Merchandise Recognition System with Item Limit Notification
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Solution Overview
Problem
The accuracy of merchandise identification in AI-based cart POS systems significantly drops when multiple items are loaded simultaneously, leading to insufficient reliability in registration processes.
Innovation Solution
A merchandise recognition system that includes a processor and storage device to store an item upper limit value, which receives images of the cart basket area, recognizes merchandise items, and issues a limit notification when the number of items exceeds the upper limit, prompting the user to reload items individually for accurate registration.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If multiple merchandise items are loaded into the cart simultaneously, then the shopping process becomes more efficient and faster, but the accuracy of merchandise identification drops significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the merchandise loading process into individual item placements. By detecting and processing images of single items placed in the cart one at a time, the system maintains high identification accuracy while still allowing users to load multiple items during shopping. The segmentation is implemented through image processing that identifies individual items and processes them separately rather than attempting to recognize multiple items simultaneously in a single image.
2Extent of automation
If AI-based image recognition is used to automatically identify merchandise items, then the automation level increases and manual scanning is reduced, but the reliability of merchandise registration becomes insufficient when multiple items are present
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements feedback mechanisms that monitor the merchandise recognition process and provide real-time information about identification accuracy. When multiple items are detected in the cart, the system provides feedback to alert users and adjust the recognition process accordingly. This feedback loop ensures that automatic recognition maintains high reliability by adapting to the actual number of items present, rather than assuming a fixed number of items will be accurately identified.
3Speed
If the system processes images of multiple merchandise items simultaneously, then the processing speed increases, but the identification accuracy for each individual item decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the image processing task by detecting and isolating individual merchandise items within the cart image, then processing each item separately. This segmentation allows the system to maintain high processing speed through parallel processing of multiple items while ensuring high identification accuracy for each item through dedicated processing attention. The segmentation is achieved through object detection algorithms that separate items in the image before processing.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies partial action by processing only the portions of images that contain merchandise items, rather than processing the entire cart image uniformly. The system identifies and processes only the relevant item portions, which speeds up processing while maintaining accuracy. This partial processing approach allows the system to handle multiple items efficiently without sacrificing individual item identification quality.
Data Source
AI summary
According to one embodiment, a merchandise recognition system includes a processor and storage device to store an item upper limit value. The processor is configured to receive images of a shopping cart basket area via an interface, recognize merchandise items being moved into the shopping cart basket area in a received image, compare the item upper limit value to the number of merchandise items recognized as being moved into the shopping cart basket area in the received image, and issue a limit notification when the number of merchandise items recognized as being moved into the shopping cart basket area in the received image is greater than or equal to the item upper limit value.