the facility together, the disclosed implementations determine whether the four individuals are to be associated as a group. If associated as a group, an account, such as an account of one of the individuals, is also determined and associated with the group. Activities, such as an item pick, performed by one of those individuals is associated with the group and if there is a fee or charge associated with the activity it is applied to the associated account.